Tigers capture Nor Cal Invitational tourney
It was an exciting week on the high school volleyball court for local teams, as El Molino and Analy each notched wins in Sonoma County League action.
The Tigers (3-0, 9-3) stayed unbeaten on the SCL circuit with three set wins over Healdsburg and Piner, while the Lions (1-2, 6-8) fell to Piner before bouncing back to beat Elsie Allen. On Saturday Analy went 4-1 in the Nor Cal Invitational Tournament, recording a three-set win over Moreau Catholic to capture the first-place trophy.
This week, El Mo plays host to Petaluma on Sept. 19 (after press time) and visits Sonoma Valley on Thursday, Sept. 21. The Tigers will entertain Elsie Allen on Sept. 19 and travel to Petaluma for a key match on Sept. 21. Match times starting with the frosh are 4/5/6:30 p.m.
Tigers on a roll
Analy opened their latest stretch on Sept. 12 against visiting Healdsburg, soundly defeating the Greyhounds in three; 25-18, 20-10, 25-18. Stat leaders were Ava Ehnes (11 kills, 4 aces), Claire Rudderow (7 kills, 2 aces, 17 digs) and Merritt Taggart (5 kills).
The Tigers visited Piner on Sept. 14, again easily winning in straight sets; 25-14, 25-19, 25-14. Pacing the net attack were Sabrina Stephens (21 digs), Korina Pierson (11 digs) and Ehnes (9 kills, 18 digs).
“There were a lot of long rallies and our girls did a good job of staying focused to execute the play,” Analy coach Holly Folendorf reported.
The Tigers were in midseason form at the Nor-Cal Invitational Tournament, scoring wins over Benicia (19-25, 25-12, 15-10), Rancho Cotate (25-6, 25,15) and Cardinal Newman (25-18, 25-16), while falling to Moreau Catholic (20-25, 20-25). Analy got revenge later in the title match, defeating the Mariners in three sets (28-26, 23-25, 15-12).
Lions gain split
El Molino opened SCL action against visiting Piner on Sept. 12 on “Pack the Gym Night, with all fans admitted free. The Prospectors didn’t cooperate, as El Molino fell in five sets; 8-25, 25-19, 17-25, 25-16, 17-19.
Pacing the Lions were Sasha Senal (9 kills, 3 blocks, 2 aces), Kassidy Sani (8 kills, 4 blocks, 2 aces), Grace McCormick (7 kills, 1 block, 2 aces) and Tiger Berna (6 kills, 1 block, 1 ace).
“This was a close match that we’ll make adjustments for come round two of league,” El Mo coach Becky Sani said. “Both of our programs struggle to get players who participate at a club level and you can see that in our athletes’ playing ability.”
El Mo was back in the win column the following at Elsie Allen, slipping past a stubborn Lobos squad in three games; 25-12, 25-16, 25-13.
“Even though we won in three this is the best Lobo team I have seen in my three years as the Lions coach,” Sani noted. “We were able to play our non starters in this match, giving them the ability to work on transition and defense at a slower pace.”
Leading the way for the Lions were Senal (11 kills, 2 blocks, 4 aces), Kassidy Sani (3 kills, 16 assists, 6 aces), McCormick (5 kills, 6 assists, 1 ace), Berna (4 kills) and Sara Flores (4 aces). Senior Andi Amaya played well in game one starting as a strong middle blocker.
