Hart girls’ volleyball had only played in one non-straight-set match this year, yet alone won a match. However, the Hawks were more than ready for league play and stunned the visiting Valencia Vikings in Thursday’s Foothill League opener.
The Hawks triumphed in the five-set thriller, 25-22, 21-25, 16-25, 25-20, 15-13.
Pin hitters Martina Neveleff and Olive Moore led Hart with 10 kills each. Neveleff gave the Hawks life near the end of the first few sets. The senior has played all over the court in her Hart career but sparked the Hawks on Thursday from the opposite spot.
Hart showed grit from the jump and came back to win the opening set after initially trailing 17-10.
“I knew some inconsistencies on our end could be an issue, and it was evident in some aspects of this match tonight,” said Hart coach Mary Irilian. “What I loved was that when we were down, at times significantly, we battled back and we didn’t give up.”
Neveleff also finished with four blocks, while Hart middle Ashley Dronen totaled five.
The Hawks stumbled in the second and third sets while the Viking offense steadily improved. Valencia’s total kills grew set after set most due to its fiery offense, which ran through its middles.
Vikings senior Makayla Garica led with a match-high 15 kills while her opposite, freshman Nyla Willstead, added nine kills from the other middle spot.
The Valencia offense couldn’t be stopped in the third game, where Garcia added five of her assists, which led the most lopsided set of the night. The Vikes had every ounce of momentum but just couldn’t put the Hawks away.
Junior Olive Moore added three big kills late in the fourth set to help Hart force a fifth game.
Two-point leads were a rarity in the fifth as neither team could pull away. In the end, little mistakes and mishaps cost Valencia a historic win, as two points could’ve marked the first Vikings win at Hart since 2016.
“To have this as the first win, to not give up, to push through, I think that’s a huge moment for them to know that they can do it and give them that momentum into next week,” Irilian said.
Valencia had more kills, aces and digs but just fell short in the team’s second straight loss.
Vikings outside hitter Annika Puno added eight kills, junior Kai Howard tallied seven while freshman Mai’ana Untalan finished with five kills late in the match. Valencia senior Sophia Boyd registered three aces while junior setter Cayden Hobrecker and libero Addison DeGard each had two.
Hart now enters Foothill League with a bang and snaps a six-match losing streak to start the year. Now, the once-struggling Hawks are undefeated with two more home league battles coming up next week.
“(Building off this win) is the most critical thing, because we haven’t had the best start,” Irilian said. “To win at home against Valencia, it’s a dominant name. They’re getting better every year, and so that’s a huge thing for especially a lot of the young girls on the team that are freshmen and sophomores. We’re back-to-back home games next week, so they’re defending their home gym. I feel like they’ve got that pride and that sense of urgency, and I’m hoping that that will continue on.”
Valencia will head to Saugus on Tuesday before Thursday’s home opener against Castaic. Hart returns to its home court Wednesday and Thursday when the team hosts Canyon and Golden Valley, respectively. All matches are slated for 5:15 p.m.
