Gilroy dominated the last set 15-5 to win the match 3-2 on senior night.
Gilroy did everything right when it mattered the most; took advantage of the 6 unforced errors committed by Seaside, blocked, and finished the point when they had the chance to.
When the Mustangs were winning the set 5-2, they continued to increase their lead when Sarah Weiby got a block and in the next exchange Allison DuRoss got the kill forcing Seaside to take a time out. Weiby eventually closed the match with straight Aces.
“I was really excited the way we played. Everyone really came together when we went through a rut,” Weiby said.
The Mustangs began the match on fire as they dominated the first set thanks to a 7 -0 and 5-0 run to win 25-11. Senior Evelyn Clonts led Gilroy in the set with two aces and three kills. She finished with a team high five aces to compliment her eight kills, and four blocks.
Gilroy would again show some dominance in the third set when they went on a 10-2 run to take the set 25-17. Again, a combination of defense and offense helped the Mustangs shut the door on Seaside: Weiby reacted to a ball that was too close to do anything else but raise her elbows near the net, her teammate then set up E. Clonts for her second kill of the set.
“I thought it was great,” senior Alexis Conlon said about the game. “The intensity was up, our energy was up, (and) everyone had the stripe to win the game.”
Gilroy didn’t seem to have a middle: either they looked very good, or they didn’t.
The Mustangs allowed a 12-5 run in the second set after tying the game at 7. During the run, they allowed two aces, committed three errors and they got blocked or when they attempted a block, the ball went out of bounce. It seemed like it was a matter of time before Seaside closed the set. When the score was 12-19 everything turned around and they put together a 7-0 run to tie the set taking advantage of three Spartan errors. Their comeback fell short though. E. Clonts got two digs to keep the Mustangs alive during the set point for Seaside, but Margo Clonts got blocked to lose the second set 28-26.
“That kind of situation is actually ideal because it shows you the character of the team and they pulled it together,” Gilroy coach Paolo Palao. “On both sides players are making big plays all over the net so that was a lot of fun.”
Gilroy looked determine to finish the game in the fourth set after they put together a 10-4 run to take the lead 20-14. Four errors and some blocking attempts that did not go their way allowed Seaside to get back in the set. The Spartans took advantage by scoring the last two points and forced a fifth set with a 25-23 win.
“We had a little of an issue with our defense at the net. We had a few miscommunications and players forgetting what their jobs were in certain spots and unfortunately they were able to capitalize on us having a less sound defense at the net,” Palao said.
Gilroy finished the season strong with three straight wins and ended with a 7-5 league record.
“The seniors brought a lot of leadership to the team,” Palao said. “They did a good job, specially these last two games that we played, of stepping up and helping the young ones realize they are in it for them as well (and) that they want to leave them in a good spot.”
