Stallions close out first half with win
Wendy Alexander/The Madera Tribune
Madera South’s Jazlynn Vargas sends a kill attempt past the Toros’ block Aida Aquino during Tuesday’s three-set sweep over Torres.
The Madera South Stallions and the Matilda Torres Toros girls volleyball teams began a rivalry to end the first half of the North Yosemite League.
The Toros hosted the Stallions for the first time in its home gym and battled tough in the second set, but the Stallions proved too much with a 25-15, 25-23, 25-15 sweep. With the win, Madera South improved to 6-1 in the NYL to finish out the first half.
“Hoover,” head coach Travis McEowen said about his first half. “We have that marked on our calendar. We hope to put our best outing of the season against Hoover. We still have Sanger West and Sunnyside ahead of us. We have to get those wins first.”
Madera South will host Hoover on Thursday in what will probably be the match to determine the NYL champion.
Meanwhile, the Toros closed the first half with a 4-3 record with wins over Fresno, Sanger West, McLane and Roosevelt.
The Stallions had trouble adjusting to the new facility, but had enough firepower. They hit six balls out of bounds in the first set, but just seven combined in the other two sets.
“We kind of felt it out. The facility had a different atmosphere. It took us a little bit to adapt,” McEowen said.
However, like the rivalry is with Madera, although one team looked better on paper, that’s why you play the game (or match with volleyball). The Stallions took the first set rather easily, but the Toros didn’t go away in the second set and the Stallions pulled out the two-point victory.
“This is one of the new things to get used to with a new rival,” McEowen said. “In a new league this year, we have a new Madera rival. We eased our way in and this was our first time in this gym. There was a lot of new surroundings in this huge gym.”
Madera South’s Jazlynn Vargas led all players with 10 kills. Danae Prudente added six and Anna Kajitani had five. Setter Elissa Escobar recorded four kills while Angelina Aguirre also had four.
Alexis Barriga, again, led the Toros with six kills. Bryance Gonzalez added five. However, the rest of the team combined for six kills.
Vargas put down a tip kill for the first point of the set, and Prudente followed with an ace.
Barriga tied the set at three before Escobar got a bump kill for the side out.
Escobar served up the next six points with three aces for a 10-3 lead. Jocelyn Prudente-Martinez added a kill in the run.
Newly promoted from the junior varsity, J’Lynn Mitchell teamed with Sabrina Cerrillo for a dual block for a Toros side out.
Aguirre gave the Stallions the serve with a kill. However, Emily Moreno served up two points for the Toros to cut the lead to 11-6.
After a Prudente side out kill, Aguirre served up an ace while Escobar and Kajitani put down kills in a five-point run for a 19-7 lead.
A missed Stallions serve gave the Toros the ball. Gonzalez served up three points, with Barriga adding a kill, to cut the lead to 19-11.
After a trade in side outs, Vargas blocked an overpass for a 22-12 lead. Barriga put down a Toros’ side out kill, but a missed serve gave the Stallions the ball.
Escobar served up an ace for set point.
Larissa Delgado postponed set point with a side out kill and Madera South hit out of bounds. Aguirre ended the set with a kill for a 25-15 win.
Vargas helped give the Stallions the second set lead with a kill to the back corner. She put down another kill and Prudente added another for a 5-2 lead.
Moreno served up a Toros’ ace and Barriga put down a kill to tie the set at six. Aguirre served up a point, but Gonzalez served up an ace to tie the set at eight. Prudente served up a point, but Mitchell recorded a solo block to tie the set at 10.
Then, Vargas put down a side out kill and Kajitani served up the next five, including an ace and a Vargas kill for a 16-10 lead.
Two kills by Cerrillo and four from Gonzalez helped cut Madera South’s lead to 19-18.
Prudente put down a kill for a 21-18 lead, but Barriga got a side out kill and Gonzalez served up a point to cut the lead to one. After a trade in side outs, Mitchell put down a kill to tie the set at 22. Then, Aida Aquino served up an ace for a 23-22 Torres lead.
After a Madera South time out, Vargas put down a kill to tie the set at 23. Kajitani served up a point when Torres was in the net and Vargas finished the set with a kill.
Madera South took a 7-4 lead in the third set behind a Vargas ace and a Prudente kill.
Aguirre went behind the line and served up seven straight points. In the run, Kajitani had two kills and a block, and Prudente had a kill for a 16-7 lead.
Kajitani put down a side out kill and then served up an ace in a four-point run. Vargas had a kill and a solo block for a 21-9 lead.
Barriga served up a point for the Toros, but Vargas put down a side out kill and Aguirre found the back line for a kill and a 23-11 lead.
Cerrillo put down a Torres kill to cut the lead to nine, but a missed serve gave the Stallions match point, 24-14.
Madera South missed its serve, but the ball fell on the Torres side of the court on match point for a 25-15 win.
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