The Cooperative girls varsity volleyball team defeated Cambridge Thursday afternoon in their home gym to stay atop the standings and extend their current winning streak to four matches -- but it wasn't easy.
The game went to three sets, and the third set went to 19-17. The final hit of the match captured the essence of the contest. With the score 18-17 for the Jaguars, Cambridge had stopped a hard hit Cooperative smash during an extended exchange and popped it back to an open corner.__________
HOOK SHOT -- Jaguar Carla Limpias (11), with her back to the net, prepares to return the ball to Cambridge. Carlos Paredes, Cooperative
As the ball arced through the air it appeared that it was going to land exactly on top of the net. If it then slipped off to the Cambridge side it would be Cooperative's point; if it slipped off to the Cooperative side it was Cambridge's. It was like watching a flipping coin in a coin toss. Heads or tails. No one could say.
Then the ball hit, and slid down the Cambridge side, finally giving the point, set, and match to the Jaguars.
For all the excitement that would eventually be generated, the match started off in desultory fashion with both teams seeming rusty after their week off. The Jaguars won the opening set fairly easily 25-16, with most of the points being decided on unforced errors, including a number of bad serves.
But Cambridge then proceeded to pull its socks up -- and Cooperative also improved the quality of its play. The Knights got out to a six-point lead at 18-12, but then Cambridge seemed to catch a case of the yips as Cooperative tied the score at 18-18. The quintessential play in this sequence was on the point that made it 18-17. The ball dropped to the floor in between three Cambridge players, any one of whom could easily have hit it back to the Jaguar side.
But then the Lady Knights got their groove back, and after ties at 19-19 and 20-20 the Knights ran off five straight points to win 25-20 and force a third set.
Now suddenly both teams were making great gets on balls bouncing off the net, and retrieving errant sets from the far corners of the gym. Each point seemed to get decided only after a long rally. Cambridge got out in front 11-7 on fastball serves by Mariana Escaño, but Cooperative pulled even at 12-12, and the two teams went in lockstep from there -- 14-14, 15-15, 16-16, 17-17. At that point the Jaguars got ahead 18-17, and then the ball that could have gone either way, went their way.
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| WATCH THE BALL . . . VERY CAREFULLY -- The Griffins strength is getting the ball back -- every time, without fail. Isabel Fernandez (11, above) seems trransfixed by teammate Maria Victoria Gutierrez' (2) return. Jonatan Muñoz, International |
By Sung Eun Song
International School
The International girls varsity volleyball team defeated Christian Learning by a great margin in their home gym Thursday.
Things started out in promising fashion for the Griffins when Beatriz Nallar started off the first set with six points on her powerful serving, and the Eagles never caught up. The Griffins ultimately won the first set 25-6.
As the second set began Christian Learning began to regain strength. Gaby Tang's outstanding serves and Natalia Egüez´great receiving enabled the Eagles to keep things even until the score was 9-9. But at this point the Griffins took charge as they had in the first set, and gave the Eagles a 25-13 trouncing in the second set to take the match.
International School
The International girls varsity volleyball team defeated Christian Learning by a great margin in their home gym Thursday.
Things started out in promising fashion for the Griffins when Beatriz Nallar started off the first set with six points on her powerful serving, and the Eagles never caught up. The Griffins ultimately won the first set 25-6.
As the second set began Christian Learning began to regain strength. Gaby Tang's outstanding serves and Natalia Egüez´great receiving enabled the Eagles to keep things even until the score was 9-9. But at this point the Griffins took charge as they had in the first set, and gave the Eagles a 25-13 trouncing in the second set to take the match.
