Although the end result had Carmel winning a five-set thriller
(20-25, 25-18, 25-23, 21-25, 15-11) over Anzar in San Juan
Bautista, the Hawks not only handed the visiting Padres their first
set loss in league play, but they also battled back to force a
fifth and deciding game.
SAN JUAN BAUTISTA
Losing in five sets doesn’t often provide an emotional lift. Losing again in five sets just two days later can be an emotional disaster.
But Anzar’s performance in its two matches this week against King City and Carmel has many on the team thinking of the growth that was made in such a short time span, as well as the potential there is for the remainder of the season.
“It’s very good,” junior Alex Flores said, noting the learning experience the team has gone through in one week against two of the better teams in the Mission Trail Athletic League. “We never got down on each other as much as we did in King City. I think we really regretted how we played in King City and we wanted to turn it around.”
The drive on Thursday was noticeable.
Although the end result had Carmel winning a five-set thriller (20-25, 25-18, 25-23, 21-25, 15-11) over Anzar in San Juan Bautista, the Hawks not only handed the visiting Padres their first set loss in league play, but they also battled back to force a fifth and deciding game.
It wasn’t a win, but head coach Chris Wardlaw feels the team is making a name for itself, even in defeat.
“We’re not a doormat to anyone in this league,” Wardlaw said. “King City took five to get to us. Carmel took five to get to us.
“We just need to get over the hump.”
Otherwise known as the fifth set. Carmel controlled the deciding game early on with kills from Emma Fuzie and Elizabeth Stivers, the latter of whom put Anzar’s defense into fits all night.
“She’s good and she’ll take what she can get,” Wardlaw said. “It took us a while to adjust to it.”
Stivers pushed Carmel out to a 3-2 lead in the fifth, then supplied a tip and a down block to make it 6-3. It was 10-5 when Anzar mounted a comeback, cutting the deficit to 11-9 behind Carmel hitting errors, a kill from Nicole Seymour and a down block from Jessica Stofer.
But it was Anzar’s hitting errors, as well as the play of Stivers, that proved to be in the difference in the end.
“We were trying to adjust and cover the doughnut more,” said senior outside hitter Cami Merz, referring to the area on the floor between the front row and the back row — a spot Stivers was finding most of the night with either powerful kills or soft, up-and-over tips.
“We had some problems with that,” Merz added. “But towards the end we started pulling it together.”
The Hawks on Tuesday forced a fifth set against King City, but lost 15-2 in what was a quiet end to an otherwise tightly contested match.
On Thursday against Carmel, which had previously defeated King City, Pacific Grove and Soledad in three sets, the Hawks again forced a fifth set, although in somewhat surprising fashion.
“We played them tougher than anybody so far in league,” Wardlaw said.
After Anzar took the opener 25-20 and Carmel responded with a 25-18 win in Game 2, the all-important third set saw Anzar control a 23-17 lead after Flores slammed down one of her nine kills — a no-doubt-about-it hit that made a bee line to the floor.
But hitting errors put a halt to Anzar’s run. Carmel capitalized on the next six points to tie the game at 23-all, then took the lead when Savanna Hoffman and Fuzie teamed up for a down block and a 24-23 edge.
Two timeouts by Anzar did little to stop Carmel’s momentum. The third game was decided one point later when Anzar committed another hitting error.
“We let Game 3 get away from us,” Wardlaw said.
Trailing 2-1 in a match wasn’t new for Anzar, though. It had experienced it on Tuesday against King City.
A kill by Flores and an ace from Jessica Frusetta helped the Hawks carry a 16-13 lead in Game 4, although Carmel’s defense, anchored by libero Rachel Cohen, kept Anzar’s hitting attempts up, and kept the Padres in the game.
It wasn’t until Carmel was called for a lift following an Anzar down block that the Hawks reclaimed the lead again, 22-21. A kill by Merz and Frusetta then closed out the fourth set, 25-21.
“For whatever reason, we’ve played well against Carmel every year I’ve coached,” Wardlaw said.
A strong mix of offense and defense was perhaps the reason this time around. Flores finished with 15 digs and 15 assists, while Merz had eight kills and a pair of blocks. Sydnee Masuen added 14 assists, and Mali Gonzalez and Carly Johnson shored up the defense with 17 digs apiece.
Anzar’s schedule continues next week when it will visit Gonzales on Tuesday. Match time is 6 p.m.
“I still feel like we have a lot of room for potential,” Wardlaw said. “There’s a lot of room for growth. I know we can get a lot better.”
