Second-seeded Cate recovered from a late deficit in the first set and swept Duarte, 25-21, 25-12, 25-16, in a first-round match of the CIF-SS Division 6 girls volleyball playoffs on Thursday night at Cate
Down 21-19, the Rams outscored the visitors 6-1 to set the tone for the rest of the night.
“Once we were able to hone in on the offensive style of the opponent, we took control of the match,” said assistant coach K.C. Collins. “Durate tried to find the court, but we did a great job of covering each other and open areas of the court, which ultimately led to points.”
Junior outside hitter Grace Johnson and sophomore Elise Hermes led the Rams with eight kills apiece. Setters Maya Blattberg and Riley Borchardt found the same grove and each collected six kills.
After missing six serves in the first set, Cate buckled down and missed only two serves the rest of the match and nabbed nine aces.
Cate (18-3) moves into Saturday’s second round at West Valley.
— 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.
