A day after receiving some heated criticism from its coach
following a defeat to the defending Division V state champions, the
Gilroy High girls volleyball team responded on Wednesday by downing
visiting North Monterey County in a sweltering evening affair.
A day after receiving some heated criticism from its coach following a defeat to the defending Division V state champions, the Gilroy High girls volleyball team responded on Wednesday by downing visiting North Monterey County in a sweltering evening affair.
Mustangs head coach Sue Grogan said her players were still “trying to find their groove” following the 25-20, 25-23, 25-23, 25-19 victory, which came just a day after Gilroy dropped a match to Mt. Madonna in five games : 25-14, 25-27, 25-13, 22-25, 15-12.
“We’re having issues,” Grogan said on Tuesday. “They need to figure it out. They’re playing varsity for a reason. They need to come together as a team.”
Wednesday was a struggle, but a victory was obviously a step in the right direction.
“In the end [we] adjusted and kept pushing for the win,” Grogan said.
Gilroy’s coach declined to provide stats for both games.
“Right now, they need to be a team and understand that the individual part is not important,” Grogan said.
Mt. Madonna’s coach Gabby Neville was pleased with her players’ effort in the game earlier in the week, especially since she only has two players returning from the eight-person championship squad of a year ago.
“We’re young, but we’re getting there,” Neville said.
The Hawks were led by Soma Sharan (13 digs), Allison Ota (nine kills), Anneka Lettunich (13 kills) and Erin Mitchell (23 assists) to improve to 2-0. Gilroy, which is now 2-1 after defeating NMC, showcased strong performances by Avrielle Walker and Melissa Avila on Wednesday. Sarah UnaDia and Loryn Ferreira worked the net well as middle attackers, and Lindsay Meazell and Lauren Rhodes set the table as the Mustangs’ setters. Grogan noted the team also received great effort from the bench.
Gilroy’s next game will be Tuesday at 6:30 p.m. in San Jose against Mt. Pleasant.
Junior Varsity
Gilroy’s junior varsity volleyball team also defeated North Monterey County on Wednesday, winning by a score of 25-14, 25-16.
While the match was the first of the season for the Mustangs, the club did play in an unofficial tournament in Watsonville Saturday, scoring victories over Pacific Grove, Monterey and Watsonville. The team also played itself in between games.
Freshmen
Gilroy’s freshman team scored the first victory on Wednesday for the Mustang squads, giving the host school a sweep of North Monterey County.
The club won in two games: 25-15, 25-14.
