The Live Oak High girls volleyball team is not accustomed to
losing.
Morgan Hill – The Live Oak High girls volleyball team is not accustomed to losing.
The Acorns have been a consistent winner over the years and were coming off a solid 21-13 campaign and Central Coast Section playoff appearance entering this season.
So to be off to a 4-8 start and an 0-2 start during their first season in the Blossom Valley Athletic League’s Mt. Hamilton Division put Live Oak in unchartered waters.
If Tuesday’s home match against Mt. Pleasant was any evidence, the Acorns appear to be back on track. They rallied after losing the second game and after falling behind in the third to pick up a 25-20, 20-25, 25-21, 25-21 win over Mt. Pleasant.
“Mentally, this was huge, because they’re not used to losing,” Live Oak coach Laura Coleman said. “For us to start off with the two toughest teams in league (Leland and Westmont) … kind of throws you off when you’re just trying to learn your scheme of things. Now they know they can win.”
After splitting the first two games, the Acorns found themselves trailing 21-15 late in the third game. After getting the ball back on an error by Mt. Pleasant, senior Laura Dudek stepped up to serve and helped Live Oak rattle off nine straight points, finishing off the game with an ace.
“Serving was a really big factor in this game,” said senior Talia Reyes-Ortiz, who led the Acorns with 13 kills. “(Mt. Pleasant) had amazing serving, that’s why we were losing a lot of points. Once (Dudek) served it, she did amazing and that really keeps us going.”
Live Oak stayed strong through the fourth and final game. Holding a 22-21 lead, Reyes-Ortiz spiked home three straight kills off assists from senior setter Sabrina La Corte to get the win.
Senior Katarina Cinkova, who missed much of the preseason scheduled due to an injured back, is getting back into the swing of things. She finished with 10 kills and had a key dig that set up Reyes-Ortiz’s match-winning point.
“My back’s getting better,” said Cinkova, who has also moved from her usual middle hitter position to the outside hitter role to better complement the team’s skills.
The co-captain said the team still had confidence despite the early-season struggles.
“We weren’t that down about those two losses. We knew we could (win),” Cinkova said.
