The Matilda Torres Toros girls volleyball team clinched at least a tie for the North Yosemite League championship with a four-set win over Sunnyside on Senior Night.
The Toros played at Sanger West on Thursday to close the regular season. Sanger West beat the Toros in the first round. However, if the Toros avenge the loss, they will claim the NYL title, outright.
Honored before the match were Alexa Cervantes, Gianna Gonzalez, Noelia Calvillo, Amelia Specials and Mya Lujan.
The Toros won the first two sets, but stumbled in the third set before closing out the match in the fourth set. The Toros outscored the Wildcats, 91-74 in the four sets.
Torres out hit the Wildcats 39-30 in kills and also had 15 aces to Sunnyside’s 10.
Tarin Anderson led the Toros with 15 kills to go with four aces, all in the second set. Amelia Specials added 12 kills with six coming in the fourth set. Seven different players recorded kills.
The Wildcats opened the match by scoring five of the first six points, and extended the lead to 11-5. Then, the Toros, as they have all season, began their comeback.
Mia Camarena served up an ace to cut the lead to three. However, Sunnyside used an ace to open their lead to seven before a Specials kill.
Cervantes served up two kills to cut the lead to four. Specials served up two points, including a block by Destiny Miranda and Lujan to cut the lead to two.
Anderson put down a side out kill, and Bella Miranda served the Toros into the lead with an ace and an Anderson kill.
Sunnyside tied the set at 19 and 20 before Camarena served up two more points with kills from Specials and Alana Hamman.
After a Sunnyside side out, Specials put down a side out kill for set point, and the Wildcats hit into the net for a 25-21 win.
In the second set, the Wildcats took the early lead after an ace. Anderson tied the set at five with a kill.
She went behind the line to serve the next eight points, which included four straight aces. Lujan put down a kill and Cervantes had a solo block in the run for a 13-5 lead.
Sunnyside served a pair of aces to cut the lead to four.
After a dump kill by Cervantes, Gonzalez served the next seven points with a pair of aces. Miranda and Anderson had kills for a 23-10 lead.
After a trade in kills to give Torres set point, the Wildcats scored the next three points before hitting out of bounds for a 25-14 win.
In the third set, the Toros took the early lead behind kills from Specials and Anderson. However, the Wildcats scored five straight points with three kill and two aces.
After a Torres missed serve, Sunnyside scored two more points for an 11-8 lead.
The Toros cut the lead down to one after a Hamman kill. Sunnyside came back with three straight points for a 17-12 lead.
Specials put down a side out kill and Anderson had a solo block to cut the lead to three. The Wildcats put down four straight kills for a 21-14 lead.
Sunnyside added a kill after a trade in side outs, and finished set with two more kills for a 25-16 win.
The Toros left no doubt in the fourth set. Specials and Miranda opened the set with a dual block, and Miranda put down a kill for a 3-1 lead.
Specials served up an ace after an Anderson side out kill. The Toros led 9-6 after a Lujan side out kill. Of Sunnyside’s first six points, three were scored on missed Torres serves.
Camarena went behind the line, and served up two aces seven point run. Specials had four kills in the run by hitting one off the net, going opposite sideline and finding the back corner for a 16-6 lead.
A Specials side out kill led to two service points from Calvillo for a 19-8 lead. Two Anderson kills opened a 22-8 lead.
Anderson and Specials put down side out kills, and Miranda served up an ace to get to match point.
The Wildcats scored the next three, but missed a serve to give the Toros a 25-14 win, and the match.