Mistakes and Bella too much for Stallions
Wendy Alexander/The Madera Tribune
Madera’s Brianna Guerrero sends an attack past the outstretched hands of Madera South’s Jazlynn Vargas during Thursday’s four-set victory over the Stallions.
Madera Coyotes girls volleyball player Isabella Saucedo had her typical outstanding performance against the Madera South Stallions and the Stallions had too many mistakes in a four-set loss in Joe Flores Gym.
Saucedo led the Coyotes to a first set victory with 10 kills, but had just 11 in the remaining three sets. Madera did just enough for a 25-19, 19-25, 25-23, 25-23 victory.
“It’s the best feeling ever to beat Madera South,” Saucedo said. “The one thing I miss is going to every single Madera-Madera South game for every single sport. That’s like my favorite. You want to beat your rivals so bad. Every chance you get to win is like winning league. It’s the best feeling ever.”
“The girls were more ready for them tonight,” Madera South head coach Travis McEowen said. “Bella had 10 kills in the first set. After the first set, we settled down a little bit and adjusted to what they were doing.”
The main problem from McEowen came from the service line. The Stallions missed 20 serves and served up just nine aces. Meanwhile, Madera committed 16 service errors and also had nine aces.
“They played better aside from their serving,” Madera head coach Meghan Haas said. “I think it would have been a different game if they put more serves in play. We had our problems behind the line and from an attacking standpoint. That’s why them missing serves was good for us because we couldn’t side out. It worked out in our favor.”
Saucedo was the only player to record more than four kills for the Coyotes. Madera South had three players with nine or more kills led by Veronica Ramirez with 10. Arelis Chavez and Jewelyana Rodriguez added nine each.
“The difference was tonight over the last time we played was the hard work,” McEowen said. “The girls were willing to lay out all over the floor and block every ball. We still had little mistakes, but the bodies were flying and the effort was there.”
Haas also said that her team is getting into a rhythm and saw the fun come out of her team against Madera South.
“In the first set, it seemed like it was the first time they really had some fun,” she said. “They were excited and there was some more energy on the floor. It was good to see. Everything is kind of less stressful and more normal.”
With Senior Night in their mirror, the Coyotes can focus on the rest of the County/Metro Athletic Conference season and treat it like a playoff run since there won’t be a playoff for girls volleyball this season.
“It was pretty cool,” Saucedo said of Senior Night. “It was a little weird. All the emotions were still there. We were crying in the little room waiting for our name to get called. It just got so real. Wow, I only have a little bit of time to play in this amazing gym.”
Saucedo stated earlier that she really wanted a Senior Night after painting posters for the last three years for seniors. She wanted her poster this year — and she got it.
“I was so happy about my poster,” she said. “My coach said it was on short notice and said you’re not going to get you poster and some things aren’t going to happen like it used to. We were upset. We came out and everything is just perfect. We got our little volleyballs, our little posters and big posters. It just made everything even more real.”
Saucedo served up an ace to give the Coyotes an early 7-2 lead. However, behind a kill from Ramirez and an ace from Danae Prudente, the Stallions cut the lead to two.
A block from Brianna Guerrero and a kill gave Madera a 12-6 lead.
Saucedo recorded three straight side out kills and four of the next five. Madera South countered with a Chavez solo block and kill and a Ramirez kill.
After Saucedo’s seventh kill of the set, Guerrero served up two points, including another Saucedo kill for a 22-14 lead.
Prudente put down a side out kill, but a missed serve gave the ball back to Madera.
Rodriguez put down a kill and Prudente served up two points to cut the lead to two.
Saucedo got the side out with a tip kill and her 10th kill gave Madera set point. Madera South hit into the Joe Flores Gym rafters for an out of bounds call and a 25-19 Madera win.
Madera South jumped to an early 8-4 lead in the second set behind two aces from Prudente and kills from Ramirez and Chavez. Two aces from Guglielmana opened the lead to 12-8. A side out kill and solo block from Chavez gave Madera South a five-point lead.
A Madera missed serve led to a Madera South three-point run, highlighted by a Chavez tip kill for a 19-13 lead. The two teams exchanged seven straight side outs with both teams missing a pair of serves. The last two missed serves for Madera led to a Madera South set point and the final point of a 25-23 Madera South victory.
Madera came back from an early deficit behind two Saucedo kills to lead 6-5 in the third set. The Coyotes increased the lead behind kills from Miabella Rios and Saucedo.
Sofia Marin served up three straight points for a 16-9 lead.
A Jazlynn Vargas ace cut the lead to four before she missed her next serve. A missed Madera serve led to a Rodriguez ace and a Prudente kill to cut Madera’s lead to one.
Two missed Madera serves helped the Stallions cut the lead to 20-19. Madera got a side out kill from Vargas, but Madera South missed its next serve. Both teams missed their next serve and Madera led 23-21.
Rodriguez put down two straight kills to tie the set at 23, but a missed serve gave Madera set point. Guerrero finished off the set with a kill for a 25-23 victory.
Both teams went back and forth in the fourth set. Madera took a 10-9 lead behind a Marin ace. Madera South took the lead with two Chavez kills.
Prudente served up a point to lead 13-11, but Saucedo put down a kill and Guerrero served up a point for a 14-13 lead.
Madera South’s next, and last, missed serve proved the costliest. Lauren Dybas went behind the line and served up an ace in a six-point run. Saucedo put down two kills for a 21-14 lead.
A missed serve led to Guglielmana serving up a point, but a Saucedo solo block gave the Coyotes the side out.
Rodriguez put down a side out kill, Ramirez’s serve wasn’t returned for an ace and Rodriguez put down a tip kill to cut Madera’s lead to 22-19.
Madera got the side out, but missed its next serve. Madera South was called in the net to give Madera match point.
Chavez got a solo block for side out. Chavez put down a kill and Rodriguez served up a point to cut the lead to 24-23.
Madera then went to Saucedo for the win. With numerous attempts from the back row, Saucedo finally got the kill she needed to give Madera a 25-23 fourth set win.
