Escalon volleyball extends streak to 19 with four set non-league win over Downey
Escalon has continued to get better.
Since the beginning of the season, the Cougars have incorporated running more plays and have bounced back from making errors to sweep their last four opponents.
While the Cougars were able to pull out a 25-9, 23-25, 25-14, 25-18 victory over Downey Tuesday night, there are still things scheme wise that coach Teresa Williamson wants to see her team continue to improve on.
“I felt like when our passing was on, our offense struggled and then when our offense started getting on fire, our defense kind of fell apart,” she said. “But I felt like they stepped up and pulled out the win because they knew they had to have it.”
The win against Downey keeps the Cougars unbeaten on the season with a 19-0 record.
After a disappointing first set, Downey came back in the second. The two teams played it close with six ties. After being knotted at 13 apiece, things clicked for the Knights, allowing them to take a late 21-16 lead which they used to secure their lone win of the 3-1 affair.
“They were feeding into each other,” Downey coach Tera Coleman said of her team. “We took care of our serves in the second set a lot better and capitalized on those big moments. We stole the momentum and you could physically see that. They capitalized on those moments really well in the second set.”
Kaydence Bispo led the Knights with 11 kills and Cat Frias had another stellar defensive performance with a game-high 17 digs.
The third and fourth sets, though closer than the first, were controlled by Escalon. The Cougars bounced back to win the third, extending a 20-11 lead. Neither team gained more than a two point advantage for the majority of the fourth but after a 17-17 tie, Escalon outscored Downey 8-1 to secure a victory.
“We knew that they are a strong team and they were going to try to come back,” said senior outside hitter Emily Vickers, who finished with a team-high 16 kills. “We knew that we should not have lost that second set and getting that energy back was a big thing that helped us win.”
Setter Rylie Lattig got everyone involved in the offense, facilitating for the middles and outsides equally with 38 assists against Downey. She also made an impact on defense, finishing with a team-high 16 digs. Though they didn’t run as many plays Tuesday, Lattig has been crucial when making sure every player gets an offensive touch as the season has progressed.
“We’ve definitely mastered a lot more plays and we’ve been running our middles more,” the senior said. “Coach has told me to split the hitters and have the middle go one way and then have the outside like go on the other side so they’re not able to know where I’m going. It’s harder for their middle to get to one side of the court at the net to create a block.”
The good teams can stay consistent through the game and Downey and Escalon are both working on that moving forward in their own ways. Downey is “on an up-and-up’‘ and learning about itself as a team. The Knights are keying in on staying engaged in games no matter the highs or lows so that going into the second round of league play, they are able to compete better with league frontrunners like Pitman, Turlock and Enochs.
“That’s kind of been what we’ve been trying to overcome this season,” Coleman said. “It’s that level of heart all through every single set and we’re seeing glimpses of it, but we have to string it all together. We kind of have those lapses in those deep rallies or going neck and neck. We’re trying to figure out as a team right now.”
Escalon is working on maintaining focus through the season no matter if the opponent is a top ranked team in the section, a TVL challenger or a non-league opponent.
“It just comes with energy and we have to make sure that we have energy before every game,” Vickers said.
Both teams play league contests Wednesday evening and will continue their seasons Monday. Escalon hosts Sierra in a non-league top 10 section matchup and Downey will play at Central California Athletic League opponent Modesto.
Other volleyball scores
Pacheco 3, Johansen 0
Big Valley Christian 3, Turlock Christian 0
Central Catholic 3, Manteca 2
Oakdale 3, Kimball 0
Ripon Christian 3, Le Grand 0
Beyer 3, Los Banos 0
