Coyotes avenge loss to Stallions with a sweep

The Madera Coyotes girls volleyball team has won four straight County/Metro Athletic Conference matches since a five-set loss to Madera South, including its recent sweep over the Stallions.

Both teams entered the second round of the CMAC with identical 4-1 records, but it was Madera who came away with the win after a sweep Thursday in Joe Flores Gym.

“I definitely don’t think we played our best the last time,” Madera head coach Meghan Haas said. “I still don’t think we played our best this time. We had peripheral people that stepped up this time. We had Jade Davie at the end with clutch serves. We still had some mental errors. We don’t block a lot so when we do block, it throws them out of their game a little bit. It’s kind of next-level volleyball that we haven’t been playing.”

Isabella Saucedo was a force to be reckoned with against the Stallions. She put down a game-high 34 kills. All of her kills weren’t of the pound variety. She recorded three tip kills to go with four kills from the back row. Brianna Guerrero added seven kills with four aces.

“We had more positive energy, but I think that was because we weren’t way down,” Haas said. “We struggled a little with that the last time. We’ve kind of grown from that and this was a much better showing.”

Madera South head coach Travis McEowen’s team didn’t come out with the same energy it did in the first meeting with Madera and it hurt them in a 25-13 loss in the first set.

The Stallions came back against the Coyotes, but Saucedo was too much in a 27-25 win and a 29-27 third set win.

“I felt like the second set, we started really slow and climbed ourselves back into it,” Haas said. “To be able to do that against Madera South is huge.”

McEowen hoped a late season tournament will help the Stallions right the ship after dropping two straight in the CMAC.

“We just want to get as much playing time as possible and work on things we’ve been focusing on,” he said. “Hopefully, we can make some moves and get some confidence into the last two weeks of league.”

Destiny Perez and Bianca Guevara each had 12 kills while Arelis Chavez had nine.

Saucedo showed her dominance from the very first point of the match with a kill. She had kills on five of Madera’s first 11 points for an 11-6 lead.

Guerrero served up three aces in a row and Alizae Vasquez put down a kill for a 17-6 lead.

Perez served up an ace and Chavez and Guevara put down kills, but Madera still led 20-9 after a side out kill from Kaci Gonzalez.

Saucedo had a side out kill for a nine point lead and later had a back row kill to get to set point. Guerrero finished the set with her second kill of the evening for a 25-13 victory.

Madera South jumped to a 5-3 lead after a kill and ace from Guevara. Kills from Perez and Chavez helped the Stallions to an 8-4 lead. Two aces and a kill from Saucedo cut the lead to one.

Guerrero served up another kill and Saucedo put down two kills in a four-point run for a 14-12 lead.

Guevara put down a side out kill and Perez tipped a kill off the block to tie the set at 16 before a Saucedo kill.

Saucedo took advantage of a Stallions’ over pass for a kill and an 18-16 lead.

Perez put down a side out kill and the Stallions tied the set at 18. Perez had another side out kill to tie the set at 19.

Guerrero added a Coyotes kill, but Chavez got the side out with a kill. Guevara put down another kill to tie the set at 21 before a Guerrero kill.

Gonzalez served up a point for a 23-21 Madera lead.

After a Stallions’ side out, Guerrero put down a kill for a two-point lead.

Chavez and Guevara put down kills to tie the set at 21. Guerrero recorded a kill and Gonzalez served up a point for a 23-21 lead.

Madera South took the lead. After a side out, Veronica Ramirez and Guevara put down kills to get to set point, leading 24-23.

Guerrero got the side out to Madera, but Guevara put down another kill for set point.

Suacedo got a side out kill and Davie served up an ace for set point. Saucedo finished it with her 11th kill of the set for a 27-25 victory.

Madera jumped out to the early lead in the third set behind a Vasquez solo block.

In a five-point run, Saucedo put down three kills for the Coyotes to keep a 14-10 lead.

Guevara got a side out kill and served up a point to cut the lead to three. Madera extended the lead to four after a side out kill from Saucedo.

Both teams exchanged 14 points in a 13 side out period with the Coyotes leading 22-19. In the run of side outs, Saucedo had kills on three while Guerrero had two. Chavez and Perez also had side out kills for the Stallions.

After a missed Madera serve, Jacky Granados served up two points, including a Chavez kill to tie the set at 22.

After a Stallions’ dig hit the Joe Flores Gym rafters for a side out, Chavez put a kill off the block for side out.

Saucedo got a back row kill for match point, leading 24-23. Chavez stopped match point with a side out kills, but Saucedo got it right back with another back row kill.

Guevara tied the set at 25. Madera hit into the net to give the Stallions set point, leading 26-25. A missed serve gave the ball back to Madera and tied the set at 26. Davie served up an ace to get to match point, but Guevara halted it with a side out kill.

Saucedo got the serve right back to Madera with a kill and set up match point again. This time Saucedo ended it with a tip kill for a 29-27 win.