Stallions fall late to Panthers
Wendy Alexander/The Madera Tribune
Madera South’s Aleecia Rosel collects one of her team-high 11 kills in Thursday’s three-set loss to the San Joaquin Memorial Panthers.
The Madera South Stallions girls volleyball team is young, but are gaining experience by the match. However, Madera South’s youth showed in three late set losses to San Joaquin Memorial-Fresno.
The Stallions had late leads in all three sets, but squandered it in Thursday’s County/Metro Athletic Conference loss to the Panthers.
The Stallions jumped out to a 10-2 lead in the first set, but were outscored 18-6 and lost the set 25-21. Madera South led 18-17 in the second and were outscored 10-7. The Stallions opened an 18-14 lead in the third set, but Memorial scored the final six points of the set to win the match.
“You have to give it to Memorial,” McEowen said. “When the scores were close, they came out to win the game. Aleecia (Rosel) came out and said that we played not to lose. That sums it up.”
Rosel led the Stallions with 11 kills and added five aces. Taylor Rogers had seven kills and Destiny Perez had four.
However, it was the unforced errors that stumped the Stallions. Madera South lost the first two sets by six points and they missed six serves. They also had trouble with a down ball behind the six-foot line, hitting more than a few into the net.
“Unforced errors is something that we haven’t had a lot,” head coach Travis McEowen said. “Our passing was one of those nights. When it came down to crunch time, we went into a hole and were hoping and waiting for errors from the other team. Memorial didn’t give it to us and forced us to play ball. We didn’t match their intensity.”
The Stallions were looking good to open the set. Rosel gave the Stallions the serve with a side out kill. She served up four aces in an eight-point run that included kills from Perez and Kiara Alvarado. Side out kills from Rogers and Alvarado kept the lead at seven.
However, the Panthers went on a seven-point run to take a 13-12 lead.
Alvarado put down a side out kill and Oliva Molina served up an ace in a three-point run for a 15-13 lead.
The Panthers came back with a seven-point run to open a 20-15 lead. A Perez kill cut the lead down to three, but the Stallions missed two serves while the Panthers got to set point. Memorial ended the set with an ace for a 25-21 victory.
The Panthers jumped out to the quick 12-5 lead in the second set. The Stallions battled back with an ace from Bianca Guevara and a kill by Perez to cut the lead to four.
Kills by Perez and Rosel and two service points from Jacky Granados cut the lead to one. A Rosel kill and ace helped a three-point run and a 16-15 Stallions lead.
The Panthers scored two points take the lead, but Rosel and Guevara put down kills for an 18-17 lead.
Memorial scored four straight points to open a three-point lead. The Stallions got the side out, but another service error gave the point to the Panthers.
The Stallions got a side out kill by Guevara and an ace from Jacqueline Carillo, but the Panthers had set point, leading 24-21.
Chavez kept the set alive with a side out kill and Rosel put down a tip kill to cut the lead to 24-23, but another missed serve gave the Panthers a 25-23 victory.
In the third set, back-to-back Rosel kills helped Madera South open an 8-5 lead, but the Panthers scored four straight points to take the lead back.
The two teams exchanged side outs while Madera South maintained a four-point lead with an ace from Carillo, two kills by Rogers and side out kills by Rosel, Granados and Guevara.
The Panthers chipped away at Madera South’s lead, eventually tying the match at 19.
Rosel got a side out kill for a 20-19 lead, but the Panthers got the side out right back and scored the match’s final five points, getting a tip kill to win the match, 25-20.
