VB: Lady Riders outplay San Augustine, 3-1
Tuesday night in Wolf Gymnasium. Center defeated the Lady
Wolves, 3-1, in nondistrict volleyball play. (Photo by John Krueger)
SAN AUGUSTINE -- The Center Lady Riders had to play 'smarter' volleyball, in the words of their coach, when they played the talented San Augustine ballclub Tuesday night. Smarter ball started with defense as Mario Valtierra and Suzanne Peace each posted seven digs apiece in a 3-1 Lady Rider win over the Lady Wolves here at Wolf Gymnasium.
The win was only the second of the year for Center (2-7), but it showed which direction the Lady Riders are going, according to the coach.
"I was very proud of the way the girls came out and played tonight," Alicia Harding after the match. "They corrected a lot of the stuff that had been going on all season and they came out and did them right.
"I think they saw the benefits from the hard work that we've been putting in. They were having problems moving their feet and they came out and moved their feet better tonight. They were talking louder than they have all season long. So I have nothing but good things to say about the way they played."
Valtierra and Ashley Schulz each posted six kills apiece to lead the team, while Chelsea Griffin posted four blocks and Peace aided the offensive attack with 15 assists.
Valtierra and Stephany Rodriguez both recorded three service aces apiece.
There was little doubt that the Wolves had a lot of talent and a height advantage against Center, but that didn't faze the Lady Riders.
"When you're warming up and you see girls jumping up in the air and you see them hitting the ball hard and they're hitting it down, it can be intimidating to some players," Harding explained. "But like I tell my girls, it doesn't matter how hard they're hitting the ball if you're giving them something difficult, it's harder for them to give you something in return.
"Hitting hard is moot if you can't get a pass and we struggled with that earlier in the year with not getting a good hit because we can't get a pass.
"So I tell them we have to play our game. If we can play our game and our defense stays tight, then we're playing our game and we're more in control of the match. And that's what we need to do to become better."
Center and San Augustine battled toe-to-toe in the opener, taking a 25-21 decision. The contest went back and forth, with Rodriguez serving an ace as CHS took a 5-2 lead, then the Wolves coming back to move on top 7-5, and later 11-9.
Valtierra posted a pair of service aces and Schulz had two kills late in the game - one a towering shot - to give the Lady Riders the early game lead.
Game 2 of the best-of-5 match didn't get any easier for either team as the Wolves posted a 25-22 win to even the match at 1-1.
Neither team was able to open up more than a two-point lead before San Augustine took a 10-7 lead. Kaley Nichols then served Center back even at 10-10, and an Ashlyn Johnson block helped CHS stay even at 16-16.
A Griffin block, a strong serve by Schulz and a kill by Valtierra gave the Lady Riders a 20-19 lead, but San Augustine outscored Center 6-3 down the stretch for the win.
The Lady Riders then began turning it on both offensively and defensively in the third game as the Lady Riders blew to a 25-10 win to move out in front 2-1 in game scores.
Leading 12-11, Center ran off four straight points with Schulz serving, including a service ace and a kill by Valtierra for 17-11 lead. Rodriguez then added a pair of aces and a kill late to give Center the convincing win.
San Augustine gave Center a battle in the final game, but in the end it was the Lady Riders taking an emotional 25-21 win to secure the match.
Johnson and Nichols combined for a double block early on in the game and Peace added one of her own just before a Schulz kill.
Late in the game, Peace recorded a pair of kills, Schulz added one of her own, to go with a service ace and a long placement of a shot just inside the back line for the match winner.
"You might not be able to jump high, but it doesn't mean you can't play smart," said Harding. "I'd rather have a team that plays smarter because when you play like that, you place the ball anywhere on the court and that's an advantage.
"Tonight we played smarter than they did and that's what we need to continue to do."
The Center junior varsity also was victorious over San Augustine, splitting the first two games of the match before taking a 2-1 win.
Center volleyball squads will return to action Saturday when the varsity travels to Nacogdoches, with a 10 a.m. start. The first home match of the season will be next Tuesday, Sept. 7, against Kilgore, with three games starting at 5 p.m.
John Krueger's email address is pineywoodssports@yahoo.com.