Prep Volleyball: Sobrato completes the sweep against Live Oak, 3-1

Sobrato took the season series against Live Oak, with a 3-1 win.
The Bulldogs downed their crosstown rivals 25-13, 20-25, 25-15, 25-10.
The victory wasn’t without controversy.
Although the two teams on the court played tough, Live Oak fell victim to some out of rotation calls that both caused a stoppage in Game 4 and, according to coach Laura Coleman, caused a stoppage in her girls’ focus.
“I think mentally they couldn’t focus on serve receive because they were just so worried that they were in the right spot,” Coleman said. “Which is kind of a bummer. And not to take anything off of Sobrato, because, my God, they played awesome. They dug more balls (tonight).”
Trailing by three in the final set, and clawing their way back to try to force a Game 5, Live Oak was called for going out of rotation after a substitution.
Coleman protested vigorously that her girls were in the proper order, but to no avail. At a couple points during the match, Coleman’s players and some from the crowd began supportive chants of “Laura, Laura, Laura.”
The controversy proved an unfortunate sideshow to what was a tightly contested contest at times and an emotional one for the seniors on the teams.
“It feels really good.  This is the last time me, Sam (Nydam) and Casey (Hendricks) will ever play Live Oak for our senior year, it felt pretty good,” Miranda Wertz said.
The win improves Sobrato to 7-2 overall and 6-2 in BVAL play. With the loss, Live Oak has now dropped seven-straight and is 6-12 overall, 0-8 in league.
The Bulldogs opened the match on a 7-0 scoring run behind the serving of Casey Hendricks who served all seven points. She got help with kills from Samantha Nydam, Wertz and Jordan Westall.
The Acorns fought back early on, pulling to within four thanks to a kill from Renee Rhoads to make it a 10-6 game.
But the Sobrato defense found ways to limit the Acorns’ attacks and built up a lead behind kills from Kennedie Schilling, Siena Schilling, Allyson Khau, Westall and Nydam.
Nydam had three kills in the set on her way to a match-leading 18 kills.
“She’s a killer. She’s so strong,” said Sobrato coach Nicole Simoneau. “She find the holes, too.”
Wertz put the game away at the end serving five service points with three aces as Sobrato went on a 6-0 scoring run to win the first set.
Coleman made an adjustment to her lineup in Game 2 to devastating effect.
Live Oak jumped out to a 6-1 lead and never looked back.
Sobrato came as close as one point at 5-6, but Madison Hartman picked up a kill and an ace to go back up by four.
Hartman led the Acorns in hitting with nine kills. Rhoads followed with six.
There were several times during Game 2 where the two sides exchanged a series of volleys, getting loud responses from the crowd.
But the ball fell Live Oak’s way as the Acorns survived a Bulldog late run to pullout the win, 25-20.
Coleman said she held a couple girls out of Game 1 for missing practice, but reinserted them for Game 2.
“When we switched the line up to Game 2, yes, that is what we should look like. Game 3 is when they started thinking we were out of rotation when we weren’t sometimes. That’s they threw us all out of whack because I didn’t change the line up after that because I thought it did look well.”
Simoneau credited her girls for getting their heads back into the contest after the let down of Game 2.
“I fell like they kind of got in our heads in the second game. In the third and fourth games, we came out with more energy and we talked more and the crowd got involved,” Simoneau said. “We got in their heads in the third game and the fourth game.”
She added the team also cut down on mistakes and better placed their hitting.
That’s also where Live Oak stated being affected by rotation calls.
The Acorns were called four times in the third set and quickly found themselves down 20-9.
Sobrato, meanwhile, countered with solid defense and solid hitting. But five fouls called against Live Oak — which also included going under the net and running into the net  — continued the Bulldogs’ momentum.
“Our team really needs communication and energy to play well. So we decided to turn it back on and just push ourselves a little bit more,” Wertz said.
In Game 4, Nydam had two kills and Wertz had three aces to open the set up 8-2 and never relinquished the lead.
Julianna Blotz did her part to keep Live Oak in the contest with three kills and an assisted block, but Live Oak was never found its rhythm.
Riley Moeder had a pair of aces, Kennedie had a kill, an assisted block and two aces and Hendricks served an ace to end the contest.
Live Oak will attempt to rebound against Leigh 6 p.m. Tuesday in the Acorn gym.
Sobrato at Santa Teresa
Sobrato downed Santa Teresa on Tuesday to win 25-13, 25-17, 25-18.
Nydam had 16 kills in the win followed by Hendricks with nine.
Serving, Kennedie had five aces in 15 attempts with no errors. Natalie Delman added three aces in 10 attempts.
Sobrato now takes on Westmont 6 p.m. Tuesday in the Sobrato gym.