The Madera South Stallions girls volleyball team had high expectations going into its match with the Clovis South Longhorns at Madera South.
Both teams entered the September 3 match without a victory. Both teams were looking to get in the win column, and the Longhorns outlasted the Stallions, 3-2 to keep the Stallions winless.
The teams were separated by 11 points in the five sets. Madera South won the first and fourth sets while Clovis South won the second and third sets. The Longhorns tied the fifth set at 12 and scored three of the next four points for a 15-13 victory.
The Longhorns out hit the Stallions, 46-26. The Stallion served up 17 aces while the Longhorns had 13. However, the Stallions missed 11 serves compared to the Longhorns’ 6.
The Stallions also hit out of bounds 10 times and hit into the net six times while having another 10 points fall on their own end.
The Longhorns hit 18 balls into the net and out of bounds eight times.
Maria Hernandez led the Stallions with 11 kills and five aces. Seraphim Peralta added seven kills and Dallas Chavira had five. Libero Bella Doan had four aces and also had three kills in the match. Eight different Stallions delivered kills.
The Stallions took the early lead behind two solo blocks from Brianna Vasquez, two kills from Angelina Alejo and another from Daniela Jefferson for a 6-3 lead. Three aces from Alejo and two balls hit into the net by Clovis South gave the Stallions a 13-4 lead.
After a Chavira side out kill, Jefferson served up an ace. Alejo and Hernandez added side out kills for an 18-10 lead.
The Longhorns scored four straight points before a side out. Keolany Lal served up an ace and a point for a 21-14 lead. Chavira added a side out kill to get the lead to six.
Clovis South cut the lead to 23-21 before a Hernandez side out kill gave the Stallions set point. Clovis South hit out of bounds for a 25-21 Stallions’ win.
In the second set, Clovis South used two kills to take a 6-1 lead. Doan served up three aces in a row, and got a kill from Alejo to take a 7-6 lead. Clovis South got the side out, and added three more points.
Side out kills from Jefferson, Doan from the back row and Hernandez helped cut the Longhorn lead to one. Yamileth Castaneda served up two points, including an ace, for a 14-13 lead.
The Longhorns got the side out, and scored three straight points before a Peralta kill for a 17-15 lead.
Hernandez served up two aces to tie the set at 17. After a Clovis South missed serve, Doan served up an ace for a 19-18 lead. The Longhorns got the side out, and added two points for a 21-19 lead.
The Stallions got the side out, but hit out of bounds. Clovis South scored the final three points for a 25-20 win.
The Longhorns took a 9-3 lead to open the third set. The Stallions battled back with a bump kill by Doan and a Chavira kill to cut the lead to 13-8.
However, Clovis South served up two aces in a four-point run for a 17-9 lead.
Jefferson served up an ace, but the Broncos got a side out, and closed the set with five straight points, including three kills, for a 25-12 win.
With their backs against the wall, the Stallions fell behind early in the fourth set. A Chavira side out kill led to a four-point run. Clovis South had two hitting errors and Chavira served up an ace for a 7-5 lead.
The Longhorns put down a side out kill and took the lead with a three-point run.
Hernandez got the side out kill and served up five straight points with three aces and a Peralta kill for a 13-9 lead. A Vasquez kill opened the lead to five.
Clovis South scored six straight points to take a 16-15 lead before Castaneda went back to serve.
Peralta got the side out kill and Castaneda served up seven straight points. In the run, Clovis South hit into the net five times and the Stallions got kills from Chavira and Peralta for a 23-16 lead.
Clovis South got the side out, and served up two aces to cut the lead to 23-20 before hitting out of bounds.
Off an assist from Doan, Chavira put down a kill for the 25-20 fourth set win.
In the deciding fifth set, Peralta scored the first point with a kill. Vasquez added a kill while Castaneda served up three points for a 4-0 lead.
Two side out kills from Hernandez opened the lead to 6-2. Clovis South came back with a six-point run to take an 8-6 lead.
Hernandez put down two kills in a row to tie the set at eight. A missed serve gave the momentum back to Clovis South.
Peralta put down a kill for a 10-9 Stallions’ lead. The teams tied at 10, 11 and 12. A bump kill from Castaneda and a Jefferson kill kept the Stallions in the lead. However, a tip kill for a side out and a Stallion hit into the net gave the Longhorns a 13-12 lead.
Castaneda sent over a punch kill for the side out to tie the set at 13. However, Clovis South put down a kill for side out and the Stallions couldn’t return the match point serve for a 15-13 Clovis South win.