Coyotes tune up with sweep
Wendy Alexander/The Madera Tribune Madera’s Tyler Mallonee (14) and Ali Escheik go up for a block against San Joaquin Memorial’s Ben Diener during Tuesday’s County/Metro Athletic Conference sweep in Joe Flores Gym.
While the rest of the Madera Coyotes boys volleyball team’s opponents are trying to get back from spring break, because of an anomaly in the schedule, the Coyotes were able to get in a County/Metro Athletic Conference match in before hosting Sanger in a pivotal CMAC match Thursday.
The Coyotes’ originally scheduled match against San Joaquin Memorial-Fresno was set for March 30. However, members of the volleyball team were away at a retreat that week and the match was rescheduled for Tuesday.
While the rest of the CMAC teams got ready to play Thursday after two weeks off, the Coyotes prepared for Sanger with a 3-0 sweep Tuesday over the Panthers.
“It was good to get a match in before playing Sanger on Thursday,” head coach Rhonda Jefferson said. “We would have been off until Thursday. It gets our rhythm ready before Sanger.”
Although the Coyotes showed a little bit of rust in a 12-day hiatus, they were able to put away the Panthers 25-14, 25-20, 25-10 in a little over an hour.
The Coyotes attacking trio of Devonte Orlando, Tyler Mallonee and Brian Garcia combined for 27 kills. Orlando led the team with 14 kills while Jefferson was able to get everyone into the match.
“It’s very important to get everyone into the match,” Jefferson said. “They are all here working hard and they deserve to get their time. Clemente (Flores) stepped in and played opposite. Seth (Valencia) did well and might give us another option at setter.”
The Coyotes started the match with a dual block from Hunter Brown and Orlando and an ace from Charlie Gonzalez for the early lead.
Flores put down a pair of kills and Orlando added a side out kill for a 9-5 Coyote lead.
Madera started to put runs together. After a Mallonee side out kill, Gonzalez served up another ace and got a block from Brown and Orlando to open a 13-6 lead.
The Panthers kept recording side outs and cut the lead down to six. However, Madera opened the lead to 21-12 after a Jose Hordaz service ace.
The Panthers got the side out, but Mallonee put down a side out kill. Hernandez served up two more points to get to set point. Brian Garcia and Brown combined on a dual block for the final point of the set.
The Panthers jumped out to an early 4-1 lead in the second set. However, side out kills from Mallonee, Garcia and Flores kept the Stallions within reach. Back-to-back kills from Orlando tied the set at five. Kills from Ali Escheik and Mallonee tied the set at seven. Kills from Mallonee and Escheik helped give Madera a 9-8 lead.
The Panthers scored five straight points to open a 14-10 lead. After a Panthers’ missed serve, Garcia served up three straight points to regain the lead.
After a trade in side outs, Orlando put down three kills and Escheik recorded a solo block for a 20-15 lead.
The Coyotes got another trade in side outs with an Orlando side out kill. Mallonee added a kill and Memorial hit into the net for a 23-16 lead.
The Panthers rallied for four straight points to cut the lead to three. Mallonee stopped the run with a kill and gave Madera set point. Garcia closed the set with a kill and a 25-20 win.
The Coyotes put the Panthers away early in the third set by scoring 11 of the set’s first 13 points.
Garcia put down a kill for the first point. Orlando added a side out kill and put another one while Madera had serve. Brown put down a kill and Seth Valencia served an ace for a 6-1 lead.
Another trade in side outs and Brown served up four more points with two Orlando kills.
After the teams exchanged four straight side outs with Orlando and Mallonee putting down kills, Mathew Brunner served up two more points with a Garcia kill for a 15-4 lead.
The Panthers scored two points before Hordaz served up two points with a Garcia kill and an Orlando kill for a 19-6 lead.
The Panthers scored three more points before a service error. Orlando put down a kill and the Panthers got the side out.
Orlando added another kill to get the serve back. Brown served up the final two points of the match with kills from Brunner and Orlando for a 25-10 third set victory.
