The Bishop Diego girls closed out play at the Viewpoint Invitational Saturday with Gold Bracket losses to Chaminade, 25-10, 25-13, and St. Joseph’s, 15-25, 26-24, 15-13.
The Cardinals finished in seventh place out of the 25 teams at the event.
“Today was a step up in competition, and our team was exposed to playoff-level competition,” Bishop Diego coach Dillan Bennett said. “Unfortunately, we fell a bit short on our ability to execute, and it cost us in both matches.
“When our hitters learn to put the ball into the locations of the court being asked of them, rallies will be shorter, and we’ll be in a better position to win matches,” he added. “As most volleyball coaches know, there’s really no way to be competitive in matches when you score more points for the opponent than they score themselves. That was a big problem today, and I’m hopeful our team learns from this weekend heading into league play.”
The Cardinals fall to 4-8 overall, 1-0 in the Tri-Valley League.
Providence 3, Besant Hill 0
The Providence girls won their first league match today, sweeping Besant Hill, 25-15, 25-5, 26-24.
The Patriots stayed composed when the game got tight in the third set. Lone senior Emma Johnson came to serve with the score knotted at 24-24, and came through with the clutch serves to win it/
“It is hard to choose a lineup with so many talented, quick, and athletic girls on the squad,” Coach Suzie Garacochea said. “Really proud of Emma and her leadership today. Also, Ava Wagner and Lexi Underwood as returning players stepped up today.”
The Patriots are 1-1 on the season.
The next game is Wednesday, Sept. 14, against Anacapa School.