Coyotes open home season with win
Wendy Alexander/The Madera Tribune
Madera’s Tyler Mallonee sends a kill past the Central blocker during Tuesday’s three-set victory in Joe Flores Gym.
The Madera Coyote boys volleyball team opened its home season with an easy three-set victory over the Central-Fresno Grizzlies in Joe Flores Gym.
Devonte Orlando, Brian Garcia and Tyler Mallonee combined for 25 kills to lead the Coyotes to a 25-15, 25-23, 25-13 victory Tuesday.
The Coyotes also took advantage of a number of Central mistakes. The Coyotes scored 12 points on Central’s out of bounds hits. They also scored 14 points in the three sets on Central service errors.
Orlando led the Coyotes with 10 kills while Garcia had nine.
Both teams were close to open the set, but a Mallonee kill opened a 9-5 lead in the first set. Garcia put down a side out kill and combined with Mallonee for a dual block. Two Central hits out of bounds gave the Coyotes a 13-6 lead.
Another Garcia sideout kill led to a run. Orlando put down a pair of kills to extend the lead to 11. The two teams exchanged five service errors and Madera took a 21-11 lead.
Mallonee put down a kill and Ribhi Abdallah and Marcos Ramos combined on a block for a 23-12 lead.
The Grizzlies stayed in the game with two service aces, but a service error gave the Coyotes set point. Central hit out of bounds for a 25-15 Coyote victory.
In the second set, the Coyotes opened a 7-4 lead behind two Orlando side out kills, a Hunter Brown solo block and a kill from Mallonee. However, Central scored four straight points to take an 8-7 lead, their only lead of the match.
The Coyotes scored two straight points to reclaim the lead. A Brown kill and a dual block with Garcia kept the lead at two. Orlando put down a kill to increase the lead to three. A pair of Central rotation points opened a 16-12 lead.
Central battled back to get within one. However, an out of bounds hit and a Garcia kill gave the Coyotes an 18-15 lead.
Central cut the lead to one, but back-to-back service errors led to a 21-19 lead after a Garcia side out kill.
Matthew Brunner put down a kill and Central hit out of bounds for a 24-20 lead. Central got the serve back and cut the lead down to one before the set ended with a Central service error. The Coyotes opened the third set by scoring the first five points, the final two coming on Garcia kills.
After a Brown kill, Garcia served an ace for a 7-1 lead.
The Grizzlies came back to cut the lead down to one before the Coyotes got the side out on another service errors. Side out kills from Orlando and Ali Escheik helped Madera to an 11-8 lead. Garcia teamed with Escheik for a dual block and put down a kill in a five-point run. Brunner served an ace and Mallonee put down a kill for a 16-8 lead.
Seth Valencia served an ace for a 20-10 lead. Orlando put down a side out kill for a 22-12 lead and added another. Brown served up a point to get to match point and the Coyotes won the match on another Central hit out of bounds.
