Despite a loss at home last week, the Los Alamitos girls volleyball team is showing signs that they are heading into Sunset League play on track to make a run at the title and a strong CIF playoff spot.
The Griffins were edged out in four sets by Mater Dei, 25-17, 22-25, 25-23, 25-22, in a nonleague match on Sept. 29 at Los Alamitos High. The Griffins didn’t do themselves any favors in the first set as several passing and communication errors contributed to easy points for Mater Dei. The Griffins were sharper in set two and led most of the way in the early going. They took a 17-11 lead before the Monarchs rallied to close the gap to 17-14.
The Griffins (11-8) were able to hold the lead despite some runs by Mater Dei. Mackenzie Smith had an ace serve on the back line that pushed the Griffin lead to 20-16. Mater Dei (7-2) later closed the lead to 22-20 on a double block, but Griffin senior outside hitter Sarah Tuioti-Mariner responded with a kill off a dig attempt that hit the roof.
A net violation on Los Al and a kill attempt by the Monarchs that went long gave the Griffins a 24-21 lead and the set eventually ended on a net violation by Mater Dei. A pivotal third set stayed close early on, eventually settling at an 11-11 tie before the Griffins would make a run to take a 17-13 lead. But Mater Dei fought back to tie the set at 18-18.
Tuioti-Mariner ended the run with consecutive kills off blocks to give the Griffins a 20-18 lead. Tuioti-Mariner led the Griffins with 15 kills.
When senior setter Julia Patterson dropped an ace serve on the back line, the Griffins led 22-19, forcing a Mater Dei timeout. The break worked as the Monarchs cut the lead to 22-21 before Griffin senior Taylor Cochrane tapped a one-time shot to the open court off a Mater Dei overpass, which gave the Griffins a 23-21 lead. But Mater Dei would close the set with a 4-0 run to grab the game and a 2-1 lead in the match. The Monarchs were able to close out the match in the fourth game. Despite occasional struggles, Griffins coach Dave Huber said the Griffins are moving in the right direction.
“The girls have shown flashes of really good volleyball this year, but have struggled with consistency. We have a group that works hard each day and I am confident they will get things straightened out as we head into league play,” Huber said.
Los Alamitos opened Sunset League play on Tuesday (Oct. 6) and will play a key road match on Thursday, Oct. 8 at Newport Harbor at 5:45 p.m. They will host Huntington Beach on Monday Oct. 12.
