In a dramtic finish, Bishop Diego’s volleyball team rallied from a 13-11 deficit in the fifth set and pulled out a 15-13 victory to take the Frontier League match against Villanova Prep on Saturday. The scores were 25-16, 25-17, 23-25, 12-25, 15-13.
Down 13-11 with Villanova serving, Bishop battled through two long rallies before tying the score. Then in back-to-back plays, Siena Urzua tipped over the block for a 14-13 lead and her older sister, Alina, dumped the ball over for the match-winning point.
“This match had everything,” Bishop coach Dillan Bennett said. “We played some of our best volleyball of the year in the first two games, then the heat and our old habits got to us. Fortunately, our coaching staff put our heads together and found a lineup we thought could win the match for us, and we got a few of the matchups we wanted from the service line and at the net.
“All in all, I’m pretty proud of this group for playing clean ball in the beginning, fighting through the third and fourth sets, and eventually pulling out a big league win in five.”
Julia Gregson, playing in the outside hitter position, produced 8 kills and hit .400. She also passed a 2.6 from the back row and kept the Cardinals in-system most of the evening. Sydney Naour and Alina Urzua contributed seven kills each. Naour led the team with four aces, while Urzua chipped in three.
Bishop Diego improves to 3-5 overall, 1-0 in the Frontier League. The Cardinals are at Carpinteria on Tuesday at 6 p.m.
— Noozhawk Sports Editor Barry Punzal can be reached at bpunzal@noozhawk.com. Follow Noozhawk on Twitter: @noozhawk, @NoozhawkNews and @NoozhawkBiz. Connect with Noozhawk on Facebook.