The storied season for San Benito came to an end Saturday night,
as the Lady ‘Balers fell in four games (21-25, 25-20, 25-21, 25-18)
to Nevada Union in the second round of the CIF Nor-Cal State
Volleyball Championships.
The storied season for San Benito came to an end Saturday night, as the Lady ‘Balers fell in four games (21-25, 25-20, 25-21, 25-18) to Nevada Union in the second round of the CIF Nor-Cal State Volleyball Championships.
A win would have pushed No. 4 San Benito to the Nor-Cal Final, and a rematch against Homestead, but the host Miners battled back to win three straight after dropping the first game.
“I thought we played well. I was real proud of their effort,” coach Dean Askanas said on Sunday. “They played hard and Nevada Union is pretty good.”
Emily Kortsen had 22 kills, eight digs and five blocks, and Bri Romero had 11 kills and 20 digs. Justine Hunter had 39 assists on the night, while Ali Sharp had six kills, five digs and five blocks.
Despite a raucous and emotional Grass Valley crowd, San Benito managed to take the first game from the top-seeded Miners.
“We may have surprised them a little bit,” Askanas said. “We jumped out to a lead and just kept going.”
But NU was able to regroup, as they were likely seeking revenge from last year’s five-game upset loss to San Benito in the second round of the Nor-Cal playoffs.
Askanas said the Lady ‘Balers committed a few unforced errors in the second game, but continued to rally to keep it close. Entering the contest, however, Askanas said one of the keys to victory was strong serving.
“We needed to serve them tougher,” said Askanas, who did highlight the serving of Samantha Klauer. Klauer contributed a team-high 20 service points.
“Their libero was a very good passer and we needed to serve away from her,” Askanas added. “But I thought we played hard all the way through, so I was pleased. We never broke down. It was a good solid match.”
According to Askanas, NU returned their entire starting rotation from last year’s team, making yet another upset win by San Benito all the more difficult.
However, the Lady ‘Balers, who finish with a 28-12 record, took the Tri-County Athletic League crown, were runner-up in Division I of the Central Coast Section, and finished their year as one of the top four teams in Northern California.
Said Askanas, “We did pretty well out there.”
And NU, who pushes their record to 43-4 on the year and a date in the Nor-Cal Final against Homestead, is no “slacker.”
“They were the No. 1 seed in Northern California,” Askanas added. “We knew it’d be a tough fight and we gave ourselves a chance.”
