Bishop Diego girls volleyball squeaked out a five-set victory over Villanova Prep in a Tri-Valley League battle on Tuesday inside the Brick House.
The Cardinals (11-6, 2-1 TVL) battled back from a 2-1 deficit to secure the win, 25-17, 19-25, 23-25, 25-17, 15-6.
“For whatever reason, we came out a little flat,” Bishop Diego head coach Dillan Bennett said. “Villanova found their groove and put a lot of pressure on us at the net and from the service line. Our kids finally settled in midway through game four and were able to get back on track with our game plan.
“Lots of credit to Coach Gover and his serving plan tonight, and kudos to Kate Douglas and Elle McMahon, who both came in and steadied the team. They’ve both been battling for spots on the court, and they did a really nice job for us tonight.”
Douglas served four aces and dug out 10 balls for the Cardinals, while McMahon provided strong serving and ended with two digs and a block.
Olivia Leflang hammered home 10 kills to lead Bishop Diego, while Natalie Chan tallied nine kills. Mollie McGibben also had two blocks and three digs on the defensive end.
“Our team got off to a slow start, and while we tried to work other people into the lineup to score points, Karina gets all the credit for the lineup change we made in game four,” Bennett said.
“We connected between games, and Karina was pretty straightforward with what should happen. I listened, and it turns out she had a better feel for what was happening on the court than I did. She gets a lot of credit for the win tonight.”
The Cardinals will be on the road against St. Bonaventure on Thursday.
Santa Barbara High 3, Pacifica 0
The Dons captured a three-set sweep of Pacifica on Tuesday in Oxnard, 25-22, 25-16, 25-16.
“We started a little flat tonight but worked through it,” Santa Barbara High head coach Kristin Hempy said. “Grace Costner was able to play libero one game and did a nice job, and Aeryn Alexander came in as oppo and performed well.”
Blake Saunders’ 10 kills were good for the team lead, while Lola Heckman closely followed with nine kills of her own. Jules Horton spread out the offense to the tune of 31 assists.
On the defensive end of the court, Paylin Marcillac collected 16 digs and Costner chipped in 12 of her own.
Meanwhile, Alexander totaled four digs, three kills and two aces, and Kira Elliott ended the night with four kills.
San Marcos 3, Ventura 1
The Royals went on the road and came away with a four-set win over the Cougars, 25-14, 21-25, 25-19, 25-18.
“It was a great win against a very good Ventura team,” San Marcos head coach Erica Downing said.
Cora Loomer paced the San Marcos offense with 13 kills, while Samantha Fallon had 10 of her own. Reese Paskin and Jordan Schmoeller each ended with six kills, and Gracie Stone and Charlotte Hastings each contributed five.
Libero Alina Stapf was in the middle of the defensive effort with 16 digs, and Avery Leck and Lila Westmacott shared the setting duties.
Laguna Blanca 3, Santa Clara 2
The Owls scrapped their way to a five-set win over Santa Clara on Tuesday, 25-7, 24-26, 25-17, 22-25, 15-7.
“We found a way to win tonight against a super scrappy Santa Clara team who frustrated us with their defense,” Laguna Blanca head coach Tanner Stevens said. “We have a long way to go to play our best volleyball but it’s always good to get a league win.”
Sage Holcombe racked up 20 kills in the win, while Lauren Kenny chipped in seven kills and Abby Connor served up seven aces for the Owls.
Carpinteria 3, Hueneme 2
The Warriors emerged with a five-set win on Tuesday in Carpinteria, 25-14, 23-25, 25-14, 18-25, 16-14.
“It was a close match, with both sides adapting to each other and fighting hard to get the win,” Carpinteria High head coach Richard Quitoriano said. “It feels great to get our first win in the bag, and I’m hopeful we can carry this momentum into our next match.”
Evelyn Aviles registered a double-double with 13 assists, 19 digs, five aces and five kills. Meanwhile, Samantha Sanchez added 14 digs, three aces and two kills.
Kelly Dominguez finished with 18 digs, and Isabella Stovall tallied six kills and six digs.
The Warriors will be on the road against Fillmore on Thursday.
Oxnard 3, Dos Pueblos 1
The Charger suffered a four-set loss to the Yellow Jackets at home on Tuesday, 19-25, 22-25, 25-23, 21-25.
Addie Low had a strong all-around performance for Dos Pueblos with a team-high 19 kills to go along with 11 digs.
Meanwhile, Charlize Welch (6 kills, 2 aces, 12 digs), Faith Harrison (7 kills, 4 digs, 2 blocks) and Sammy Anderson (29 assists, 4 kills, 3 digs) all filled up the stat sheet in the loss.
The Chargers, now 2-4 in league play, will take on Santa Barbara High on Thursday at 6:30 p.m. at J.R. Richards Gym.
Louisville 3, Cate 0
The Rams struggled to keep up with Louisville in a three-set loss on Tuesday in Carpinteria, 12-25, 15-25, 25-27.
“The silver lining of tonight’s match was that we responded well after being down 0-2 when most teams would’ve thrown in the towel,” Cate head coach Jordon Dyer said. “We showed we could compete with a high-caliber team and had a few chances to steal a set.”
Evangeline Little led the Rams with 14 kills, while Oyin Opawumi recorded 13 kills and nine digs.
Cate will be on the road against Villanova Prep on Thursday.