In thriller, Downey volleyball upsets No. 21-ranked Pitman. Here’s how Knights did it
When Downey head coach Tera Coleman noticed her players needed some calming, she had one word for them: breathe.
The Knights were in the middle of an emotional roller coaster of a game with Pitman on Tuesday night. After winning the first two sets, Downey dropped the next two, leading up to the game-deciding fifth set.
“Depending on who needed it, I might look them in their eyes and tell them to just take that deep breath, keeping their shoulders back.” Coleman said.
It worked. The Knights pulled out the 25-18, 26-24, 15-25, 18-25, 15-12 victory, giving them their first ever win over Pitman, which entered the game ranked No. 21 in MaxPreps’ Sac-Joaquin Section rankings.
It was the Knights’ first five-set game of the season.
“We all have a huge sense of pride right now,” said Coleman after the win, improving her team’s record to 18-6 and 2-0 in the Central California Athletic League. “That’s been one of my goals specifically is bringing a sense of pride back to Downey culture, and these girls have been really resilient in in making sure that they do that.”
The Knights played well on defense. Kylie Griffin led the team at the net with six blocks and Cat Frias picked up everything behind her with 20 digs.
The three-time section champion Pride (10-6, 1-1 CCAL) didn’t go down easily.
After falling behind 20-9 in the second set, the Pride rallied with a 15-4 run to tie the set at 24-24. Though they ended up losing, 26-24, it was the start of the comeback.
Pitman opened up a 20-9 lead in the third set on its way to a 25-15 win and won the fourth set, 25-18.
“All I was saying, in the huddle ... was just one point at a time,” Coleman said. “It’s really about being present, so we try to fight every single point and give every single point everything we have.”
The two teams went back and forth in the fifth set but the offense, paced by Ivy Perez, who finished the match with 42 assists, scored at crucial times.
Griffin, a junior, had a game-high 19 kills and Kaydence Bispo, a sophomore, added 13.
The second CCAL victory is already the most league games the Knights have won since the 2016-17 season.
“We’ve paid our dues,” Coleman said. “Over the last couple years (this program) has been putting the work in in the offseason, elevating our practices. We have a lot of games to play, but I respected their pride in wearing their Downey gear tonight.”
