Victory is first over Tigers since 2004
Every winning team has a defining moment in their season when it all comes together, fueling it with the belief and confidence to achieve its goals.
The El Molino volleyball team had such a moment in the annual “Apple Match” at Analy on Sept. 6, outlasting a stubborn Tiger’s squad in four hotly contested sets: 25-23, 17-25, 25-19, 26-24.
The win was the Lion’s first win over the Tigers since the 2004 season.
The hard-fought victory, coupled with a five-set loss to Roseland University Prep on Sept. 5, pushed the Lion’s pre-league record to 11-6, while the Tigers fell to 3-5 on the season.
“It was an epic battle for the Apple,” El Mo coach Becky Sani said. “My girls were so ecstatic all night and into the next day. Sometimes even these little victories have to be celebrated like it’s the Super Bowl.”
The El Molino coach rewarded her players the following day with a bushel of apples donated by Walker Apples, which they handed out to students, teachers and staff.
Apple battle
El Molino was fresh off a five-set heartbreaker in a Sept. 5 loss at Roseland University Prep on Sept. 5, fueling the team with added incentive the following night at Analy.
“That loss hurt and frustrated us, both of which made us hungry for a win against Analy on Thursday,” Sani noted later.
The Sept. 6 clash of rivals took on added meaning since realignment has placed the teams in different NBL divisions this season.
The Lions set the tone in the opening game, using strong all-around play to win 25-21.
Analy’s Claire Rudderow had the Lions on their heels from the service line in game two, leading the Tigers to a 25-17 win to knot the match at one all.
El Mo regained the upper hand in game three, taking advantage of Analy hitting errors for a 25-18 win.
It was all Analy to start game four, racing to a quick 11-1 lead. The Lions shook off the slow start to whittle away at the deficit, eventually re-taking the lead to win the game and match, 26-24.
“The team has bought into the concept that we have to be a family and take care of each other and trust each other,” Sani said. “That’s the difference this year — it’s trust. They trust me, and they trust each other.”
After years of dominating the series with El Molino, the Tigers took the loss in stride.
“It was a game with a lot of ups and downs on both sides of the net,” Analy coach Holly Folendorf said. “There were a lot of runs of points for both teams. El Mo did a great job of staying focused through all that to pull out the win, and we made too many errors at crucial times.”
Statistical leaders for the Lions included Kassidy Sani (16 kills, 14 digs, 2 aces, 10 assists), Sasha Senal (14 kills, 21 digs, 3 blocks), Grace McCormick (8 kills, 23 assists, 3 blocks), Yasmin Sierra (2 kills, 2 aces, 3 blocks) and Grace Anderson (22 digs).
Pacing the Tigers’ offense were Rudderow (8 kills, 15 digs, 4 aces), Jalynn Serpa (6 kills, 6 digs, 3 aces, 2 blocks), Maddie Windsor (16 digs, 2 aces, 25 assists), Bree Scott (1 kill, 26 digs), Britney Vaughn (5 kills, 1 block) and Sara Davidson (2 aces, 9 digs).
