Live Oak head coach Laura Coleman said she expected a tough
match out of Branham on Wednesday, based on the previous meeting
where the Acorns needed four games to win.
Morgan Hill – Live Oak head coach Laura Coleman said she expected a tough match out of Branham on Wednesday, based on the previous meeting where the Acorns needed four games to win.
Live Oak, however, made quick work of the visiting Bruins on Senior Night, taking a 3-0 victory 25-13, 25-15, 25-13 in Blossom Valley Athletic League Mount Hamilton Division play.
The win improves the Acorns to 8-5 in league play and 10-8 overall.
Coleman said the girls relied on team work to pull away with the match. None of the players broke double-digit kill numbers.
“It was a slow-paced game,” Coleman said. “We passed well and had a few good rallies. I’d say it was a good team effort.”
Senior Katarina Cinkova led the Acorns with eight kills on the night, with 10 swings. Senior Laura Dudek celebrated her 18th birthday with six kills in what Coleman described as a solid effort.
The victory comes on the heels of a 3-1 loss to Evergreen Valley on Oct. 26 in which the team was battling a number of ailments and injuries.
“When we played Evergreen, we just stunk,” Coleman said. “The whole team played bad. I don’t want to take anything away from Evergreen, because they played tough, but our girls just didn’t feel right.”
In the game against Branham, Live Oak once again was forced to mix-and-match players as it has done for most of the season due to injuries.
Cinkova was forced to play middle blocker, despite seeing limited action in that role through out the season.
The Acorns now move on to their final game of the regular season tonight against Piedmont Hills, which is 1-11 in BVAL play and 3-16 overall, as of Wednesday.
Live Oak beat up on the Pirates in their previous meeting.
Coleman said she is looking at the match as a must-win for her girls to have a chance at making the playoffs.
