Stallions volleyball outlast Coyotes in four
Wendy Alexander/The Madera Tribune Madera South’s Carlos Hernandez gets a kill by the dual block of Hunter Brown (9) and Brian Garcia (3) during the Stallions’ 3-1 victory Thursday in Joe Flores Gym.
The Madera Coyotes boys volleyball team came out strong in its home gym, but the Madera South Stallions held tough to pull out a 3-1 match win.
The Stallions got a game-high 20 kills from Carlos Hernandez to end the first round of the County/Metro Athletic Conference with a 4-1 record, locked in a three-way tie with Sanger and Bullard at the top of the CMAC.
“It was good to finish out the first round of league in position to win a league title,” head coach Steve Guglielmana said.
However, because of spring break, the Stallions won’t take the court until April 20 against Bullard.
“It’s tough for all the teams to go into spring break,” Guglielmana said. “Everybody else is going through it. It’s an equal playing field.”
Abraham Alapizco led the Stallions with 47 assists to lead the offense.
“Abraham brought back in his sets and our hitters did a better job of keeping the ball in the court,” Guglielmana said. “We had 12 errors when I called the first time out in the first set.”
Javier Arreguin recorded 12 kills. Javier Gil and Rigo Pineda each had seven kills and Larry Cassarubias added six.
Madera head coach Rhonda Jefferson pointed to the play of less-heralded middle blocker Marcos Ramos, who ended with five kills.
“He played awesome,” Jefferson said. “He’s still hurt from the Bullard injury with a dislocation of his left thumb. He wanted to play bad tonight. He’s been fired up since yesterday.”
Brian Garcia led the Coyotes with 10 kills. Tyler Mallonee and Hunter Brown each had seven while Matthew Brunner and Devonte Orlando each had six kills.
“They were keying on Devonte or Brian and forgot about the middle,” Jefferson said. “When they started cheating out, we went to the middle.”
However, Jefferson still feels her team can pick up a win over Madera South. She also felt her hitters stopped swinging after the first set.
“It was a little bit mental and the sets were off the net to hitters that want them on the net,” she said. “They didn’t want to hit the ball out so they were playing it safe.”
The Stallions jumped out to an early 8-5 lead to open the match behind two side out kills from Hernandez and a dual block from Alapizco and Cassarubias.
A solo block by Arreguin and a kill from Cassarubias opened Madera South’s lead to four.
The Coyotes took advantage of a Stallions service error and two balls hit into the net to cut the lead to one.
A Hernandez kill opened the lead to three before Brunner recorded a side out kill.
Kills from Garcia, Orlando and Brunner helped the Coyotes go on a five-point run for a 16-14 lead. Orlando served up an ace to get the lead to 19-15. After a Mallonee side out kill, Madera South hit out of bounds for a 21-17 lead.
Gil put down a side out kill to get the lead back to four. Jose Hordaz served up a point for the Coyotes.
Gil and Arreguin put down kill to cut Madera’s lead to four before Mallonee put down a kill for set point, leading 24-19.
After a Coyote service error, Brown finished the set with a kill for a 25-20 victory.
The Coyotes took an early 4-2 lead after an Orlando side out and a Garcia ace. The Stallions came back to take an 8-7 lead after a Gil kill.
Side out kills by Brunner and Garcia helped give Madera an 11-9 lead.
A Gil solo block led to a five-point Madera South run. Hernandez and Pineda combined on a block and Madera hit three balls out of bounds for a 14-11 Madera South lead.
The Coyotes got side out kills from Brown and Garcia, but the Stallions got a side out kill from Hernandez and a Madera service error. Pineda served up an ace and Madera South led 17-13.
After a Stallions service error, the Coyotes used defense to get back in the game. Ramos combined with Brunner and Orlando for dual blocks and Orlando stuffed Madera South to tie the set at 17.
Hernandez put down a kill and Alapizco and Cassarubias combined on a block for a 19-17 Madera south lead.
Brunner served up a point to tie the set at 20 and the teams were tied at 21 and 22 before the Stallions got points from a Hernandez kill and a Hernandez and Alapizco dual block for set point.
Brown put down a kill to cut the lead to 24-23, but Hernandez put down a kill to give the Stallions a 25-23 win.
The Stallions took an early 6-3 lead behind kills from Pineda, Hernandez and Arreguin. Madera battled back after side out kills from Brunner and Garcia to eventually tie the set at 10.
The Stallions got a kill from Hernandez to open a two-point lead. However, an Orlando kill and a Stallions’ hit out of bound tied the set at 12.
Brunner put down a side out kill. Mallonee put down a kill and Ramos added another after a great dig by Garcia to open a 15-13 lead.
The Coyotes opened the lead to three after a dual block from Mallonee and Brown.
The Stallions came back to tie the set after kills from Arreguin and Pineda. After the Coyotes tied the set at 20 after a Garcia kill, the Stallions got a kill from Hernandez and an ace by Gil to get to set point, leading 24-20.
Brown put down a kill for the Coyotes, but Hernandez finished the set with a kill for a 25-21 win.
In the fourth set, the two teams remained close before the Stallions took a 10-8 lead after an Arreguin ace. A Hernandez kill opened the lead to three and a Gil ace gave the Stallions a 14-10 lead.
However, back-to-back service errors allowed the Coyotes to get within one after a Brunner and Ramos dual block.
The Stallions regained a three-point lead after back-to-back kills from Cassarubias.
Ramos and Brown put down side out kills and Garcia added another to cut Madera South’s lead to 19-18.
However, Madera South, using two kills from Hernandez and a dump kill by Alapizco on match point closed out the set outscoring Madera 6-2 for a 25-20 win.
