Sophie Otte raised her match career-high in kills to power the Bishop Diego girls volleyball to a 25-14, 23-25, 25-20, 25-17 win over Nordhoff in a non-league match at the Brick House on Tuesday.
Otte blasted 17 kills, surpassing her previous best of 16 that she recorded last week in a four-set win over Santa Barbara High. She added six service aces and a block
Outside hitter Olivia LeFlang put away 11 kills and served two aces. Setter Karina Urzua put together a solid stat line with five kills, six digs, four aces and 21 assists. Natalie Chan and Abbie Hubbs had three kills, three aces and combined for 12 digs.
“While tonight was not our prettiest volleyball, we found a way to grind out a win,” said Bishop coach Dillan Bennett. “Shout out to Coach Rene at Nordhoff; no matter who she has, they fight and play hard every match. They pushed us around and forced us into some uncharacteristic errors.
“Tomorrow, we’ll approach practice with a little more focus, effort, attention to detail and energy on the court. I have no doubt we’ll have a better match Thursday.”
The Cardinals (8-1), travel to Laguna Blanca for a 6 p.m. non-league match on Thursday.
San Marcos 3, Royal 0
A balanced attack carried San Marcos to a 25-23, 25-18, 25-12 sweep of visiting Royal in a non-league match.
Charlotte Hastings and Sam Fallon each collected eight kills to lead the Royals, Reese Paskin had seven kills and Jeannie Johnson added six off the bench. Libero Alina Stapf was the defensive leader with 15 digs, while Johnson picked up nine.
“We made some changes after game one and Jeannie Johnson came in and played great all around for us,” said coach Erica Downing.
San Marcos setters Lila Westmacott and Avery Leck took advantage of good serve receiving and did a nice job spreading the ball around. Kelsey Hilton added firepower in the middle.
“She was pretty solid as another middle for us,” said Downing of Hilton.
The Royals, 3-1, open Channel League play Thursday at home against Oxnard.
Santa Ynez 3, Santa Barbara 1
The host Pirates pulled out a tight non-league match against the Dons. The scores were 25-23, 25-21, 22-25, 25-23.
“This was a scrappy, back-and-forth match with just a few deciding points separating us from a win,” said Santa Barbara coach Kristin Hempy. “I’m proud of how the girls battled a consistent SY team, and this tough preseason will undoubtedly make us stronger and better for Channel League play.”
It was the third win by Santa Ynez against a South Coast school. The Pirates earlier defeated Bishop Diego and Dos Pueblos.
Lola Heckman, moved from middle to opposite attacker, led the Dons with eight kills and two blocks, outside hitters Kira Elliot and Blake Saunders recorded seven and six kills, respectively. Saunders also added 11 digs and five service aces. Setter Jules Horton had 23 assists, six digs and two aces. Libero Paylin Marcillac picked up 21 digs and served five aces.
“I thought our tough serving was a strength,” said Hempy. “Blake and Paylin both served aggressive. Our hitters and setter Jules worked hard and showed their ability to persist in long rallies tonight. Grace Costner came in as a defensive specialist and had some great ups in the back row as well.”
The Dons host Buena in a Channel League opener on Thursday.
Westlake 3, Dos Pueblos 2
Addison Lowe recorded a double-double of 16 kills and 17 digs for Dos Pueblos in a five-set loss, 25-18, 23-25, 18-25, 25-17, 15-7.
Setters Allie Ben-Yaacov and Sammy Anderson ran a balanced attack, dishing out 18 and 22 assists, respectively. Faith Harrison and Maggie Squires each had eight kills, Charlize Welch added seven and Athena Bardakos five.
On defense, Tanner Love led the way with 19 digs and Welch had 11.
Dos Pueblos (0-8) opens Channel League play Thursday at Rio Mesa.
Orcutt Academy 3, Carpinteria 0
The Warriors suffered a road sweep to Orcutt Academy on Tuesday, 19-25, 18-25, 8-25.
“We showed some flashes early, especially with our defense in terms of digs and blocking,” Carpinteria coach Richie Quitoriano said. “We knew we had a tough matchup ahead of us with their size, but I thought we put up a decent fight.
“This is going to be a challenging road for us — we’re still a fairly young team, learning who we are and continuing to build our chemistry.”
Evelyn Aviles was all over the court with seven assists, three kills, three digs and two aces. Meanwhile, Isla Moore tallied three kills and two blocks, and Harper Rowbottom ended with three kills, four digs and two assists.
“I really believe it’s a good thing for us to face tough opponents in the preseason,” Quitoriano said.”It shows us what we need to work on, teaches us to fight through adversity, and reminds us that there’s always room to get better.
“More importantly, it shows me which players are truly passionate about improving and committed to learning.”
The Warriors will host Cabrillo on Thursday.