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| BYPASSING THE BLOCK -- Griffin Maria Victoria Gutierrez slams a spike past Jaguars' double block. Jonatan Muñoz, International |
Griffins gain revenge, beat Jaguars
By Sung Eun Song
International School
The International varsity girls volleyball team won a straight sets victory over Cooperative in their home gym Thursday by identical scores -- 25-20, 25-20.
The International win leaves the two teams where they have usually been over the past two seasons -- locked in a desperate battle for first place, both with 4-1 records. Co-operative won the first meeting between the two teams this year. Both coaches acknowledged that the caliber of play had ascended a level since that initial encounter.
Both will presumably be trying to run up the score against their final opponents to beef up their sets won and points scored totals, which are used to break ties for playoff seeding. International plays Cambridge next week in its final game of the season, and Cooperative plays Christian Learning.
The International win leaves the two teams where they have usually been over the past two seasons -- locked in a desperate battle for first place, both with 4-1 records. Co-operative won the first meeting between the two teams this year. Both coaches acknowledged that the caliber of play had ascended a level since that initial encounter.
Both will presumably be trying to run up the score against their final opponents to beef up their sets won and points scored totals, which are used to break ties for playoff seeding. International plays Cambridge next week in its final game of the season, and Cooperative plays Christian Learning.
Both teams started out well in the first set of Thursday's match, with neither team taking an advantage over the other. From the middle of the game, however, International began to take the lead with excellent serves and sharp spikes by Maria Victoria Gutierrez. Beatriz Nallar also contributed to International’s surge with her great gets on hard-hit balls. The outstanding players for Cooperative were Aldana Roda and Ana Paula Peredo.
The crucial point in the set came with the Griffins ahead 23-20. There was a long rally with a lot of hard-hit balls and amazing defensive moves but both teams, but International took the point, making it 24-20, and that seemed to deflate the Jaguars. The end of the set then came quickly..
However, two great serves by Nallar and a smash by Gutierrez gave the Griffins the next three points, and completed the Griffins victory.
Lady Knights dominate Eagles 2-0
The Cambridge girls varsity volleyball team scored an impressive straight sets win over Christian Learning Thursday in a game played in the Cooperative gym.
The Knights took the first set 25-16, and then prevailed in the second 25-9.
The outcome settles with finality Cambridge's possession of third place in the League standings, and with that the marginally valuable opportunity to play the second-place team rather than the first-place team. Cambridge would presumably prefer to play Cooperative in the playoffs, a team they have twice won a set against, rather than International, which has shut them out twice.
The outcome settles with finality Cambridge's possession of third place in the League standings, and with that the marginally valuable opportunity to play the second-place team rather than the first-place team. Cambridge would presumably prefer to play Cooperative in the playoffs, a team they have twice won a set against, rather than International, which has shut them out twice.
