For the first time since 2014, Golden Valley girls’ volleyball is winless to start the season before going into Foothill League play.
California City (2-1) handed the Grizzlies (0-8) a four-set loss, 25-21, 22-25, 25-16, 25-15.
Despite the loss, head coach Jack Johnson reiterated that this season is a building year, and he wants his team to focus on getting better game by game.
“This year, as we’ve talked about, our goal is just to get better every single game,” Johnson said. “I was telling them afterwards, with the exception of the third set, that’s exactly what we did. We played better the entire time. We sustained our energy for longer stretches of time. The lapses in energy and focus were shorter than they’ve been in matches past. All in all, I was happy with the way they played.”
In the first set, Golden Valley looked good to start the match. The Grizzlies took a 6-2 lead after the Ravens committed a serving error.
But mistakes from Golden Valley would see the lead diminish as the set would go on, leading the Grizzlies to fall behind and the Ravens building off those mistakes.
A blocking error from Golden Valley would give California City the set point and the Ravens would take the first set, 25-16.
In the second set, the Grizzlies played a cleaner offensive game. However, California City fought back, and the teams’ traded leads until the score was tied at 16 apiece.
The Grizzlies would clinch the second set behind freshman Quinn Fisher, who secured the set point with an explosive kill following a serve from teammate Katherine Ntatianidou.
“More than anything else, our offense has gotten better,” Johnson said. “And our offense has gotten better because our setting has gotten a little better and that was really plaguing us early on in the year.”
California City bounced back in the following set. The Ravens would lead by 10 points with an 18-8 lead after a hitting error by Golden Valley.
Despite a lone serving error from the Ravens to stop the bleeding and cut the deficit to nine, Golden Valley would fall, losing 25-15.
Facing defeat, Golden Valley came out to the court in the fourth set cleaner on offense and defense. Down five points, Golden Valley came back to cut the deficit to one after a Sophia Saris kill and a Ntatianidou ace would give them the lead.
However, Golden Valley mistakes kept the Ravens in the fourth set. After a Fisher hitting error, California City extended its 17-13 lead, and the Grizzlies were unable to answer back.
The Ravens wrapped up the fourth set after a hitting error from Golden Valley to win the set and game.
Looking ahead, with league play starting on Thursday, Johnson is ready for the challenges that the Foothill league can bring. And although his team is young, he believes they can learn and get better.
“There’s five freshmen starting on varsity this year,” Johnson said. “We’ve already played Canyon a few times in the preseason and at a tournament and we also played them during the summer. Saugus and West Ranch are kind of that measuring stick as far as what we’re trying to get to, and the way we’re going to do that is just getting better every single game and not always worrying about the scoreboard.”
Golden Valley’s next game is on Thursday at home against Castaic for the first game of Foothill League play.
