Jags fall to Analy, beat Newman in five-set thrillers
Local high school volleyball fans got their money’s worth in North Bay League action this week, as the Jaguars went the distance in a pair of road battles to gain an even split.
Windsor (1-3, 7-4) opened the latest stretch in a Sept. 25 visit to Analy, playing the Tigers on virtually even terms before falling in five games; 25-17, 14-25, 25-17, 21-25, 5-15.
“The match was definitely a see-saw battle,” Jag’s coach Rich Schwarz said. “It was decided by serving and ours wasn’t consistent enough to win against a solid team like Analy.”
Statistical leaders for the Jaguars included senior outside hitter Elena Dyer (15 kills, 2 blocks), middle hitter Brittany Johnson (8 kills) and right-side hitters Pauline Woodward and Madison Weber with 6 kills each.
Defensively, the team was led by libero Izzy Earl (21 digs), Rene Tolson (18 digs) and setters Hannah Dyer and Katie Todd, with 16 and 14 digs respectively.
Windsor, buoyed by the return of a couple of key players sidelined due to illness, was back on the court two nights later at Cardinal Newman. The Jaguars found themselves locked in another heated battle, this one coming out in their favor in a five-set marathon; 25-22, 22-25, 25-20,13-25,15-7.
“We knew this would be a tough match as they had just lost a tough five-set match to undefeated Santa Rosa,” Schwarz noted. “But we know a lot of the players from their team and had a pretty good week of practice planning on how to attack and defend them.”
The preparation paid off, thanks in large part to a great performance from libero Izzy Earl, who recorded a team-high 32 digs and four aces. Other strong efforts were had by Mara St. Amant (13 digs, 4 aces), Elena Dyer (13 kills on 21 attempts), Weber (9 kills, 9 digs, 6 aces, 2 blocks), Johnson (9 kills, 2 blocks) and Woodward (6 kills, 4 blocks).
“Every person on the team played and contributed in a positive way,” Schwarz said. “Our bench was fired up all night and kept everyone positive.”
At press time the Jaguars were preparing to host Maria Carrillo on Oct. 2, followed by a key visit to Santa Rosa on Oct. 4. Match times starting with the frosh are 4/5/6:30 p.m.
