Stallions drop first CMAC game
Wendy Alexander/The Madera Tribune
Madera South’s Destiny Perez reaches up to put down one of her team-high 10 kills during Tuesday’s three-set loss to the San Joaquin Memorial-Fresno Panthers.
The Madera South Stallions girls volleyball team had a chance to take control of the County/Metro Athletic Conference, but couldn’t fight back in a three-set loss to the San Joaquin Memorial-Fresno Panthers to close out the first round of league.
After winning their first four matches of the CMAC, including a five-set victory over the Madera Coyotes, the Stallions were coming off one of their best matches of the season. However, it didn’t carry over to Tuesday’s loss to the Panthers.
“Memorial took it to us,” head coach Travis McEowen said. “This was one of the times a team pushed us and we collapsed. We didn’t fight back.”
Leading hitters Bianca Guevara and Arelis Chavez combined for just eight kills. Destiny Perez led the Stallions with 10 kills while Veronica Ramirez added six more. Setter Jacky Granados put down four kills.
“We have to get better,” McEowen said. “It comes down to we weren’t checked in. They shut our hitters down and we didn’t know how to respond.”
Two Guevara kills and a Perez kill cut the Memorial lead to 8-7 in the first set. A Panthers’ missed serve and a Perez kill tied the set at 10. A Perez side out kill and a Chavez kill gave the Stallions an 11-10 lead.
The Panthers scored three straight points to take the lead and then added four more for an 18-13 lead.
The Stallions cut the lead to two after a Granados dump kill and Ramirez served up a point.
Perez put down a side out kill and Jacky Guglielmana put down a kill to cut the Panthers’ lead to 21-20.
After a Memorial side out, Perez put down a side out kill. The Panthers got the side out, then put down an ace for set point and a kill for the match, 25-21.
Madera South jumped to a 6-3 lead in the second set after a missed Panthers’ serve and three points, including an ace, served up by Diana Abendano.
The Panthers tied the score at 7, 8, 9 and 10 before the Stallions got a kill from Ramirez to end a long rally.
Memorial then scored three straight points to take a one-point lead before a Chavez and Guevara dual block.
Granados put down another kill and Perez put down a kill to give the Stallions at 15-14 lead.
The two teams stayed within two points of each other despite side out kills from Ramirez and Guevara.
After a Stallions’ miscommunication led to a Memorial side out, the Panthers scored two more points, including an ace to get to set point.
Ramirez got the side out, but the Panthers ended the match with a kill off the Stallions’ block for the 25-21 win.
In the third set, kills from Ramirez and Chavez tied the set at three. Memorial jumped out to a 9-6 lead after a three-point run. The Panthers then scored nine straight points for an 18-7 lead.
Perez put down a side out kill to end the run and added another to get the lead to single digits.
Perez added two more side out kills while Ramirez had another to keep the Stallions within eight.
A Guevara kill and a dual block with Ramirez cut the lead down to six. However, the Panthers scored three straight points for match point, 24-15.
Chavez put down a kill, but the Panthers ended the match when Madera South hit out of bounds or a 25-16 win.
