GHS defeats North Salinas in three games, 25-17, 25-17,
25-13
Gilroy –After a sluggish start, Gilroy was looking for a sparkplug. Kayla Meazell provided that late in the first game.
Thereafter, everyone chipped in as the host Mustangs defeated North Salinas 25-17, 25-17, 25-13 Tuesday in a Tri-County Athletic League encounter.
“We needed something to get us going,” Meazell said of the first game when GHS was ahead 17-16. “We weren’t talking enough. I knew I needed to step up.”
Meazell had four of her team-high 10 kills in the opening game as the Mustangs (9-10 overall, 2-2 TCAL) closed with an 8-1 run.
Gilroy had some sluggish moments in the second game as well until two Meazell kills off assists from her younger sister, Lindsay, and two Caitlin Chisolm aces sparked an 8-2 run that put the Mustangs ahead 13-7. Chisolm closed out the game with an ace and a kill.
Chisolm, who finished with 14 service points and five aces, sparked a six-point run that put GHS comfortably in front 15-6. Thereafter, the Vikings (2-12 overall, 1-5 TCAL), who were hurt by service errors throughout the match, didn’t challenge.
“They had some good hitters that we had to adjust to,” GHS coach Sue Grogan said. “The girls made the adjustments on the fly and did well. Kayla had been a little off balance with her hitting, but tonight was good for her.”
Chisolm had 10 digs, Meazell had six digs, Vanessa Wilkins had seven digs and four blocks, and setters Brittany Balanessi and Lindsay Meazell combined for 14 assists.
“The girls did a good job with their back row passing,” said assistant coach Melissa Noto.
Noto’s influence on the serving game is evident as several players are feeling more confident with jump serves — Chisolm, Wilkins and Balanessi are all using it at time during competition.
The competition gets more difficult Thursday when the Mustangs welcome Salinas to GHS. The Cowboys, ranked No. 4 by MBayPreps.com, are 10-5, 3-1 after being swept Tuesday by San Benito.
