There was a moment during the first-ever varsity girls
volleyball match between Live Oak and Sobrato that illustrated the
type of rivalry coaches Laura Coleman and Gayle Yankee hope to have
between the two Morgan Hill programs.
There was a moment during the first-ever varsity girls volleyball match between Live Oak and Sobrato that illustrated the type of rivalry coaches Laura Coleman and Gayle Yankee hope to have between the two Morgan Hill programs.
It was in the first game, after the referee made a questionable call. Both Live Oak coach Coleman and Sobrato coach Yankee took each other’s side arguing against the ref.
Not quite the picture of bitter rivals.
“I think it will be fun to have two high schools and have a friendly rivalry,” Coleman said after her Acorns beat the Bulldogs 25-18, 25-10, 25-21. “They don’t want to lose, but they don’t hate each other either.”
With both teams moving to the BVAL next year, that type of rivalry is likely to build over the next few years.
Before a nearly full gym, the two teams battled neck-and-neck through the first game, during which the score was tied up seven times.
Live Oak (17-9, 3-2) took a 4-0 lead on two Sobrato (2-12, 0-4) errors and kills from Acorn junior outside Talia Reyes-Ortiz and senior middle Katarina Cinkova. But Sobrato had the edge energy-wise in the first game, and clawed its way back to an 8-8. That run was sparked by several Live Oak errors, two Sobrato service aces and a game-tying kill from Bulldog junior middle Jordyn Hanne (18 digs, 5 kills, 2 blocks).
In addition to Sobrato’s high energy, Coleman felt the poor call by the official also threw her team for a loop. Up 6-3, Live Oak should have been awarded a point and the serve after a Sobrato return ball over the net hit the ceiling of the gym. No call was made. Thinking the play was over, Live Oak let the ball hit the floor and Sobrato was temporarily awarded the point. But both Coleman and Yankee argued with the official over the incorrect call and he eventually called for a reserve.
“I think the reason that they (were nervous) is that (Sobrato) was more fired up than us,” Coleman said. “We were actually fine. But then he made that call. … It really flabbergasted the girls and took us completely out of the game.”
The two teams continued to battle back and forth and Sobrato took its only lead of the game at 13-12 after a kill by sophomore middle Cheyenne Hambey (5 kills). But a few points later with the game tied at 16, Live Oak got the breakthrough it needed. After the Bulldogs hit a ball into the net, Acorns’ senior middle Kristina Giacalone (5 kills, 6 aces) served up three aces in a row, giving Live Oak its biggest lead of the game at 20-16 and forcing Sobrato to call a timeout.
After the short break, Reyes-Ortiz put away a kill and Giacalone aced two more serves, increasing Live Oak’s lead to 22-17. An Acorn hitting error afforded Sobrato one more point before a Kristen Russ kill, a Sobrato error and a Cinkova block for kill gave Live Oak the 25-18 Game 1 win.
“The first game, we were really nervous,” said Cinkova, who was Live Oak’s kill leader, along with Russ (3 blocks), with seven. “But in the second, we got into our rhythm.”
The Acorns sprinted out to a 8-0 lead in the second game, thanks in part to three Giacalone kills. Live Oak went on to win the second game easily 25-10.
Sobrato came alive once again in the third game, which has been a trend for the Bulldogs, Yankee said. A few days earlier, Sobrato took Notre Dame to 20 points in the third game before losing.
“It’s been such a shock to their system (playing a good first game) because they’ve been playing pretty good third games,” Yankee said. “Today I said, ‘Just play a third game right out of the chute.’”
In the third game, the Bulldogs took an 8-6 lead and extended it to 11-8 on a tip for kill from sophomore setter Nicole Simoneau (11 digs, 10 assists) and back-to-back kills by sophomore outside Janie Aylard. However, Live Oak fought back with strong serving and tied the game four times. Then a Cinkova tip for kill and Giacalone kill put the Acorns up for good, 22-20.
“(Sobrato) did better than we thought they’d do against us,” Cinkova said. “I guess (this game was) important. It’s the first time we’ve played each other. We just really wanted to do good.”
The two teams will face each other one more time this season at Live Oak Nov. 1.
Up next for Live Oak is Salinas at home Monday at 6:30pm. Sobrato travels to Gilroy Tuesday, also for a 6:30pm game.
Menlo-Atherton
Tournament
Both Live Oak and Sobrato competed in the Menlo-Atherton Tournament last weekend. Live Oak went 1-2 in pool play, but came back in the playoffs and beat Santa Clara, Lincoln, Evergreen Valley and Sequoia to win the Silver Division. Kristen Russ was named MVP.
Sobrato picked up its second win of the season against Alameda at the tournament, but lost in the first round of the Silver Division playoffs to Westmoor.
