Laguna’s Harvey too much for Cate in sweep

Jackie Harvey’s cannon (aka her right arm) did a lot of damage on Wednesday night as the Laguna Blanca girls volleyball team swept rival Cate 25-12, 25-7, 25-21 at Merovick Gym.

Harvey, a senior for the sixth-ranked Owls (6-1), put away 19 kills with just two errors to go along with six blocks and four aces. Her younger sister, sophomore setter Amanda Harvey, also played a big part in the offense by dishing out 31 assists.

Cate was led by four kills and two blocks from Grace Williams, and the Rams maintained a remarkable amount of energy and enthusiasm on the court throughout the match — no matter the score.

“We definitely have the most fun,” said captain Linzy Prudden. “Our mentality is to love each other, have fun and use it to our advantage. We’re not exactly content with the loss, but we’re excited to play them again at our gym.”

Jackie Harvey put away four kills and an ace over the final seven points of the first set as the Owls cruised to victory. Her sister fed her a nice bump set late in the second frame that put the Owls up 20-6, but the never-say-die Rams never got down, going bonkers when Kym Layer notched a kill from the right side two plays later to make it 21-7.

“We really try to get a lot out of our energy,” said head coach Dan Terry. “We’re not going to dominate anybody physically, so we need to be composed and energetic.”

Amanda Harvey had two kills and McKenzie Scarborough added an ace down the stretch as the Owls breezed to the finish line of the second frame.

Cate’s passing was much-improved in the third game. Prudden nabbed an ace that put the visitors up 13-11 and they had another two-point lead after an Owls service error to make it 14-12. Laguna’s Krysta Brown sent back two over-passes for points to give Laguna a lead that would be kept the rest of the way.

The elder Harvey was a member of Laguna’s 2007 CIF championship squad, and said that she sees plenty of similarities between that team and this year’s edition.

“We have strong setting and we’re good in the middle like we were then. Our defense is fairly good, too. I think both groups were just pretty well-rounded,” she said.

As far as sisterly chemistry goes, Jackie said she and her sister always get along well despite being very competitive.

Coach Jim Alzina begged to differ.

“Surprisingly they say it’s really good between them, but I’m always having to separate them in practice,” he said, only half-joking.

They certainly looked harmonious on Wednesday night.