Confusion, battles and runs: Christopher’s 3-0 win over Sobrato featured a little of everything

Confusion reined before the start of Sobrato and Christopher’s volleyball game Thursday.
No officials were at Sobrato despite the school believing they had been booked. The result was discussions that had the game in doubt well past the scheduled time it was supposed to start.
Both coaches weren’t sure if playing without officials would relegate the match to a scrimmage and if it were, would that get them in trouble with the Central Coast Section because each had participated in jamborees already.
Christopher’s coach Brian Calimpong was minutes away from pulling his team off the floor when word came down they could play and it would count as a regular season game.
The solution was to use two coaches as the game officials and the game went off without a hitch, with Christopher winning in straight sets: 25-21, 25-23, 25-8.
Despite the confusion about whether they would actually have a game, Calimpong said he was proud of his girls for not letting the moment get to them.
“It’s something we really talked about as a program. There are going to be things in life that they’re going to face that aren’t going to be ideal, but how do you respond to that?” Calimpong said. “… What ever happens, just give your best.”
He added the girls already had a wrench thrown into their plans thanks to the opening of the Don Christopher Stadium that cancelled practice ahead of a big tournament and the girls responded the same way.
Sobrato, meanwhile, took the delay in stride as well and battled in the early going.
The Bulldogs jumped out to a 6-1 lead in Game 1 and held a 22-19 lead in Game 2.
But both times, Christopher went on a run that stole the show.
After Sobrato’s Riley Moeder served an ace for the early lead in Game 1, the Cougars behind the attacking of Olivia Tabron pulled to within one after a 4-0 run.
That run blossomed into a 12-4 scoring binge that gave the Cougars command in the opener.
Sobrato didn’t go quietly as the blocking of Moeder and Siena Schilling with an ace from Jenna Fields kept the game tied 15-all. But down the stretch, Tabron had two more kills, with contributions from Amanda Hebison, Khaya Price and Samantha Dolan allowed the Cougars to maintain control.
In Game 2, Sobrato enjoted a 16-10 lead after a 6-0 run behind the serving of Fields.
Even when Christopher tied things at 19-all, Sobrato appeared to maintain control thanks to a pair of errors from the Cougars and an ace from Jordan Westall.
The Bulldogs, however, gave up six of the game’s last seven points and saw the momentum shift.
“We had that game all the way to the end and we let them come back,” said coach Nicole Simoneau. “We gave away that game and in the third game, that is what hit us.”
Calimpong said he thought Sobrato made a nice adjustment from Games 1 to 2 and began attacking the lines a little more which brought the Cougars to the brink, but it was the middle game that turned things, especially in Game 3.
“I feel our blocks came alive and that was one of the big things,” Calimpong said. “We are very big in the middle.”
Tabron added the girls just had an added intensity that helped open up the lead.
“I think we were a little more focused,” Tabron said. “The girls were hitting the floor a lot going after balls, we were getting out hits over their blocks and doing really well do defend.”
In the final frame, Tabron had three of her team-leading six aces to go along with her team-leading 16 kills.
Price then followed up by recording four of the game’s last six points off a pair of blocks that fell for points and two kills.
Price finished with eight kills and eight blocks.
For Sobrato, Westall finished with four kills, four blocks and two aces. Field had three aces, two kills and a block while Kennedie Schilling added three kills and a block.
Sobrato has little time to dwell on the loss, heading into the Santa Clara tournament Friday where the Bulldogs will play a pair of games then play two more on Saturday.
Simoneau said the girls can’t let this loss define them and they need to just go out and play well in the future.
“We’ve got to pick ourselves up,” Simoneau said. “I don’t want them to let this game affect their season.”
Christopher, meanwhile, will travel to Anzar 6:30 p.m. Tuesday before hosting Santa Catalina 6:30 p.m. Wednesday and Gilroy 6:30 p.m. Sept. 18.