Things are clicking for the Pitman volleyball team at the right time.
The Pride won 17 nonleague and tournament matches, but after a 3-1 win in their league opener against Turlock, they changed their defense. Head coach Ari Amini said it’s more of a rotational defense that gives the team more help guarding attacks down the line. The players always were in the right spot and hustled to each ball.
“When we started this match, I told them that no ball is untouchable. It’s only unattainable or untouchable if you allow it to be,” Amini said.
The team heard the message loud and clear, sweeping Downey 25-16, 25-14, 25-19 to earn its 19th win of the season.
“Tonight was probably the best defense we’ve ever played,” Amini said. “We’ve been hitting high percentages with my pins and middles, so when the defense clicked, I told the girls I have nothing negative to say. We’re just flowing right now.”
Strong serving and defense powered the Pride to their 14th win in their last 15 matches. Pitman is ranked No. 7 in the Sac-Joaquin Section and No. 3 in Division I, according to MaxPreps.
Maryn Hall had a game-high 17 kills and added 15 digs. Aila Reich had 25 digs and Kayliyah Williams added nine kills and 16 digs. Setter Danica Zamora had 43 assists, three aces and eight digs.
Each set started competitive, but Pitman went on 10-0, 8-1 and 6-0 scoring runs about midway through the first, second and third sets, respectively, to break each one open and gain momentum.
“I feel like we always start off slow, just just getting into that game mentality, and I think it was also adjusting to that new defense,” Hall said. “But once we kind of get on a run and once we get a good kill, it’s like, OK, we’re going.”
The Pride have won 22 straight league matches dating back to the 2022 season. Tuesday, they earned their second CCAL win to start the 2024 campaign. They take on Modesto High on Thursday.
“It’s a good morale boost to just really show us what we can do,” Hall said of the win. “It’s really just giving us a lot of momentum and giving us confidence that we can actually accomplish what our goal is.
“(We want to win) CCAL and make it as far as we can in the playoffs. A lot of the players are new to the team, so we’re trying to play to our full potential and we’re still going for it.”
Downey, ranked No. 9 in the section’s top division, according to MaxPreps, has three freshmen, one sophomore, five juniors and just two seniors in its regular rotation, and its youth showed Tuesday evening.
Izzy Watson started CCAL play with a school record 43 kills last Thursday against Gregori. Tuesday, she finished with a team-high 11 and added six digs. Alexis Monroy and Danica Flores led the Knights in digs, recording 14 and 10, respectively. Izzy Altadonna finished with a team-high 16 assists.
The Knights were in each set early but were unable to answer when the Pride made runs. Part of it was because they knew it was a big match.
“We had moments early on in the game … but we had a hard time responding,” Downey coach Tera Coleman said. “Once Pitman would respond, we had a hard time catching the energy.”
But Coleman said she feels the team learned a lot from Tuesday’s loss. She said they blocked well and she saw players’ volleyball IQ continue to grow, thinking the game and making the right plays.
“My middle, she had an IQ moment when she hit the ball out, but she was shoving it to the deep corner,” Coleman explained. “And I looked at her and I’m like, hey, that’s a smart move even if we weren’t successful.”
The Knights have Wednesday’s practice to iron out wrinkles before taking on Enochs and Turlock in their third and fourth CCAL contests. Turlock will likely play similar to Pitman, so that game could serve as a measuring stick for Downey’s improvement through their league schedule.
“It’s just going back to the small things, because Turlock is going to bring some similar things,” Coleman said. “They’re going to serve tough, so we’re going to take those in practice tomorrow. Thursday is probably going to be a really big turning point, hopefully, to get over that mentally for us.”
Volleyball
Linden 3, Riverbank 0: The Bruins fell to 0-2 in Mother Lode League play after Tuesday’s 21-12, 25-23, 25-13 loss to Linden. They will look to get back in the win column after back-to-back losses with their third league match this season on Thursday.
Ripon Christian 3, Escalon 1: The Knights earned their second TVL win Tuesday night, winning in a competitive four-set match, 25-18, 25-17, 19-25, 25-18. Ripon Christian earned its eighth win this season and ended a two-game skid. They travel to Orestimba for another league match Thursday at 6 p.m.
Ripon 3, Sonora 0: Ripon earned its 15th win this season and moved to 4-0 in TVL play, sweeping Sonora 25-13, 25-13, 25-14. So far this season, Ripon has just dropped one set to a league opponent. The Indians face Escalon at home Thursday at 7 p.m.
Flag Football
Millennium 32, Riverbank 24: Riverbank traveled to Tracy for its second league game Tuesday. The Bruins fell to 1-1 in Mother Lode League games with the loss and 3-9 overall. They travel to Mariposa County Thursday for a 6 p.m. game.
Manteca 39, Central Catholic 12: The Raiders could not pick up their first VOL win while Manteca advanced to 3-0 in league play and 7-8 overall. Central Catholic travels to play the Buffaloes on the road Thursday before two games against East Union Oct. 8 and 10.
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