HARD HITTER -- Eagle Kaylyn Lampen (7) launches a slashing cross-court return. Jaguar Karla Flores (5) prepares to defend her territory.Jonatan Muñoz, International
From worst to first!
Eagle girls fly over Jaguars, 2-0
The Christian Learning girls volleyball team completed its journey from last place during the regular season to champions of the playoffs with a convincing straight sets win over Cooperative in the championship game held at International Tuesday.
The Eagle girls had to come from behind in both games, but proved more than capable of doing so, as they took the first game 26-24, and the second by the slightly more comfortable margin of 25-20.
Cooperative had jumped out to an imposing early lead in the first set, and led at one point 16-7. Christian Learning, the Cinderella team of the tournament, began to claw its way back at that point, but the Jaguar girls appeared ready to put the game away when they led 23-18, and then 24-19.
The Eagle girls put on a sensational last-ditch rally at that point, with a large crowd of partisans noisily urging them on, and first tied the Jaguars at 24-24, and then won the set for themselves 26-24.
But the Jaguars did not succumb easily. There was a sensational rally to make the score 24-24, during which the ball traversed the net more than 20 times, with both sides making sensational retrievals, and hitting high velocity shots into the opposing team's zone.
Moreover, being caught from behind in the first set clearly did not break the Jaguar girls' spirit. They went out in the second set and showed they were not afraid to take the lead. They led 8-2 at the first mandatory time-out.
But this time the Eagle comeback was more rapid, and the score was evened at 13-13. The teams battled on even terms for a stretch, but slowly the momentum transferred to the Eagles as they went ahead 19-16.
That three-point advantage held until 21-18, when there was another long rally, extremely well played on both sides, but with the Eagles finally winning when a Jaguar shot went out.
That rally did finally seem to take the wind out of Cooperative's sails, and the Eagles, again pushed on by their fans, took control and finally won the set and the championship, 25-20.
Thus Christian Learning, which had been 1-5 during the regular season compared with Cooperative's 4-2 (not to mention International's 5-1) completed its climb from last place to league champion.
While a tremendous tribute to the courage and fortitude of the Jaguar players, the turnabout also showed that the teams in the girls volleyball league have achieved a parity similar to that of the boys soccer teams. (Happily, there are no ties in volleyball.)
Indeed, there was a segment of informed opinion that thought International and Cambridge had been the strongest teams in the league at the end of the season, and lamented the fact that neither of them were in the finals. And there may have been days when one of those other teams might have won, but Tuesday wasn't one of them.
One can't help but think of last year when both the boys and girls teams from Christian Learning came ever so close to winning volleyball championships, only to fall a few points short. Many people at the time, this writer included, felt sorry for the Eagle teams and their fans.
It was evidently wasted sympathy. The Eagle teams and their fans clearly showed that they knew how to profit from adversity. The delirious postgame celebrations after both Eagle championship victories Tuesday indicated strongly that the cup of joy is indeed etched deeper by the acid of sorrow.
Jaguar coach Misty Skidmore paid tribute to the cacaphonous Christian Learning rooting section. "How many fans did we have here -- maybe ten? And how many did they have? About 120? It´s going to have an effect."
She did not fault the effort made by her own players. "They were great," she said. "In the end they got down and they couldn't get back up, but they were great."
Victorious coach Alejandra Salto, who coaches both the boys and girls teams, he high prase for all her players. "They were incredible," she said. "They had tremendous concentration."
She also thought the crowd had helped. "All the shouting animated us very nicely," she said with a smile.
Salto singled out for special praise Alejandra Valencia, Kaylyn Lampen, and Natalia Eguez. The rest of the Eagle line-up was Danielle Doi, Leah Moss, Tabitha Malloy, Ruth Nyquist, Jerusha Hanish, Hannah Moss, Mariela Salinas, Gaby Tang, and Laura Lindahl.
Skidmore praised the play of Aldana Roda, Luciana Adriazola, and Karla Flores. The Jaguar line-up also included Alexia Handal, Ana Paola Justinano, Veronica Richter, Florencia Arnera, Cecelia Aponte, Natalia Aponte, Sofia Sotelo, Ana Paola Peredo, Maria Velasco, and Nicole Broersma.
Eagle girls fly over Jaguars, 2-0
The Christian Learning girls volleyball team completed its journey from last place during the regular season to champions of the playoffs with a convincing straight sets win over Cooperative in the championship game held at International Tuesday.
The Eagle girls had to come from behind in both games, but proved more than capable of doing so, as they took the first game 26-24, and the second by the slightly more comfortable margin of 25-20.
Cooperative had jumped out to an imposing early lead in the first set, and led at one point 16-7. Christian Learning, the Cinderella team of the tournament, began to claw its way back at that point, but the Jaguar girls appeared ready to put the game away when they led 23-18, and then 24-19.
The Eagle girls put on a sensational last-ditch rally at that point, with a large crowd of partisans noisily urging them on, and first tied the Jaguars at 24-24, and then won the set for themselves 26-24.
But the Jaguars did not succumb easily. There was a sensational rally to make the score 24-24, during which the ball traversed the net more than 20 times, with both sides making sensational retrievals, and hitting high velocity shots into the opposing team's zone.
Moreover, being caught from behind in the first set clearly did not break the Jaguar girls' spirit. They went out in the second set and showed they were not afraid to take the lead. They led 8-2 at the first mandatory time-out.
But this time the Eagle comeback was more rapid, and the score was evened at 13-13. The teams battled on even terms for a stretch, but slowly the momentum transferred to the Eagles as they went ahead 19-16.
That three-point advantage held until 21-18, when there was another long rally, extremely well played on both sides, but with the Eagles finally winning when a Jaguar shot went out.
That rally did finally seem to take the wind out of Cooperative's sails, and the Eagles, again pushed on by their fans, took control and finally won the set and the championship, 25-20.
Thus Christian Learning, which had been 1-5 during the regular season compared with Cooperative's 4-2 (not to mention International's 5-1) completed its climb from last place to league champion.
While a tremendous tribute to the courage and fortitude of the Jaguar players, the turnabout also showed that the teams in the girls volleyball league have achieved a parity similar to that of the boys soccer teams. (Happily, there are no ties in volleyball.)
Indeed, there was a segment of informed opinion that thought International and Cambridge had been the strongest teams in the league at the end of the season, and lamented the fact that neither of them were in the finals. And there may have been days when one of those other teams might have won, but Tuesday wasn't one of them.
One can't help but think of last year when both the boys and girls teams from Christian Learning came ever so close to winning volleyball championships, only to fall a few points short. Many people at the time, this writer included, felt sorry for the Eagle teams and their fans.
It was evidently wasted sympathy. The Eagle teams and their fans clearly showed that they knew how to profit from adversity. The delirious postgame celebrations after both Eagle championship victories Tuesday indicated strongly that the cup of joy is indeed etched deeper by the acid of sorrow.
Jaguar coach Misty Skidmore paid tribute to the cacaphonous Christian Learning rooting section. "How many fans did we have here -- maybe ten? And how many did they have? About 120? It´s going to have an effect."
She did not fault the effort made by her own players. "They were great," she said. "In the end they got down and they couldn't get back up, but they were great."
Victorious coach Alejandra Salto, who coaches both the boys and girls teams, he high prase for all her players. "They were incredible," she said. "They had tremendous concentration."
She also thought the crowd had helped. "All the shouting animated us very nicely," she said with a smile.
Salto singled out for special praise Alejandra Valencia, Kaylyn Lampen, and Natalia Eguez. The rest of the Eagle line-up was Danielle Doi, Leah Moss, Tabitha Malloy, Ruth Nyquist, Jerusha Hanish, Hannah Moss, Mariela Salinas, Gaby Tang, and Laura Lindahl.
Skidmore praised the play of Aldana Roda, Luciana Adriazola, and Karla Flores. The Jaguar line-up also included Alexia Handal, Ana Paola Justinano, Veronica Richter, Florencia Arnera, Cecelia Aponte, Natalia Aponte, Sofia Sotelo, Ana Paola Peredo, Maria Velasco, and Nicole Broersma.
CONQUERING HEROINES -- Eagle girls let joy reign unconfined after championship victory. Jonatan Muñoz, International
