A fine season appeared to be coming to an end for the Dos Pueblos girls volleyball team in Thursday’s second-round match of the CIF-SS Division 6 playoffs at Sovine Gym.
The Chargers were down 12-9 in the 15-point fifth set, but they weren’t out.
Charlize Welch ignited a late surge to save the season as DP scored the final six points to defeat Temescal Canyon and advance to the quarterfinals on Tuesday. The game scores were 22-25, 25-21, 25-16, 21-25, 15-12.
“That was a very exciting and intense match to watch and to coach, and I’m just to so proud of the girls for never giving up and battling throughout the entire five sets,” said DP coach Emily Curry.
The Chargers (16-11) will play at Villa Park in a quarterfinal match. Villa Park upset top-seeded Alta Loma in straight sets.
Curry said the playoff comeback win shows how far this young Charger squad has come this season.
“In the early season, we would have gotten down a couple of points and just rolled over and given up. Now, we are taking control and taking charge and saying no. We deserve to be here. We deserve to be on this court and we are going to prove it to you every single point.
“To be down 12-9, it just shows the tenacity of the these girls who aren’t giving up, who are playing for each other, who are playing for something bigger. We are playing for that banner to hang in the gym.”
Welch played a huge part in the win, leading the team with 15 kills, serving four aces and making 10 digs. It was a great bounce back after an off night in the first round.
“She came back with a vengeance,” said Curry. “She came back to prove who Char is, and she did it. It was so rewarding to watch her. She showed up and she balled out today.”
Welch spearheaded a balanced attack, with Faith Harrison putting away 12 kills, Athena Bardakos posting 11 and Moana Martinez finishing with six.
Libero Mia Taylor paced the defense with 21 digs, while setter Allie Ben-Yaacov had 13 digs and 46 assists.
The momentum swings were crazy for the entire match, which created a spirited atmosphere in the gym.
Temescal Canyon, which knocked off Bishop Diego in the first round, forced the deciding set by breaking a 21-21 tie en route to a victory in the fourth set.
“That was an absolute battle,” Curry said. “Temescal Canyon came ready to play, and they made us earn every single point. Neither team wanted their season to end, and you could feel that intensity throughout the entire match. It was one of the most exciting matches I’ve had the opportunity to coach.”
The Titans took a 5-2 lead in the fifth before DP capitalized on a couple of hitting errors and taped-ace serve by Harrison to even the score at five.
The set started to get away from the Chargers as Temescal Canyon middle Sienna Burns put down an over-dig and followed with a solo block for a 12-9 advantage.
DP regrouped as Welch bumped a ball over for a kill and then scored on a tip to make it a one-point game. Ben-Yaacov served an ace to tie the score.
Curry cited tough serving as a key to the win.
“That was part of our game plan: serve tough and serve certain girls off the court and protect our server. You know every time we have the serving ball, protect our server, make sure that we’re racking up points before we give that ball away.”
The Chargers took a 13-12 lead on a Temescal Canyon hitting error. A Welch block made it 14-12 and Harrison delivered the winning blow with a kill out of the middle.
Curry thanked the student section and her bench for bringing energy to the gym.
“They really helped carry us through. Again, we’re all just working for each other.”
And that work has been rewarded with a berth in the CIF quarterfinals.
