Stallions fall to beatable Bullard
Wendy Alexander/The Madera Tribune
Madera South freshman Arelis Chavez gets a kill through the hands of Bullard’s Tori Alper during Tuesday’s match.
For the first time in recent memory, the Madera South Stallions girls volleyball team had a chance to beat the Bullard-Fresno Knights, but fell in three sets in the County/Metro Athletic Conference opener for both teams.
“You have to give it to Bullard,” head coach Travis McEowen said. “We may have played well in spurts, but Bullard outplayed us most of the matches. They scored more points than us and they were the better team tonight.”
The Knights defeated the Coyotes 25-20, 25-19 and 25-22 in the three sets.
“I don’t think if it was the Bullard mystique or we are in our own heads,” McEowen said. “Something is going on where we can’t close out games.”
The Stallions only recorded 16 kills in the three sets. Taylor Rogers led the Stallions with four kills. Freshman Arelis Chavez stepped up with three kills in two sets.
“It feels like every match, we get over finishing a match, then, it creeps back on us,” McEowen said. “Our serve receive wasn’t on tonight. Our offense definitely struggled and couldn’t put a ball down.”
The Stallions jumped out to the early lead led by two aces from Alejandra Barranco and kills from Aleecia Rosel and Kiara Alvarado. Jacky Granados served up two more points for a 12-9 lead.
However, Edison scored five straight points to open a 14-12 lead. After a side out, Granados dove for a dig kill to tie the set at 14.
Two kills by Rogers and a solo block by Bianca Guevara gave the Stallions an 18-16 lead. Bullard tied the set at 18, but a Guevara put down a kill for a 20-19 lead.
However, the Knights got the side out and didn’t stop for a six-point run and recording an ace on set point for a 25-20 victory.
The Knights rode the wave of momentum into the second set, capitalizing on seven Madera South mistakes to jumped out to a 9-0 lead.
The Stallions tried to come back with a five-point run led by a Guevara ace and a dual block by Chavez and Destiny Perez to cut the lead to 16-10.
The Stallions cut the lead to five at 21-16, but the Knights scored the next three points to get to set point. Madera South came back with three straight points, including a Chavez kill, but the Knights put down the final kill for a 25-19 victory.
Although the Stallions didn’t let the Knights get off to a big start in the third set like they did in the second, Bullard still led 7-3 before the Stallions started to battle back after a Rogers kill.
Alvarado served up two points and Guevara served up three more points to give the Stallions a 10-8 lead.
Bullard battled back to tie the set at 11 and took a 12-11 lead.
After a service error, Rosel served up an ace, Perez put down a kill and Chavez recorded a solo block for a 15-12 lead.
Alvarado put down a side out kill and Guevara recorded a solo block to open an 18-13 lead.
The Stallions kept rolling after a Chavez tip kill and a Rosel kill gave the Stallions a 21-14 lead.
However, something went wrong with the Stallions and the Knights scored 11 of the next 12 points to end the match with a 25-22 victory in the third set.
