Another trifecta for Dons Volleyball

Acalanes vs Pittsburg Varsity Volleyball

On a very warm Tuesday evening, September 6, the Dons travelled east to face the Pittsburg Pirates. Play was close from the start, but Acalanes pulled away early with contributions from the entire court! Multiple kills from Maylin Mason, Apple Walton, Sofie Foster, Katelyn Olin, and Monica Dikova led the offense; defense just as strong, led by Georgia Winkles as starting libero. The Dons closed the first set 25 – 13.

Set 2 was also tight from the get go—Katelyn Olin represented well on offense with strong serves, including an ace, and at least one hit. More kills from Jones, Mason, & Walton continued the Dons’ fight against the Pirates; defense also answered the call with blocks by Foster & Olin, DEEP digs by Georgia Winkles and setter Emme Seelenbacher. Ryann Jones kindly closed the second set with an ace, bringing the Dons to a score of 25 -12 against Pittsburg.

The third set started with powerful serves delivered by Sophomore setter Seelenbacher and libero Georgia Winkles. Kills from the entire front row included Hanna Hageboeck, Maya Paul, & Katelyn Olin. Offense further supported with serves from seasoned setter Mara Korzeniowska & libero Jade Profilio. This closer third set needed more strength from the Dons which was delivered in spades by pin hitters Ava Bunton, Maya Paul, Monica Dikova, & Hanna Hageboeck. Hageboeck got a run on serve with 4 aces, with a final kill by Foster, to help the Dons end the night with a score of 25 – 20.

JV girls Volleyball keep the streak alive

On Tuesday afternoon, the JV Girls Volleyball team traveled to Pittsburg High in hopes of continuing their hot streak to start the season.  With 112 degrees outside, the nice, cool air inside Pittsburg’s gymnasium couldn’t slow down the heat generated by our team.  Behind strong serving by Rena Liu, the team got out to an early lead in the first set.  Pittsburg tried to slow down our momentum with 2 timeouts, but they had little effect.   With additional crushing kills by Sophia Terry, the girls dominated to a 25-10 first set win.  Piper Coy came out strong with great serves and an awesome kill through Pittsburg’s attempted block to keep the train rolling.  Kylah Fox also had a great kill in the second set to further the team’s lead.  To finish off the second set and the game, Annie Baker, had a demoralizing kill to seal the victory with a 25-17  win

Freshman Girls Volleyball Tops Pittsburgh in Straight Sets

Set #1: Dons win 25-16

The temperature wasn’t the only thing red-hot Tuesday night in Pittsburgh. The Dons arrived ready to play with Sydney Graves serving for two quick points to open the action. Pittsburgh played tough, keeping the score close as Veronica Flint had a nice kill to put the Dons up 6-4.  Maggie Krackeler kept it going as the Dons went up 8-7 but the Pirates hung in there as Ellie Blanchard’s strong spike was returned in a furious back and forth that saw the Dons lose the point and the score tied 8-8 despite a nice save from Valeria Toledo.  The team settled down after that as Grace Hayes served for 5 straight points, punctuated by Brooke Rardin’s kill that put the Dons up 12-8 and later Sydney’s kill that made it 15-10.  Reese Westphal had a nice service point late in the match as the Don’s rolled to a 25-16 victory.

Set #2: Dons win 25-8

The set started with some fireworks as Ellie delivered a powerful kill for the first point. The Don’s serving picked up steam as the match progressed with Sela Sarbiewski serving for 6 straight points to put the Dons up 10-4 and then Maya Stafford serving for 10 straight points, helped by Maggie’s great save on point 13, Audrey Martin’s strong kill for point 17 and Phoebe Gerlings strong play from the right side.  Emma Brewer had a brilliant set to Juliana Harhay that resulted in a resounding point 23 for the Dons.  With the set and match well in hand, Grace served the final two points to lock down the win for the Dons.