Coyotes get win before league starts
Wendy Alexander/The Madera Tribune Madera’s Isabella Saucedo rises up to put down one of her game-high 20 kills in a three-set match win over Liberty.
After a loss earlier in the week to Yosemite-Oakhurst, the Madera Coyotes girls volleyball team bounced back with a three-set sweep over the Liberty Hawks in Joe Flores Gym.
Although the Coyotes recorded the sweep Thursday, there was still work to do before heading into the County/Metro Athletic Conference season Tuesday against Madera South.
The Coyotes received a tough challenge by the Hawks, winning the three sets 25-20, 26-24, 25-18. The Hawks did what they needed to do to stay in the game. Liberty kept the ball in play and waited for Madera to make the mistakes.
Madera made enough mistakes to keep Liberty in the match. The Hawks, two divisions lower than the Coyotes, lost the match by just 14 points over the three sets.
Madera’s Isabella Saucedo was the go-to hitter for setters Sofia Perez and Jade Davie. She recorded 20 kills, four more than the entire Liberty team.
Madera also recorded 15 aces against the Hawks. Karina Rodriguez recorded six, Perez had four and Trinity Davie had three. It was enough to counteract Liberty’s nine aces.
Sadie Vasquez led the Hawks with five kills.
Two Saucedo kills gave the Coyotes an early 4-3 lead. She got a side out for a seven-point run. Perez served up two aces in the run while Cassadi Mata had two kills and Saucedo had another for an 11-4 lead.
After a Liberty service error, Mata put down a kill and Saucedo served an ace to open a 14-6 lead.
Liberty got a side out kill from Lucia Sollmeida, which led to a four-point run to cut the lead to three. Sollmeida had a kill in the run, along with an ace from Vasquez.
Jocelynn Markle put down a kill to extend Madera’s lead to five. However, Vasquez put down a side out kill.
Megan Gentry served up a pair of aces for Liberty and Audrina Vasquez combined with Sarah Shevenell for a dual block to get the Madera lead down to one.
After a long rally, Davie put down a kill for a side out and change the momentum.
Alicia Velasco served up three more points with two Saucedo kills to open a 21-16 lead.
A Liberty ace cut the lead to three, but Saucedo put down a kill to get the side out. After a Madera service error, Stephanie Madrigal served up an ace to cut the lead back to two.
Elizabeth Corchado found the back line for a Coyote kill. Perez served the final two points, setting up Saucedo for both kills. Saucedo had 10 kills in the set.
Both teams played it close early in the second set. Then, Rodriguez went behind the service line and recorded five aces in a seven-point run. Markle also had a kill for a 13-7 lead.
Audrina Vasquez put down a tip kill to cut the Coyotes’ lead to three. However, Velasco served up an ace off the net after a Liberty service error. Then, Saucedo put down a kill to open a 16-10 lead.
Liberty got the side out and cut the lead to two after a Gentry dump kill. Davie stopped the run with a side out kill.
Liberty got the side out and Madrigal served up two aces to lead a five-point run for a 19-18 lead. In the run, Sadie Vasquez put down a kill and combined with her sister, Audrina, for a dual block.
Saucedo got the side out to tie the set, but Liberty got a side out kill from Karsyn Woods. Markle recorded a kill for a 21-20 Coyote lead.
The Coyotes got a solo block and ace from Corchado for a 23-21 lead.
Liberty got the side out and Woods put down a block to get the Hawks to set point, leading 24-23. The Coyotes got the side out to tie the set. Davie put down a kill on a rally that was helped from a pancake dig from Rodriguez for set point. Liberty then hit its attack into the net to give the Coyotes a 26-24 second set win.
Mariyah Alvarez opened the third set with three aces after a Mata side out kill for a 4-0 lead. Davie put down a side out kill and Mata served an ace for a 7-3 lead.
Sadie Vasquez put down a kill for a Liberty side out, but Saucedo won a joust at the net for the solo block.
Julianna Rodriguez served up a point for a five-point lead. Shevenell put down a pair of kills for the Hawks to cut Madera’s lead to three.
Mata recorded a solo block to open a five-poinr lead for the Coyotes. A Sadie Vasquez kill cut the Coyotes’ lead to two at 15-13. An ace from Jackie Lopez got the Hawks within one.
However a side out led to a five point run. Three of the points came off of Saucedo kills and the other was a Davie tip kill for a 21-15 lead.
Lopez and Sollmeida put down kills to get within four. Saucedo put down another kill for the side out.
However, Vasquez recorded a side out to keep the lead at four. Saucedo wouldn’t be denied with another kill for a 23-18 lead.
Perez served up two aces for the 25-18 victory.
