Plus, scores from around the second round in girls’ volleyball
Despite falling two sets to start Saturday’s second-round playoff matchup against the El Toro Chargers of Lake Forest, the Valencia girls’ volleyball team still went all out in an effort to save their season and force a fifth set.
Despite the late rally, the Vikings fell to the Chargers in five sets, 22-25, 18-25, 25-23, 25-13, 14-16, and were eliminated from the Division 5 playoffs.
“We battled and we were right there,” Valencia coach Kristin Dolan said. “And we just couldn’t close.”
Although the Vikings’ rally fell short in the fifth set, Valencia saw its season almost come to an end following the second set.
Dolan said her team was stunned but reiterated between sets that the team has nothing to lose and to go all out if their season were to come to an end on Saturday.
“There’s nothing to lose. We have nothing to lose,” Dolan said. “We might as well take it to five and let’s make it a long time and just go out there and play Viking volleyball.”
The Vikings responded with third- and fourth-set wins. And in the fifth set, they opened with a 9-6 lead that led to an El Toro timeout.
But, the Chargers rallied to win 16-14 and avoided the reverse sweep.
The Vikings’ season came to an end and, for Dolan, it was a year that left her proud of her team as they showcased resilience and grit. And although the season is over, the fight her players, such as the seniors, showed in the final game of the year is a quality and standard that she hopes players will replicate in future seasons.
“If it wasn’t for them and their hard training every year or day in and day out at practice, we wouldn’t have been in that situation to begin with,” Dolan said. “I bet that game is as close to a CIF finals game as you’re going to get in Division 5. So, I’m proud of them and they did fantastic.
After Saturday’s games, here are scores from around the second round in the Division 5 girls’ volleyball playoffs:
Canyon 3, Hesperia Christian 2: Following a five-set win over the Hesperia Christian Patriots in the second round of the Division 5 playoffs, the Cowboys advanced to the quarterfinals for the first time in two years.
The Cowboys are scheduled to play again on Wednesday and play host to the Liberty Bison of Winchester, who are coming off a four-set win over Marlborough.
Wednesday’s matchup between the Bison and the Cowboys is expected to be close with Canyon expected to have the edge as the team is ranked as the No. 195 team in California, according to MaxPreps. As for Liberty, the Bison are not far behind and ranked as the No. 205 team in California, according to MaxPreps.
Wednesday’s matchup between the Bison and Cowboys is scheduled to begin at 6 p.m. at Canyon High School.
Photos below from Valencia’s loss to El Toro on Saturday:
