The Lady Bulldogs used a bevy of finesse plays, sneaky shots and
clutch defense to take the first of two games with Live Oak this
season, 25-23, 25-19, 17-25, 12-25, 18-16
MORGAN HILL — Their commanding two-game lead vanquished, the Sobrato volleyball players quietly stood motionless around their coach while the Live Oak Lady Acorns bounced and cheered on the other side of the Sobrato Main Gym; a single point away from capping an incredible come-from-behind victory Tuesday.
A Sobrato fan yelled out the score of Friday’s football game between the two rival schools, a 27-6 win for the Bulldogs.
“We were trying to stay focused and calm,” Sobrato coach Diana Melendez said. “Calm and positive are two main things to be on point. When you get all psyched up, you get all spastic and everything goes wrong.”
Everything had gone wrong for the Bulldogs after they sacked the first two sets. Now they were on the cusp of defeat at match point, 14-11, in Game 5.
But, just like the Acorns, the Bulldogs didn’t give up. Sparked by the solid hands of junior setter Kayla McElvy, Sobrato scored three consecutive points to extend the set and won six points later with McElvy’s tip kill that fell just out of reach of three diving Live Oak players.
“Going for the tip kill was the last thing on my mind — ‘Maybe I should. Maybe I shouldn’t.’ It was a hard call,” said McElvy, who assisted two kills by Kelly Kreulen and another for Jessica Westall during the late rally.
“I was yelling at her to go for it,” Melendez added. “I told her she needs to play the mental game more than the power game. There are times in a play when it’s not always about the power; it’s about what you can strategically do.”
In an emotional two-hour Mount Hamilton Division contest that featured a packed crowd and three pairs of sisters, cooler heads reigned supreme. The Bulldogs used a bevy of finesse plays, sneaky shots and clutch defense to take the first of two games with Live Oak this season, 25-23, 25-19, 17-25, 12-25, 18-16.
“Tonight we thought of Live Oak and how they have big tall players that can block,” McElvy said. “So we had to play smart; we had to use tips, we had to push corners — anything we could do to get points.”
McElvy totaled a game-high 19 assists and 10 digs, Kayla Unger had 11 digs and 10 kills, and Kreulen tallied seven kills and three blocks for the Bulldogs, who joined the Acorns at 2-1 in league.
Working next to her older sister, Kelsey, Sobrato’s Jessica Westall had eight kills and three digs. Kelsey provided five kills and four stuffs at middle blocker, including two in the fifth game.
“Their hitters are strong. We had to get blocks tonight to set up our offense,” said Jessica, a 5-foot-11 sophomore hitter. “Kelsey always stands out to me. She always keeps our energy up. She did just about everything she could to help us win.”
Unger, a senior, tried to keep an eye on her younger sister Alli, who helped anchor Live Oak’s back row. The sophomore libero had seven digs.
“She did amazing tonight. I’m so proud of her,” Kayla Unger said. “It’s been a lot of fun watching her grow up — and grow up as a volleyball player.
“It was definitely an exciting match. It was either team’s game; point by point the entire time.”
Live Oak was a point away from being 3-0. The loss was especially dampening for twins, Katie and Jenny Obbema, who celebrated their 15th birthday Tuesday.
“We’re a little disappointed,” said Katie Obbema, who stuffed three of her six blocks and planted two kills. “We’re excited we didn’t lose to them in three, but we wish, obviously, that we won.”
After getting edged in the first two sets, the Acorns broke out in Game 3. They scored nine of the first 11 points, including two aces by Annie Reyes-Ortiz, and held off a late charge by Sobrato with the aid of Fa Saulala’s four kills down the stretch. Teammate Gabi Cinkova (four digs, three kills, three aces, two stuff blocks) zapped the Bulldogs’ spirit with a late kill that knifed through Sobrato’s back row before touching the end line.
“I changed the rotation for the third game and it worked out pretty well,” Live Oak coach Laura Coleman said. “Stretching the game to five sets is huge because, when you’re down two, you can just say, ‘We’re done,’ and that’s that. Coming around and winning the third game … and having the guts to work hard in doing it; basically, they don’t give up.
“Being 2-1 is still a great start.”
Saulala, a freshman, led the Acorns with 10 kills, Reyes-Ortiz added six digs and five kills, and sophomore middle blocker Allison Shedden finished with a half dozen kills and five blocks.
Live Oak received ample support from setters Alyssa Brusaschetti and Jenna Robertson, who combined for 32 assists. Brusaschetti collected 18 to go with 10 digs, and Robertson amassed 14 and seven — plus four aces in Game 4.
“We worked hard tonight, but it was the little things that beat us,” Brusaschetti said. “We really wanted to win this game, especially because we lost to them in football.”
The Acorns looked like the stronger team in the fourth game, when they ended on an 8-0 scoring run.
“We were upset with how we played (game 3 and 4). We could have played better,” Kayla Unger said. “We wanted to improve our play back to how we were playing in the first two matches.”
Live Oak still held the upper hand in Game 5, nursing leads of two and three points before going ahead 12-8 with an ace by Alli Unger. Sobrato gained some momentum by winning an 11-hit volley, but Cinkova answered with a taxing kill that put the Acorns back up by three.
“Gabi was awesome late in the game,” Katie Obbema said. “She carried us.”
Trailing 14-11, Melendez called her final timeout.
“I tried to get them to focus on staying positive,” she said. “After that, they weren’t dwelling on mistakes. They were ready to move forward.”
McElvy dialed Jessica Westall and Kreulen as the Bulldogs pulled within one. They went ahead with back-to-back errors by Live Oak. Kreulen, who landed the game-winning kill in the first set, spiked a set by McElvy to make it 16-15, but Shedden drove home a short pass from Jenny Obbema to tie it.
Andreya Simoneau, a junior outside hitter, put Sobrato ahead for good with a golden bump that found a piece of unoccupied floor. McElvy’s tip kill came next, followed by thoughts of the teams’ Oct. 22 rematch.
“It does help a little knowing we’ll play them again,” Brusaschetti said.
