ARBUCKLE, CA (MPG) – Last week was a good one for the Pierce volleyball team as they swept Sacramento Valley League matches from Colusa and Paradise to win their sixth game in a row and their eleventh out of their last twelfth.
Against the rival RedHawks, the Bears dominated play at the net, covered well on defense and generally kept Colusa out of system for most of the match as they triumphed 25-17, 25-15, 25-23.
Setting the tone from the middle, Maicey Hoebel recorded nine kills, including one in the third set to get the Bears to match point, in addition to making four blocks, while Rylie Delepierre had a complementary effort with four kills and five blocks.
Setters Magali Jauregui and Leah Charter distributed the ball wisely making 16 and 10 assists respectively, with Jauregui also figuring prominently at the service line with five aces.
Turning in a nice all-around effort was Charlie Wayman, who finished the match with five kills, 12 digs and 10 service receptions.
Yet the key to every great attack is a strong first pass, and once again Pierce got that from its most consistent performer, senior libero Macey Myers, who made 23 digs and 10 receptions.
If the Bears have had a weakness this season however, it is their inability to finish off the competition, but in that capacity, they made a stride in their development, fending off a RedHawk rally in the third set, something Coach Lauren Ornbaun has been wanting to see from her squad.
“I told them they had to close, because that’s what good teams do and tonight they did,” said the second year head coach.
Following the victory over Colusa, Pierce made short work out of Paradise cruising 25-10, 25-12, 25-10.
Hoebel again had the hot hand accounting for 10 kills, with Charter contributing seven, while Delepierre and Wayman each ended the night with six.
Jauregui dished out a game-high 20 assists.
Although it was a quiet night for the back row, Myers finished with a team-high 10 digs.
As for the RedHawks, the loss was the first of three last week, as they also fell to SVL foe East Nicolaus before dropping a heartbreaker to Woodland Christian in a non-conference match.
Against the Bears, Addison Lay handed out 11 assists and had seven kills, Peyton Miller also completed the match with seven kills, while Olivia Huskey served four of the team’s five aces.
In the back row, Abril Guzman made 18 digs and 14 service receptions and Cece Mitchum pitched in with 12 digs.
On the road against East Nicolaus, Colusa was unable to get a single block against a Spartans attack that hit at a .353 clip and as a result handed the RedHawks a 21-25, 21-25, 14-25 defeat.
McKenna Azbill led Colusa with seven kills although as a team it struggled to convert on offense, although Huskey and Miller helped out with four aces apiece.
Playing a rare Friday evening match on Oct. 18, Colusa fought hard but came up short 14-25, 23-25, 25-17, 25-23, 11-15.
Mitchum had a noteworthy all-around performance with 17 kills and 17 digs, as did Miller who finished with 12 kills and 11 digs.
Lay distributed a season-high 41 assists, Guzman made 31 digs, while Huskey added 18 digs.
Both teams closed out the regular season this week, as the Bears (24-6, 9-1) battled East Nicolaus for a share of the SVL title on Tuesday before hosting Winters on Thursday, while Colusa (20-11, 6-4) looked to get back on track at home against Durham and Paradise with subsequent matches on Oct. 22 and Oct. 24.