The killer instinct that had been missing during earlier matches
against lesser opponents was evident Thursday night for the Gilroy
girls’ volleyball team.
The Mustangs jumped on visiting Everett Alvarez early and never
let the Eagles into the match in a 25-13, 25-10, 25-13 win that
gave Gilroy its first Tri-County Athletic League win.
Gilroy – The killer instinct that had been missing during earlier matches against lesser opponents was evident Thursday night for the Gilroy girls’ volleyball team.
The Mustangs jumped on visiting Everett Alvarez early and never let the Eagles into the match in a 25-13, 25-10, 25-13 win that gave Gilroy its first Tri-County Athletic League win.
“We were more serious than we were against Sobrato,” said Jennifer Smith, who led the Mustangs (7-6 overall, 1-1 TCAL) with 11 assists. “You can’t go into game just thinking another team is going to let you win. We worked in practice on talking and communicating. I thought we did that well. We played as a team and worked together tonight.”
With Brittany Balanessi missing because of illness, Smith assumed most of the setting roles. Meazell helped out for the second time this season.
“It was very different,” Meazell said of her role. “I’ve done it once before and did it during club (volleyball).”
GHS showed just how serious it was by running off the first 11 points of the match before a Jackie Vazquez kill briefly halted the Mustangs. Sara Hugo served 10 points, and Vanessa Wilkins and Kayla Meazell had two kills during the opening run. Wilkins had nine digs and six kills for GHS.
Gilroy gradually pulled away during the second game with a 13-3 run that turned a three-point lead into a 22-8 advantage. Meazell, who had three aces, served eight straight points during a third-game run that turned a two-point deficit into an 11-4 lead over Alvarez (0-8, 0-2).
“I thought we played really well,” GHS coach Sue Grogan said. “I expected a lot from them tonight and they came through.
“We played more aggressively. I want them to be more aggressive. It’s all about self-confidence. I wanted them to be competitive, and not fall asleep on the court. Hopefully they can keep this focus the rest of the season.”
The GHS junior varsity lost 23-25, 25-14, 15-12 to Alvarez, but the freshmen gained their first win in five tries by coming from behind to win 26-28, 25-18, 15-7.
Randy Barbaglia doesn’t know how long it was since Gilroy’s last girls’ tennis win.
Thus, the second-year coach was thrilled with Thursday’s 6-1 victory over Everett Alvarez, especially in view of how the Mustangs started this season.
Barbaglia saw this as a season of high expectations for Gilroy. But when the Mustangs opened by losing three matches 7-0, he admitted to being disappointed. He wondered if the expectations were warranted.
But he saw a different team on the GHS courts Thursday, one that was more confident and less tentative. And he saw his doubles teams dominate the Eagles, even those who played exhibition matches.
“I was very happy with how they played,” Barbaglia said of the Mustangs. “We had a good strategy and talk, and it seemed to help.”
GHS (1-3 in Tri-County Athletic League, 1-1 overall) got straight-sets wins from No. 1 singles player Amy Huang, 6-0, 6-2 over Susie Ngo, and No. 3 singles player Gories Kwong, 10-8, 6-0 over Charlene Speer. New No. 2 singles player Emily Castro got off to a slow start but rallied for a 4-6, 6-3, 10-7 win over Simone Gee.
The Eagles got a win from No. 4 singles player Delfina Villasenar, 2-6, 6-4, 10-5 over Cherilyn Christian.
Gilroy’s three scoring doubles teams each won in straight sets. Holly Hunter and Karissa Tellez defeated Christina Wang and Grace Chong 6-1, 6-1; Annaliesa Zelena and Natalie Toews beat Christine Kim and Alyssa Martinez 6-1, 6-3; and Kim Johnson and Sidney Ebert turned back Tempest Edward and Kua Nguyen 6-0, 6-2.
“They kept their heads up and concentrated,” Barbaglia said. “They played the way I knew they could play.”
