Anzar freshman Erin Deleissegues leads the way offensively with
seven kills, seven aces and 17 digs, Seaside comes to town next
Tuesday
Days ago, Anzar’s Erin Deleissegues wasn’t even in high school.
But that didn’t stop the freshman outside from leading the Hawks’ varsity volleyball team to a win in their first match of the season.
Deleissegues had seven kills, seven aces and 17 digs in Anzar’s thrilling 25-22, 18-25, 25-16, 22-25, 16-14 win at home over Gilroy.
“She hits well, she passes well, she’s a good all-around volleyball player,” said Anzar coach Mike Dorney about his freshman starter.
Deleissegues was particularly instrumental in the fifth game, when she served three aces in a row to stretch Anzar’s lead to 8-3 and forced Gilroy (1-1) to call a timeout. The ‘Stangs had a tough time handling the freshman’s hot serve all match long.
“I get a low toss and hit it as hard as I can with aim,” Deleissegues said. “With a lower toss there’s less spin and it floats more.”
Despite a seven-point Mustang rally later in the fifth game that tied the game at 14, Anzar capitalized on two Gilroy errors for the win.
It wasn’t just the errors in the final game that plagued Gilroy. The ‘Stangs struggled with them throughout the whole match.
“They really looked draggy,” said Gilroy coach Sue Grogan. “They were all hunched over and just picked it up too late.”
After losing the first game, Gilroy played smart and controlled volleyball in the second game and stalled Anzar’s momentum. The Hawks fell back by as many as ten points before losing 25-18. But in the third game, Anzar came back and broke away from Gilroy for a 10-5 lead. Junior setter Amy Knight (24 assists, five kills) had a kill and junior outside Aandra Fujita (5 kills) served two aces during that span.
“Amy Knight at setter is the leader. She keeps everyone calm,” said Dorney. “And she can spread (the ball) around which keeps the other teams guessing.”
Leading 14-10 later in the game, Anzar scored six straight points to take a commanding 20-10 lead. A kill and down block by sophomore middle Christina Flores (7 kills) and an ace serve from sophomore opposite Jaclyn Wiley highlighted the 6-0 run that propelled Anzar to the Game 3 win.
In the fourth game, Anzar led for more than half the game. But back-to-back kills from Gilroy sophomore middle Caitlin Chisolm and senior middle Isabelle Szucs and a Hawks error gave the ‘Stangs a 19-18 lead, which they never relinquished.
In the fifth game, Anzar fended off a Gilroy comeback to seal the win.
Dorney, who said his team is “refueling” after losing six players to graduation, was happy to see his young team keep coming back in the match. Last year, the Hawks made it to the Central Coast Section Division V semifinals before falling to King’s Academy. This year, the team has a seniorless roster, with five sophomores and a freshman.
“They are, for lack of a better word, really scrappy,” Dorney said. “Their energy level is really high.”
Also contributing for the Hawks was sophomore Danielle Bossler with 14 digs. Anzar plays Seaside next at 5pm on Tuesday at home.
