San Benito drops league opener 25-19, 29-27, 25-20
The Tri-County Athletic League season has begun, and San Benito
has a new approach.
No longer is head coach Dean Askanas pushing his
”
game of attrition.
”
”
It’s beginning of league,
”
he said.
”
We’ve switched our philosophy from less conservative to more
offensive.
”
We’ve got to make swings. We’ve got to make kills.
”
San Benito drops league opener 25-19, 29-27, 25-20
The Tri-County Athletic League season has begun, and San Benito has a new approach.
No longer is head coach Dean Askanas pushing his “game of attrition.”
“It’s beginning of league,” he said. “We’ve switched our philosophy from less conservative to more offensive.
“We’ve got to make swings. We’ve got to make kills.”
Although the attacking approach was noticeable on Tuesday night in Hollister, it wasn’t enough to upset visiting North Salinas. A preseason favorite with Salinas this year in the TCAL, the Vikings outlasted the Balers en route to a three-set victory (25-19, 29-27, 25-20) behind a powerful front line of Julia Ashen, Ellen Yamasaki, Riley Ashen and Sara Makanani.
The North Salinas four were capable of either slamming down a kill on any set or relying on a soft tip at the net to catch San Benito on its collective heels.
Both strategies were employed on Tuesday, and both worked rather well in the Vikings’ favor. But Askanas felt Tuesday night’s match, although a loss, was another move in the right direction for the Balers. The team received six kills apiece from Jessica Steigelman, Megan Kelley and Katherine Breger, while sophomore Ellie Burley led San Benito for the second straight match with nine kills.
“In just three games, that was good,” Askanas said.
“I was really proud of the way they played tonight. We produced more offense than we have this season.”
The Balers’ more aggressive approach on offense didn’t change the team’s defensive mindset at all, though. In fact, in just three sets Tuesday, San Benito compiled 84 digs against North Salinas.
