Windsor wraps up strong campaign with 12-11 record
An outstanding volleyball campaign came to an end for the Windsor High School Jaguars on Saturday, falling to #1 seeded Bishop O’ Dowd in the quarterfinals of the North Coast Section Division 2 playoffs.
The loss gave Windsor a final season record of 12-11.
By any measure it was another highly successful season for the Jags, which began the season in August with big holes to fill, before overcoming injuries to key players on their way to the playoffs. The team rallied together during the recent devastating fires, achieving its ultimate goal.
“It was about as good a way to end our season as we could’ve had,” veteran Jags coach Rich Schwarz reflected. “If you make the playoffs only one team gets to end their season with a win. Although the better team won the match we feel it was a win for these players and for our program.”
The #8 Jags opened the playoffs at #9 Alameda on Nov. 1, turning back the Hornets in three sets; 25-20, 25-23, 25-17.
“We started off a little shaky, allowing their right-side hitter to get four kills in the first 10 plays,” Schwarz said. “But that showed our players who their strongest player was and we relish in the challenge of shutting down the other team’s top player.”
Statistical leaders for the Jags included junior Destiny Clark (16 kills), senior setter Kaitlyn Alger (23 assists), sophomore Madison Weber (12 service points). Katie Todd turned in an outstanding match on defense, chipping in several critical digs.
The victory set up a quarterfinal match with top seeded Bishop O’Dowd in Oakland on Nov. 4, a tough assignment for a visiting team. The Dragons lived up to their reputation, cruising to a win in three four sets; 25-15, 24-26, 25-11, 25-16.
The Jaguars rebounded from a poor first set with their best effort in the second, with middle hitter Brittany Johnson leading the way in pulling out a 26-24 win. It would be the high water mark of the night for Windsor, as the Dragons closed out the next two sets and the match, 25-11, 25-16.
“They featured three very dynamic, athletic hitters and a setter who ran their offense to perfection,” Schwarz noted. “Although we knew it would be a tough challenge we felt we could expose what little weaknesses they had and try to put some pressure on them.”
Pacing the Windsor attack were middle hitters Johnson and Elena Dyer, who combined for 16 kills and no hitting errors on the night. Other team leaders included Clark (8 kills) and Alger (20 assists). Defenders Izzy Earl, Katie Todd, Sam Stewart and Madison Omiotek all turned in outstanding work at the back line for the Jags.
