This match not only had the excitement of a local rivalry, but also had the added intensity of the Dons needing to win to stay in contention for NCS Playoffs. A loss here would mean no shot at making those playoffs. The Mats soundly beat the Dons in their first meeting this season at Miramonte, 3-sets to none (and also took both matches last year).
Set 1: In this second meeting of the season between the Dons and the Miramonte Matadors the Dons came out swinging. But the Mats were up to the challenge and the scoring was very close in the early going. Beginning at 9-8 (Dons scores listed first), the Mats had a strong server at the line and she ran off five straight to bring the score to 9-13. This was finally ended when Brooke Aiello went up for a kill on a well-covered set and calmly pushed the ball to an open area on the Mats court. On the next point a long rally ensued in with both sides hitting and digging at a high level. But it ended well for the Dons when Aiello took a Jojo Harnish set and hammered it down at the outside slot. On the point after that, the Mats outside hitter sent a bullet through the Dons block but Josie Mueller made a great dig on it, Harnish put another set up to Aiello, and she pounded it for the Dons score. Aiello was on fire at this early point in the match and she brought the Dons back into the lead with another strong kill to make the score 15-14. Tyanna Roy made an outstanding pass on a well-hit ball from the Mats, Harnish put it up in the middle and Rachel Cox immediately put it down to make the score 16-all. The Dons were barely managing to hang on to the lead and at 19-18 Roy sent another kill to the floor. Kendall Baker got into the highlight mix with a big middle kill at 20-19 and she showed some great serving ability when at 22-21 she dropped the ball barely over the net for a short-serve ace. The end-point of this first game was coming up but it was very tense with the score so close. A mishandled Mats’ serve by the Dons was chased down by Aiello, and she put up a beautiful set that Roy flattened to make it 24-22. Aiello came up to serve and unleashed a hard-hit, no-spin serve that the Mats receivers could not handle to end the game.
Final Score Set 1: 25-22 Dons.
Set 2: Action in this second set started out routinely until at 2-1 Rachel Cox blasted an opposite-side kill. Then on the next point, Dani Grobeck came up with a great solo block in the middle. At 4-2 Tyanna Roy began using an extreme cut shot that she could get past the block. This cut shot became a potent weapon that Roy would use often in the match. The Mats mounted a string of points and took the lead at 4-5, but that ended when Jojo Harnish took a deep pass and put up a backrow set for Brooke Aiello. Aiello didn’t hold back and pounded it from the 10-foot line to go untouched to the Mats floor. The Dons went on a scoring run of their own that included a service ace by Rachel Cox at 7-5 followed by a one-hand joust winner by Roy at 8-5 and a solo middle block by Kendall Baker at 9-5 (note: a joust is when the ball is right above the net and two players make contact simultaneously, both pushing toward the other). Cox was putting on a clinic on spot-serving, taking advantage of the Mats’ freshman back-row player who was having difficulty getting a good pass off her serves. The run ended at 10-5 and with the 5-point lead things seemed under control. But the Mats are an excellent team and they came right back and eventually regained the lead keeping the game close. At 13-15 Dani Grobeck and Megan Dalziel teamed up to stuff a kill attempt by the Mats big opposite hitter. Bringing the score to 15-16 was a well-placed power-dink by Cox followed up by Roy again showing the power with a resounding hit at the outside. Both teams really wanted this game and it showed in the overall great play and hustle. But despite a powerful outside crush by Aiello and two pile-driver middle kills by Baker, the Dons could not regain the lead.
Final Score Set 2: 21-25 Mats.
Set 3: This was a tough set for the Dons. The rhythm that was established in the first two sets seemed to disappear, and their overall play was inconsistent. The Mats are not a team to let this slip by, and true to their ability, they overpowered the Dons. There were some great plays by the Dons, including a solid roof by Rachel Cox and Dani Grobeck at 2-1, another service ace by Cox at 7-6, and a crushing kill by Amanda Jarquin at 10-17. But from that point it was almost all Mats as they cruised to a quick win.
Final Score Set 3: 12-25 Mats.
Set 4: The Dons were down 2 sets to 1 at this point and needed to win here to stay alive – both in this match and in the running to make the NCS Playoffs. They were up against it and needed to rise up to the challenge. Sensing a need for fresh players, Coach Steve Siegmann made some strategic personnel moves and they began to rejuvenate the team after set three’s flat play. The first few points were traded back and forth with routine play, but at 2-1 Amanda Jarquin began what was to be one of the best serving displays of the season. She took her running jump-serve approach and the ball whistled over the net, clearing it by inches and could not be handled by the Mats’ back row – Ace! Next point, Lila Schoenfield stepped up to contribute with a message-sending tomahawk-chop of kill at the middle (excellent set by Jojo Harnish to make that happen). The Mats came back with a couple points, but at 4-3 a long rally with hitting and digging galore ensued, and to end it Harnish dug up a screaming kill by the Mats, Rachel Cox got to it, and her soft but powerful hands put up a long set to the outside post where Tyanna Roy was coming in like a freight train to meet it. Her timing was perfect and she nearly burst the ball with the blow she put on it. There was zero chance of that kill being dug. On the very next point, an identical rally took place, and just like the previous one it ended with Cox, once again, putting up a great set to Roy who put it down for the kill. The raucous fans were pretty much screaming at this point, with the Dons showing such intensity and execution under pressure. Each point was becoming a highlight as both teams were playing at a high level – big kills were followed by huge digs that were in turn rocketed back only to be dug up again, and each time the fans erupted thinking each play was a rally-ender. So it only follows that on the very next point (5-3) Marie Teichman, playing at the outside front row, took a Harnish set and not only cut the ball to get past the four outstretched Mats’ arms, but totally crushed it as well. Huge screams and whistles from the stands. The screams had barely receded when they actually upped in volume when on the next point Teichman rotated to serve and put down an untouched ace. Routine, but very intense points followed for both teams, and at 11-9 it was Jarquin again putting on a show as she creamed a Harnish opposite set. The point differential stayed within a point or two as both teams were playing at their best, but Lila Schoenfield brought the pain to a Harnish 1-set in the middle as she tomahawked it straight down to the Mats’ six-foot line. A little separation was happening with the Dons going up by three and at 14-11 Harnish ended a 5-over rally by floating a set to the outside where Roy again punished it for the score. At 16-13 it was Teichman rotating up again to serve. This really is her specialty, and she smoked one over the net, barely clearing it, which the Mats back row had trouble handling. The pass was overshot, and Kendall Baker was there to meet it. She went up, wisely showed restraint by not swinging too hard, and put a power dink to the open spot on the Mats floor — great court vision. Teichman again with the serve – ACE! While Teichman was showing huge skill in serving, the serving in general was really one of the biggest elements in the Dons great showing thus far. NO serves had been long and only two or three into the net. So of course at 20-15 it was Rachel Cox serving, and you guessed it – ACE! The intensity never let up, even up by five with five to go. At 21-16 it was Harnish-to-Baker again at the middle, blowing by the solo Mats block and down to the Mats’ floor. The Dons rhythm was rolling and on the next point Harnish received the pass on the opposite side, powerfully shot a cross-court pass (that seemed to float forever) to the outside post where Jarquin approached with a solid head of steam, launched herself up and brought the hammer down for the kill. But the Dons were not there yet – still plenty of veebs left to go in this set. It was Roy’s serve and she delivered big-time. First serve: ACE. Second serve: ACE. Third serve: take a guess… ACE. Biggest noise level since I’ve been at these volleyball matches at Acalanes. Game point now – Roy’s serve is successfully received by the Mats, and they had no intention of going quietly. They brought some pain of their own and ran off four straight points with the Dons sitting on game point. That is big. Here’s where some excellent coaching comes into play. Sensing the big moment and the intensity that goes with it, Coach Siegmann calls a time out. The score is 24-21 and the Mats are on a 4-point roll. The time out breaks and the teams assemble. The ref whistles for the play to start as the Mats’ server sets herself and it becomes dead quiet. This is the fifth straight game-point serve for the Mats to face. The ball is struck – maybe a touch too hard – it’s heading right for Amanda Jarquin; Megan Dalziel screams “OUT” and Jarquin ducks out of the way at the last possible moment as the ball lands a foot beyond the line and is called out. Dons take the set.
Final Score Set 4: 25-21 Dons
Set 5: So here it is – the fifth and final set in this win-or-bust match for the Dons. The match comes down to this 15-point game. Harnish begins the set at serve and with her patented no-spin-with-plenty-of-pace offering, the Mats cannot handle it. 1-0 Dons. Second point, another strong serve, and a free ball comes back to the Dons. Harnish takes the perfect pass from Alex Ligouri, puts up a tasty outside set and Jarquin blows it by the block and down to the floor. But the Mats come back with a couple of their own, and at 4-2 Jarquin rotates to serve. Guess what – ACE! Crowd goes insane as the Mats call a time out. Next point Jarquin runs up and delivers another great jump-serve that the Mats over-pass and Tyanna Roy mashes for the point. Next point – the Mats get a solid pass up, a great set, their big outside hitter comes barreling in for the kill, and as hard as she hits it, it hits the roof set up by Lila Schoenfield and Rachel Cox and ultimately the Mats floor for the Dons score. At 7-3 the same thing develops, but it’s Roy who builds up the solo roof for the rejection. The following point sees Roy yet again zeroing in on one of Harnish’s outside sets and drills it for the kill. Dons are officially rolling at this point. Because next it’s Roy and Schoenfield combining for denial of a Mats kill attempt, making it 9-3 Dons. Time out taken by the Mats. Marie Teichman had been serving on these last several points, and as the teams came out of the time out she confidently took the ball to serve it up again. BAM – an ace. Next point – BAM, another ace. It’s 11-3 and the walls are shaking from the crowd’s roaring. The Mats handled the next serve but their kill was dug up by Megan Dalziel. Harnish ran to get the set up, and it went up to the middle. Unfortunately there were six Miramonte arms waiting to block the kill attempt. But with three people on the block, there will be someplace left uncovered – and Kendall “court vision” Baker saw it as she oh-so-deftly pushed the ball over to the right and past the block where it fell untouched to make the score 12-3. The next few points were traded back and forth until at 13-4 Rachel Cox, once again stepping up with the great serves, put an ace past the Mats’ back row and into the extreme right corner to bring on match point. But the next couple points go to the Mats and its now 14-6. The serve comes over from the Mats, it’s passed up nicely by Josie Mueller, Harnish takes the pass and puts up a fine set to the hugely reliable Tyanna Roy at the outside post. Roy takes a vicious swing and the double-block by the Mats gets part of the ball. It ricochets to the blocker’s left, bounces once right on top of the tape, and with a ton of spin comes down again on top of the net for a tape-crawler. It’s up there traveling on top of the net heading toward Rossmoor with players on both sides waiting for it to come down. But by the time it rolls off the Dons’ side of the net it’s gone too far and lands harmlessly out of bounds next to the ref’s stand. Game over; set over; match over. This was not a match to have missed.
Final Score Set 5: 15-6 Dons
Dons take the match 3 sets to 2.
Highlight Statistics:
Tyanna Roy: 4 Assists, 5 Blocks, 11 Digs, 4 Aces
Jojo Harnish: 39 Assists, 2 Blocks
Marie Teichman: 4 Aces
Rachel Cox: 4 Aces
Brooke Aiello: 7 Kills, 3 Digs
Kendall Baker: 6 Kills, 2 Blocks
Amanda Jarquin: 6 Kills, 2 Aces
Submitted by Brian Aiello
