There’s a new trophy for the Anzar High trophy case. And this
one isn’t any ordinary trophy. Make room. And how.
SARATOGA – There’s a new trophy for the Anzar High trophy case. And this one isn’t any ordinary trophy. Make room. And how.
The Hawks, in come-from-behind fashion, captured the Central Coast Section Division V volleyball championship Saturday at West Valley College with a 13-15, 12-15, 15-4, 15-8, 15-8 thriller over Valley Christian-Dublin.
The Hawks (25-11) earned themselves a first-round home match as the NorCal Division V tournament commences Tuesday. Anzar, seeded third in an eight-team field, squares off with Etna of Yreka (26-6) at Gavilan College at 7 p.m.
Should the seeds hold, the Hawks would travel to No. 2 seed University of San Francisco this Saturday for the NorCal semifinals. Ripon Christian (31-3), which won the state D-V title in 1999, is the No. 1 seed.
Anzar head coach Tamara Smith gave credit to the competition in the Mission Trail Athletic League.
“This is for Santa Catalina and King City who made us play our best volleyball during the season,” said Smith. “They pushed us to make us better.”
The Hawks were indeed pushed to the brink by Valley Christian, which rallied from a 10-3 deficit to take game two. But behind a never-say-die cheering section complete with cheerleaders and energetic assistant coach Michael Dorney, Anzar put its game in order in game three.
Kiely White, who had a school-record 31 kills, had two straight kill points to begin the third game. The Hawks strung together five more points for an 8-0 lead before the Vikings tallied a digit. At 10-3, Treva Crocker joined the fray with a great block at the net for 11-3 Hawks. Crocker, who had a career-high 21 kills and seven blocks, had a kill and a dink which found a hole in the Vikes’ defense for 14-3. Crocker’s tap got sideout, then a four-hit violation gave the Hawks the survival win.
Game four found Hawks setter Gena Ray looking specifically for White and the 6-foot White didn’t disappoint. The Vikes seemed to wilt as White kept pounding the ball down. The scoreboard went out for good with Anzar up 12-7, but the Hawks didn’t let it affect them. Stephanie Smith’s ace put Anzar up 13-7. Leanna Hardy got sideout twice late in the game. Stephanie Smith set the ball to White for the game-winner.
That set up a dramatic rally scoring game five. The Hawks actually got down 5-3, but pecked away and finally lead for good 8-7 on a left-handed swing from Hardy. Justine Wiley’s save in the back row kept a rally going for the Hawks, who forced a winner over for 9-7. With Hardy on the service line, White then went to work at the net. Four straight kills by White made it 13-7. The Vikes hit it out for match point, then failed to return the final serve and Anzar had its first-ever CCS team title as students and cheerleaders charged the West Valley College court.
“White is a very talented player,” said a teary Viking coach Brendi Ashton, whose club won the Private School Athletic League title. “They blocked us very well. That was the difference in the match.”
“This team has a lot of heart,” said Dorney, who was out of his seat and waving his arms most of the match. “They didn’t give up.”
Ray shattered her own school record in assists with 48.
“We were nervous at first,” said Ray. “We kept up our energy. The crowd cheered us on and gave us confidence. We wanted it tonight.”
“This blew my mind tonight,” said White, who was last seen cradling the CCS championship trophy. “We actually did it.”
Yes you did, Anzar. Yes you did. And no one can ever take that championship trophy away.
Hawk hits: Smith had four aces, while Wiley, a junior, had 20 digs and played a fine back row. Casey Norton had five blocks, while White added three blocks. Cory Strasser had some great serving for the Hawks throughout the match. – The Hawks may have set a record of sort. They won a CCS team title before ever winning a team league championship. – The scorekeeper had a lot of problems, even before the scoreboard went out. Points were being awarded at random or delayed being awarded, which prompted jeers from both Vikings and Hawks fans. After the scoreboard went out, a manual scoreboard was used. The scorekeeper even had problems handling that.
