In a warm-up for the upcoming Monterey Bay League playoffs, the San Benito girls volleyball team continued to improve its play in the final weeks of the season, sweeping a league opponent for the third consecutive match Tuesday in Hollister.
The Balers 3-0 win over North Salinas was never in question, as San Benito overwhelmed the Vikings to run away with the victory. The match was over early, as the Balers won the first set 25-3. The three Salinas points came from bad Baler serves.
“The thing that we said is that weren’t concerned about beating North Salinas, we were concerned about being ready for the playoffs,” head coach Dean Askanas said. “We are not thrilled about a good win here. We are excited about improving to make a run.”
The Balers seem to be improving at the right time, winning nine consecutive sets after the team’s second loss to Salinas on Oct. 11. After the loss, the Balers shuffled their lineup – placing Savanna Wilson and Haley Leifhelt into the middle blocker position – and took off.
“Things have switched and things have changed,” Askanas said. “These are the middles that are in now. They are the stronger ones. I was looking for something … but to get it out of the middles like that is very exciting.”
Leifhelt, a freshman, played well in front of the net for the Balers on Tuesday, blocking a pair of Salinas attempts and starting the match with three kills.
Wilson played well up front with Leifhelt, protecting the net, as Ellie Burley and Erica Chapa controlled the outside.
“I was very pleased with both of them,” Askanas said. “They were very consistent and proactive. And our defense was good. Our serving was great.”
In the first game, San Benito controlled the tempo thanks to strong defense from Raelynn Heredia, who finished with 13 digs and five aces, and Marissa Espino, who assisted on 24 kills. Burley finished with a game-high 16 kills in the win.
With such a strong start – San Benito scored the match’s first seven points – the Balers’ confidence only grew.
“We just use it to work on,” Espino said. “We don’t care what the score is when we play that good. We play so we can make a run in the playoffs. We are trying to do our best. It boosts our confidence a lot actually.”
And right now, the team is playing its best, she said.
“We are fixing a lot of things,” Espino said. “It’s making us stronger. We are filling the holes where we need to be. It’s building up our confidence. We are coming together like we always do.”
Throughout the nigh San Benito was strong serving the ball, finishing eight aces. Serena Adame finished with a game-high four aces, as Heredia and Burley each had success serving the ball.
The Balers rolled to easy wins in the second and third sets (25-10, 25-9) to come away with the strong victory.
“It was good team effort,” Askanas said. “Everyone did their part. It was a good team effort and I’m proud of them.”
