The stars were shining bright tonight at J.R. Richards Gym.
The seniors controlled their CIF Quarterfinal match from beginning to end in their final home game at Santa Barbara High.
Seniors Emily Rottman, Katherine Keller, and Sarah Mendoza showed their talent as well as their experience in a 25-21, 25-20, 25-23 victory over the Rancho Cucamonga Cougars .
The Emily Rottman Show continued as she dominated the game contributing 20 kills, 17 digs, and a block and Sarah Mendoza added 20 digs. Katherine Keller continued to distribute the ball well and played solid defense from beginning to end.
Other contributors were Eve Ettinger with 13 kills and 12 digs, 4 of which came in the last 6 points of the match, Dani Rottman led the team with 6 blocks, and Kari Garcia added 4 blocks in the middle.
The Dons got off to a great start in game one with a 5-0 run thanks to three kills from Emily Rottman and an ace from Sarah Mendoza. Just as the match started to look like another Santa Barbara rout, the Cougars proved that they deserved to be in the CIF Quarterfinals too with a seven point run bringing the game within reach at 21-19. Ettinger and Rottman took it from there with two kills that forced a timeout from Rancho Cucamonga. As if scripted, game one ended with a Rottman kill down the line that sent the crowd into a frenzy.
Game two got off to a much different start. The Cougars came out strong and took the early lead with a six point run. After a timeout by Santa Barbara, the Dons went on a run of their own by cleaning up their play with great defensive plays by Mendoza and Rottman and kills from Ettinger. The match continued to seesaw as Rancho Cucamonga regained their early lead at 12-12. The two teams traded points until 18-16 when the Cougars made three unforced errors on top of two kills each from Ettinger and Rottman as the game moved out of their reach.
Now it was crunch time for both teams; one tasting the sweetness of the semifinals, the other seeing the light at the end of their season. The Dons cracked the first lead at 15-9, but the Cougars went on a six point run to take a single digit lead at 18-17. With all the chips on the table, Rancho Cucamonga pulled ahead with a 23-19 lead that seemed to lock up game three. But as defending CIF Champs, the Dons took over with two consecutive kills by Ettinger and a huge solo block by Kari Garcia brought the game within a point forcing a momentum ending timeout by the Cougars.
Unfortunately for the Cougars, the timeout only fueled the fire for Santa Barbara.
Eve Ettinger single-handedly seized control with three consecutive kills to lock up a spot in the semifinals.
The CIF semifinals will add to the pressure on the Dons squad according to Ettinger.
“We have a lot of pressure because of last year playing DP and how we beat them, but I think we need to come out with lots of energy and we’ll be right where we want to be”.
Coach John Gannon was very pleased with his team, the seniors, and their defensive play.
“Our defense was exceptional tonight. That is our bread and butter. We made a statement in game one that it wasn’t going to be easy for them.”
He also praised the play by Emily Rottman.
“She’s a great all-around player, we’re going to miss her a ton.”
Katherine Keller also received compliments from her coaches.
“She made sets that are just amazing. She’s only been setting for a season. A lot of girls have been setting for 5 or 6 years in club. She makes plays that are just absurd.”
The Dons will play away Tuesday night against Huntington Beach, who upset Marymount in a five game thriller.
If they can get through Huntington Beach, we could see a repeat final appearance with the Dons meeting Dos Pueblos for the title.
