Acorns don’t need best game to put away Branham
MORGAN HILL
As the cheers went up and the Live Oak Acorns enjoyed their first Central Coast Section playoff victory in three years, the latest milestone in their 2010 volleyball season, a slightly uncomfortable feeling lingered in the air.
They will have to play better Saturday to keep the celebration going.
Against Branham, the Acorns won comfortably 25-15, 25-21, 25-19 Tuesday for all the reasons a fifth seed should against a visiting No. 12, or an A-league champion against a C-league winner. They hit harder, their passing and defense were more consistent, they made fewer mistakes, and they pulled it together when they needed to. They were the better team.
But it wasn’t the same Live Oak that clinched an outright Mount Hamilton Division title in record time Thursday against Willow Glen.
“It was all just kind of flat,” setter Alyssa Brusaschetti said. “We all wanted to win, obviously, it’s CCS. But we played to their level. We can’t do that.”
The Acorns (24-10) visit No. 4 Sacred Heart Cathedral next in the Division III quarterfinals.
“If we want to be competitive and move on,” Live Oak middle Katie Obbema said, “we need to come back and play like we did against Willow Glen.”
The Acorns’ numbers were nothing to snuff at. In their final home game, Brusaschetti had 30 assists and six digs, and Gabi Cinkova 11 kills, five aces and five digs. Sophomore Fa Saulala totaled a game-high 14 kills, four digs and two aces, Obbema added four blocks and four kills, and Alli Unger 10 digs.
Live Oak had no reason to panic; even in the second game when Branham (18-11) took a 13-11 lead with back-to-back aces by Raychel Mallory.
“I think being in CCS affected them. I really do,” Acorns coach Laura Coleman said of her players. “I think the high from having a perfect game against Willow Glen to win league and then going to CCS … and having the low seed gave them the expectation that they should win. It made them tentative and a little tight.
“My only panic was if we lost a game, we’d lose momentum.”
Live Oak struggled early with Branham’s top-spin serves but matched the Bruins ace for ace.
“Our serves were huge,” said Acorns defensive specialist Emily Chiri, who had three aces. “They helped our momentum pick up.”
It took time for that to happen each Game. The Acorns cruised in the first one behind a 12-5 scoring run that started with three consecutive aces by Cinkova. The 6-foot senior hitter extended it with three kills, alternating with Saulala and Obbema for spikes.
Live Oak led by as many as six and never lost control.
“When we were ahead, we played like we weren’t,” said Brusaschetti, who had 11 assists in Game 1. “We can’t let each other get down.”
The Bruins’ best chance to take a set was in Game 2 when they led 19-18. Branham controlled the net most of the way, getting stuff blocks by 5-foot-10 middle Taylor Morway and outside hitter Taylor Reddick.
Obbema and Saulala combined for three aces, and Cinkova batted down two bad passes by the Bruins to help Live Oak prevail.
Morway finished with 10 kills and five blocks, and Ciara Condon had six kills, two blocks, two digs and two aces to lead the Bruins.
“They’re better than some of the B-league teams we’ve seen,” Coleman said. “They are bigger, they have good defense, and they’re super strong at hitting. I thought they played really well against us.”
The Acorns were back to their old selves by the end of Game 3, making crisp rallies and locking down Branham’s hitters. Live Oak ended the game on a 13-5 run to win an impressive 12th straight set.
“It’s our biggest accomplishment this season,” Chiri said. “We earned this by just pushing through. It shows a lot about us.”
