Dos Pueblos knew to expect a rowdy crowd in a notoriously tough gym to play in. Santa Barbara knew to expect a heavy dose of Charger hitters Nicki Brown and Taylor Racich.
DP conquered the environment and came out on top Thursday in perhaps the best girls volleyball rivalry in the CIF Southern Section, using a combined 40 kills from Brown and Racich to win 30-32, 22-25, 25-23, 25-19.
Racich, a left-handed junior, totaled 18 kills with five blocks and a pair of aces while Brown notched nine of her 22 kills in a nail-biting first set. USC-bound senior Eve Ettinger had 15 kills for the Dons, and Dani Rottman chipped in 13 kills with 11 digs. Lauren Capritto shoveled up 16 digs for the hosts.
DP (7-2, 2-0) looked rattled to start the match, committing 11 unforced errors in the opening 20 minutes as the Dons took a 17-12 lead. The visitors wouldn’t go away, however, as Amanda Moriarty stepped to the service line and picked up an ace to spark an 8-point run. The stunned Dons (10-5, 2-1 Channel League) called a timeout trailing 20-17, and despite back-to-back stuff blocks by Tess Emerson and Katie Schuster down the stretch, they never fully recovered. Racich had six kills in the set, with four of them coming in the final 13 points.
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The second set went back-and-forth with the score tied at 15 different junctures. The final tie was at 21-21, when a missed serve gave the Dons the lead and Rottman followed with an ace. Jordan Roberts had a great dig for DP to keep a point alive and get the Chargers back within one at 23-22, but a Holland Crenshaw kill and a miscommunication by the Chargers closed out the game.
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The third set was neck-and-neck as well, with a 20-20 tie broken by a cross-court kill from the right side by Racich. A Santa Barbara net violation and a Racich ace followed. The junior botched kills for the final two DP points.
Except for the first two points, the Chargers led wire-to-wire in the fourth frame. The Dons kept fighting despite falling into a 21-14 hole, but the Chargers were too far ahead to let it slip away.
Roberts and Katie Spieler led a solid defensive effort for the visitors, who also displayed strong ball control and an ability to tune out the boisterous Santa Barbara student section.
“Yeah, they were pretty mean, but you’re so focused on the game that you learn to block it out and do your thing,” said Brown.
so great Presidio! Thanks for your wonderful coverage!
That 25-32 first set score is a wild one.