It is the third year for Sobrato volleyball in the Blossom Valley Athletic League’s top division and the Bulldogs are hunting for another high finish and Central Coast Section playoff berth.
Coach Daniel Clifton’s squad came in third place the last two years and advanced both times to the CCS Division 2 playoffs. The post-season streak is now at four, as Sobrato was in the playoffs in 2019 and 2021 (Covid shackled the 2020 season for everyone) from the lower Santa Teresa Division.
“We lost only three seniors to graduation but they were our top three pin hitters,” coach Clifton said. “We had a lot of younger players behind them and they are stepping up. We moved Juliana (Tindall) from middle to outside. Our serve receive is great and our setters are connecting with our hitters.”
Graduations hit Sobrato as school career and single-season kills leader Kaylee Clayton has moved to Cal Lutheran University and Brianna Bouton now attends Cal State Monterey Bay, where she will play basketball. Evann Durling also graduated.
“As a middle, Juliana (Tindall) led the league in blocks last year,” Clifton said. “It was a hard decision to move her to the outside. She is everywhere. Her reading ability is phenomenal and she has made a huge impact. Melodee (Glover) is in the middle and she is leading the league in blocks. She is great offensively and defensively.”
Jordan Bouton was out injured and just returned this past week. That gives Clifton two setters, as Bouton is sharing the role with Jordyn McCarthy-Scettrini, who has been the sole setter all season to this point and is doing an excellent job.
With both available now, Clifton can run a 6-2 or go with the hot hand.
“Jordan has a phenomenal run of the offense,” Clifton said. “She connects with middles. She has the best energy on the court and brings spirits up. She’s like an assistant coach on the court.”
The front row attack includes pins Tindall, sophomore Olivia Scatena, Ashlyn Wilson, Olivia Davis and Orin Barua. Glover and Mika Forbes are strong in the middle. Mia Penrod spearheads the defense at libero, and gets support from defensive specialists Ashley Nguyen and Violette Angeles.
“Our goal is to bring the younger players along,” Bouton said. “Our big goal is to make it to CCS. Our goal every year is to make CCS.”
Branham, Pioneer and Westmont lead the Mt. Hamilton Division so far this fall, with Sobrato, Christopher and Leigh right behind. Leland and Evergreen Valley are to the rear but in the Mt. Hamilton Division, every team is very good. The top three finishers will get automatic playoff bids and the teams behind them will contest for at-large invitations.
Sobrato’s overall record is just 8-12, reflecting a challenging schedule to toughen up the team. The Bulldogs swept Leigh and Evergreen Valley in dual matches and defeated North Salinas, Pajaro Valley and Scotts Valley in tournament contests. Sobrato has come together recently, with a 3-1 Watsonville Tournament record fueling a stretch of four wins in six matches. That roll was ignited by a thrilling five-set win over Christopher on October 2.
The Cougars were coming off an upset of league leader Branham, who had previously been 15-1. Christopher had a strong start against Sobrato, but the Bulldogs regrouped and rallied back to knock them off in five sets, 12-25, 25-19, 17-25, 25-23, 15-11. The gym was rocking with sizable contingents from both schools as the match swayed back and forth.
Tindall had 15 kills to lead Sobrato and Scatena added 14 more. In the middle, Glover drilled four kills and Forbes added three. Barua came off the bench to deliver three kills. Bouton and Glover had three aces each. Bouton passed for 19 assists and McCarthy-Scettrini had 12 assists. Tindall had 13 digs and Scatena had 12.
Early on, Christopher was dealing.
“We struggled, especially on serve receive,” Bouton said. “We discussed moving our feet on defense and talking a lot more. We looked to pull out of the funk. Get fired up. The whole season is about energy.”
In the middle of the second set, CHS led 14-12 and Sobrato was in danger of falling behind two sets to none. At that point, Tindall and Forbes led a seven-point run that turned it all around. The Bulldogs jumped ahead 19-14 and moved on to win 25-19 and even the night at a set apiece.
The Cougars fought back in the third set. Outside hitter Finley Corona and middle Grace Wilson led a strong response. Christopher pulled ahead with an early 12-2 burst and rolled to victory.
The Bulldogs rose to the challenge again. With their backs against the wall, they pulled out the fourth set. At 22-22, Barua smashed a winner and Scatena went line with the ball on the final point for a 25-23 win.
“Our energy is what was carrying us,” said Tindall, who will play at Cal State San Marcos next year. “We cleaned up our defense and started swinging strong. In the fourth and fifth sets, our two setters were on fire.”
Sobrato carried the momentum into the decisive fifth. Forbes, Barua and Glover complemented Tindall to break away from a 7-7 tie for a 15-11 win. The bench emptied onto the floor for a joyous celebration of a big win over a rival school.
The upcoming schedule features the second pass of the league’s double round-robin. Senior night will be on Oct. 23 against Westmont and the regular season finale will be over at Christopher on Oct. 28.
