The San Benito Lady ‘Balers not only got a little revenge on
Tuesday night at Mattson Gym, but they picked up a big win over a
formidable league opponent.
The San Benito Lady ‘Balers not only got a little revenge on Tuesday night at Mattson Gym, but they picked up a big win over a formidable league opponent.
San Benito remained undefeated in the Tri-County Athletic League by defeating visiting Salinas in four games 23-25, 25-14, 25-20, 25-22.
“This was a huge win for us,” said senior outside hitter Bri Romero, who had 11 kills on the night. “Last time, they beat us, so we knew this was a way to get back.”
The last time they saw Salinas was last season. In that match, San Benito had a chance to win the TCAL outright, but fell to the visiting Cowboys in four games.
“Having that loss in our heads, it made us fight that much more,” Romero said.
But after San Benito jumped out to an 11-1 lead to open game one, it appeared revenge would be easy, let alone sweet. But the Cowboys battled back, eventually tying it up at 19 a piece. Down 23-21 late in the game, the Lady ‘Balers tied it up with a pair of kills from Romero and Kelsey Jackson, but Salinas managed to steal the opening-game victory 25-23.
“We just let down,” Romero said. “We thought mentally, that we had them.”
In the second game, the Lady ‘Balers jumped out to another lead, this time at 6-1. However, Salinas did not come back, as San Benito kept them at bay with strong hitting from Emily Kortsen and Megan Halstead. With a comfortable 24-15 lead, Jackson provided the kill for the win.
“We talked about playing for pride. It would have been easy for us to let down after game one,” coach Dean Askanas said. “After game one, that would have deflated some teams. But they showed a lot of character.”
In game three, Romero and Kortsen killed. With both teams knotted at 5-5, Kortsen, who had a game-high 21 kills on the night, provided a pair of kills while Romero did the same to push San Benito to an 11-5 lead.
Salinas would tie it at 16-16, but the third game ended just as it had started: with Romero and Kortsen. The Lady ‘Balers held a 23-20 lead late when the game was put away with consecutive kills from Romero and Kortsen.
Salinas managed to remain close throughout the fourth game, though. In the end, the Lady ‘Balers’ defense was too stingy for Salinas to mount any comeback, while Kortsen finished the fourth game with a kill for the 25-22 win.
“It was the biggest win of our season,” Askanas said. “It’s not just us beating Salinas. It’s us beating a worthy opponent and showing we can play.
“Both Bri (Romero) and Samantha (Klauer) made a ton of digs, and Emily (Kortsen) has been playing great defense, too. Justine Hunter did a great job of finding Emily, and I thought Bri really stepped up her game.”
The Lady ‘Balers, now 5-0 in the TCAL, 16-7 overall, will have perhaps a more difficult opponent in Notre Dame on Thursday at Mattson Gym. Notre Dame had recently defeated Salinas in five games.
“It gets harder with Notre Dame,” Askanas said. “There defense is brutal. It’s hard to find the floor on them.”
Thursday’s match is slated for 6:30pm.
