Three sets were battles most of the way, but it was Kennedy High that finished stronger in all three to grab the win from Pacifica, 25-21, 25-17, 25-21, in an Empire League girls volleyball match on Tuesday Oct. 6, at Kennedy High.
Like the first two sets, the third was close through the first half. The set was tied 11-11 when Kennedy went on a 10-3 run to take control of the set, 21-14. Junior middle blocker Alex Ennis had a kill off a back-row dig attempt, then followed that with an ace serve to give the Fighting Irish a 19-13 lead.
A long serve by Pacifica made gave Kennedy a 20-14 lead, and Angelica Rippee and Melanie Vazquez teamed up on a block to push the lead to 21-14. But Pacifica battled back. Junior opposite hitter Taylor Togia had a big kill off a block to start a 4-0 run by the Mariners.
“We battled, we just needed to finish and we couldn’t when we needed to,” said Pacifica assistant coach Paulina Akiona.
Later, Kennedy missed on a cross-court lob shot and cross-court kill attempt that both went wide to cut their lead to 22-21. But the fighting Irish regained control with a kill by junior middle blocker Breanna Robinson that gave Kennedy a 23-21 lead. Pacifica would misfire on its next two attempts to close out the match for Kennedy.
The first set was also tied at 17-17, before the Fighting Irish finished on an 8-0 run to close out the set. Pacifca had several miscues down the stretch that led to easy points for Kennedy. Pacifica was without two key seniors who were unavailable for the match. Despite the loss, Akiona said the players should be able to take the experience into what could be a very competitive league battle.
“I think the girls are really going to take that as a lesson … that they need to want it more than the other team does,” Akiona said.
Cypress won the league last year at 8-3, with Pacifica and Western one game behind the Centurions at 7-2. Kennedy was fourth, but with a few key returners and plenty of young talent. Kennedy coach Billie Bixby said this team is in a position to compete for the league title.
“We have tremendous potential, the talent is there, they work very hard, we’re expecting big things,” said Kennedy coach Billie Bixby.
Kennedy will host Tustin on Oct. 15, and then host Valencia on Oct. 20. Both matches are at 4:30 p.m.
