The San Benito Lady ‘Balers stand atop the Tri-County Athletic
League, all alone, and they did so rather resoundingly.
Hollister – The San Benito Lady ‘Balers stand atop the Tri-County Athletic League, all alone, and they did so rather resoundingly.
San Benito dispatched another top TCAL opponent Thursday night, just two days after defeating rival Salinas in four games.
On Thursday, it was Notre Dame, who the Lady ‘Balers made quick work of and cruised to a three-game triumph 25-11, 25-19, 25-23.
Coach Dean Askanas prepared his San Benito squad after the win over Salinas for a stronger opponent in Notre Dame, as the visiting Spirits had previously defeated Salinas in five games.
So on Thursday, after the Lady ‘Balers throttled Notre Dame in three games, even Askanas was taken by surprise.
“I wasn’t expecting this,” he said. “They really surprised me of how powerful and excited they came out.
“I knew this could be a great team, but we really didn’t start putting it together until this week.”
In many ways, the Lady ‘Balers picked up where they left off from Tuesday’s match against Salinas, and jumped all over Notre Dame to take an early, comfortable lead in the opening game.
Holding a 7-1 lead to start game one, San Benito set the tone early and were led by Emily Kortsen, who had eight of her 19 kills in the first game.
“It was kind of like a chance to play to our potential,” Kortsen said. “This time, we really did.
“We’re definitely coming out for the first time of the season. We’re coming out. This is the real us.”
San Benito held leads of 11-3 and 16-7 before putting the Spirits away in the opener on an Ali Sharp kill.
Sharp had a balanced game of six kills and six blocks.
“Which is amazing,” Askanas added. “She was unbelievable.”
It was a far different story in the second game, but ended with the same result. The two teams had five ties early in the game as they battled back and forth at the start. Trailing 9-8, though, San Benito received three consecutive kills from Kelsey Jackson, Kortsen and Sharp to push ahead for an 11-9 lead.
Notre Dame managed to stay within three points for much of the second game, but the Lady ‘Balers finished them off in the end on a tip from Justine Hunter and a block from Sharp, with the winning point courtesy of a kill from Kortsen.
“They had a stronger defense,” Kortsen said, in comparison to Salinas. “But we came out stronger. It was a fun game.”
The third game was by far the closest of the three, but San Benito managed to eke out the win in the end.
The third game had five lead changes and nine ties at 1-1, 6-6, 8-8, 9-9, 10-10, 16-16, 17-17, 22-22 and 23-23. San Benito took the sweep after the Spirits hit one into the net, and Kortsen finished them off with a kill.
After it was over, Askanas said the third-game victory showed a hang-tough mentality in the Lady ‘Balers and was a very mature performance.
“We were so focused the whole night and we never let up,” Askanas said. “To beat a great team like that in three games shows a lot about us. It’s very hard to close a team out in three. That third game speaks volumes about us.”
Bri Romero added 22 digs and 12 kills against Notre Dame, while Justine Hunter, who was able to find the “hot hitter at the right time,” Askanas said, had 38 assists. Kortsen provided 18 digs, Samantha Klauer had 15 and Shayna Nakata supplied San Benito with 11.
San Benito is now 6-0 in the TCAL, 17-7 overall, and owns first place in the league. They’ll look to remain in first place when they host Gilroy next Thursday, Oct. 11.
“They really just put it together and did a great job,” Askanas said. “This is the team I was hoping to see.”
