As the girls’ volleyball regular season approaches its conclusion for San Marino High, each match becomes a chance for the Titans’ to increase their odds in reaching the CIF Southern Section playoffs.
When San Marino went on the road to face Monrovia, the Titans were determined to secure another victory against the Wildcats.
Using a balanced attack and strong defense, the Titans swept host Monrovia 25-18, 25-13, 25-16 in a Rio Hondo League contest on Oct. 5.
“We passed well, which, in turn, allowed us to run our offense, and our setters did a good job of getting our hitters the best set so they could take full swings. There were a lot of open-net opportunities for us and we were able to rack up some kills,” San Marino coach Angel Ramirez said. “Serving was nice and balanced and our defense was balanced enough for this win.”
Following the victory over the Wildcats on Oct. 5, fourth-place San Marino (13-17 overall, 2-5 in league) lost to league leader La Cañada (24-10, 7-0) in four games on Monday, Oct. 9. The Titans concluded their regular season campaign on Tuesday, Oct. 10 in a road match against third-place Temple City (12-4, 3-4). Results for the match will be included in the next edition of the San Marino Tribune.
“It’s great to beat Monrovia because this gives us a chance at CIF if we can beat Temple City [on Oct. 10],” senior Aubrey Wendling said.
Wendling, the libero, led San Marino on defense with 16 digs as one of three Titans to reach double digits in that category. Joining her was senior Malia Yu with 13 and junior Kailey Woo with 11.
“I think it was a good win for us coming from a couple of losses, but we really united as a team in this one,” Yu, who also had seven kills and an ace, said. “[We] used our chemistry and those things we have been working on in practice to really come together as a team and get the win.”
The San Marino offense was facilitated by junior setter Chloe Wang, who had 28 assists, as well as seven kills, eight digs and two solo blocks. The Titans were led on the attack by Audrey Hoffman, as the sophomore racked up 12 kills to go along with an ace, five digs and three solo blocks. Senior Tessa Kackstetter had eight kills, an ace and two solo blocks. Sydney Park contributed four kills and a team-high three aces, and tallied seven digs.
“I’m proud of us for playing together, especially with the end of the season coming up, so it’s good to finish on a good note and watch everyone come together and play as a team because we’ve come a long way,” Kackstetter said.
Game one started with a kill from the outside by Yu. Monrovia then twice built an early three-point cushion. The game was tied five times, the latest at 10-10, before the Titans grabbed the lead and held on to it after that. The advantage peaked at eight points after a Hoffman kill from the outside followed by a block by Hoffman and Maddy Tang made it 22-14. A kill by Hoffman set up game point and Yu finished the Wildcats in the opener with a kill right after.
Game two was tied five times in the early goings, before the Titans pulled away. The biggest lead of the game, the final margin of 12, was reached three times with the first following an ace by Park to make it 23-11.
In game three, the Titans went out to an early 6-1 advantage after back-to-back kills by Wang and Yu hitting from the back row. The largest lead of the game was 13 before Monrovia clawed back to within six late. Wang finished the match when she bumped the ball over the net and it found the court to seal the win.
It was the second win this season against Monrovia (8-23, 0-7). The recent victory was a step better than the first when the Titans won the matchup in four games at home back on Sept. 19.
“I think in large part it was just our energy and attention,” Kackstetter said of earning a sweep this time against the Wildcats. “Sometimes we scramble a little bit. I think that is what happened last time. There are just ups and downs and that was an off day, but today we did really well controlling our side and playing together. When we can keep our side clean it makes a big difference in how we perform in our games.”
SOUTH PASADENA 3, SAN MARINO 0
The Titans were swept by visiting South Pasadena, 18-25, 10-25, 11-25, in a league match on Oct. 3.
Wang racked up 17 assists, nine digs, two blocks and one ace, while Yu produced 10 digs, four kills, two blocks and one ace. Park contributed six kills and five digs, while Kackstetter finished with five kills and two digs. Wendling tallied 15 digs, while Woo recorded eight digs. Hoffman chipped in three digs, two kills and one block, while Tang produced two blocks and two digs.
— Sebastian Moore contributed to this report.
First published in the Oct.12 issue of the San Marino Tribune
