After winning its last two matches to close out the regular
season, the San Benito Haybalers finished with a 17-18 overall
record, earned the No. 6 seed in the postseason, and will square
off against No. 11 Silver Creek (22-9) on Wednesday in the opening
round of the Central Coast Section Division I Girls Volleyball
Championships.
HOLLISTER
After winning its last two matches to close out the regular season, the San Benito Haybalers finished with a 17-18 overall record, earned the No. 6 seed in the postseason, and will square off against No. 11 Silver Creek (22-9) on Wednesday in the opening round of the Central Coast Section Division I Girls Volleyball Championships.
Although San Benito earned the higher seed, the first-round matchup will be played at Silver Creek on Wednesday at 7 p.m., after the San Jose school won the Santa Teresa Division of the Blossom Valley Athletic League. The Raiders compiled a 13-1 record in league play.
San Benito, meanwhile, finished fourth in the Tri-County Athletic League with a 6-6 mark.
“It doesn’t bother me to play away,” said San Benito head coach Dean Askanas, who noted that team statistics prove the Balers are a better road team than they are at home.
Regarding Silver Creek, though, Askanas is expecting a strong defensive team that will try to “dig up a lot of balls,” and it will be up to San Benito’s attack to overpower that.
The Balers have relied on a game of attrition and being able to out-rally the opponent in years past, but it will be the team’s offense that will need to carry San Benito in this postseason.
“Your offense has to be overpowering enough to beat a team like Silver Creek and to get far in the tournament,” Askanas said. “It won’t be a case where we beat Silver Creek by attrition or out-rallying them.”
With that said, the Balers have seen improved play from outside hitters Katherine Breger and Ellie Burley as the season has progressed. A junior and sophomore, respectively, Breger and Burley led San Benito in kills during the regular season.
Behind the setting of Raelynn Heredia, the two hitters led the offensive charge in the last four non-tournament matches for the Balers, who went 3-1 during that stretch to close out the season.
Breger recently compiled a season-high 26 kills during a five-set loss to Notre Dame and 19 kills in a three-set sweep of Gilroy, while Burley added 11 and eight kills in those two matches as well.
Askanas said both Breger and Burley will be key to San Benito’s attack in the playoffs.
Meanwhile, a win over Silver Creek on Wednesday would advance the Balers to Saturday’s quarterfinal round against No. 3 Menlo-Atherton (20-7), which eliminated San Benito in three sets from last year’s Division I postseason. However, the San Benito head coach felt the Balers battled last year, and may have a better chance against M-A this year with its improved offense.
Overall, Askanas was pleased with the draw San Benito received, calling it “a hard road, but an achievable road.”
No. 1 Palo Alto (34-1) sits on the opposite side of San Benito’s bracket, as does No. 4 Salinas (23-8). Meanwhile, No. 12 Gilroy (15-12) and No. 5 Carlmont (19-13), No. 9 Watsonville (27-5) and No. 8 Monta Vista (15-13), and No. 10 Homestead (12-18) and No. 7 Gunn (27-6) will all square off in opening-round matches.
No. 2 North Salinas (27-4) earned a first-round bye, and will see the winner of Homestead-Gunn.
This is the 13th year in a row San Benito has advanced to the postseason, while the last six years have seen the Balers reach at least the semifinal round.
