Hawks get key NSL win over Tribe
Wendy AlexanderThe Madera Tribune
Liberty setter Jianna Montemayor gets the ball up for middle blocker Karsyn Bauer during a four-set win Tuesday. Montemayor had five kills while Bauer had 10 in the victory.
With many moving parts to maneuver throughout the season, the Liberty Hawks girls volleyball team picked up an important 3-1 victory over the Chowchilla Tribe at Liberty in North Sequoia League play.
The Hawks, who were shut down for a couple of weeks, bounced back with a 25-16, 25-18, 21-25, 25-18 victory Tuesday over the Tribe.
“We’ve struggled beating teams that don’t make errors,” head coach Grant Clark said. “They didn’t make a lot so we actually had to get kills, play good defense and get aces. We won that game. It feels good.”
Clark got plenty of contributions from his front line. The Hawks recorded 44 kills in the win with six players recording five or more, including setter Jianna Montemayor with five.
Ryleigh Conae, who missed some time early in the season with a shoulder injury, led the Hawks, along with Karsyn Bauer, with 10 kills each. Mariah Medina and Rylee Bocchini each had six. Emily Boatwright added five kills.
“Its our third or fourth match to get close to full strength,” Clark said. “We got some girls back from injury and COVID. It’s good to have a full team again.”
The Hawks started off the first set in a tight battle. Behind a solo block and a kill from Bauer and another kill from Conae, the Hawks led 10-7. Chowchilla tied the score at 11 before missing a serve.
Allyx Faretta, who also had 28 digs, served up two aces for a 15-11 Liberty lead. Conae served up another ace to lead by five. After a Medina kill and solo block, the Hawks led 19-14.
After a Bocchini kill, Medina served up three straight points, including an ace to get to set point, 24-15.
Chowchilla got the sideout, but Boatwright ended the set with a kill off the block.
Bauer and Conae opened the second set with kills, but two aces from the Tribe gave them a 3-2 lead.
Bauer got a side out kill and a Conae kill gave the Hawks a 4-3 lead.
A Faretta ace and a Montemayor bump kill gave the Hawks an 8-4 lead. With Bocchini serving up two aces and Montemayor getting a dump kill, the Hawks led 14-7.
Chowchilla battled back to score five straight points to cut the lead to two. A Tribe ace kept the deficit at two, 19-17.
Conae put down a side out kill and then served up three straight points. Medina had two kills, one on a Chowchilla overpass, in the run for 23-17 lead.
A Conae side out kill gave the Hawks set point and Chowchilla hit out of bounds for a 25-18 Liberty win.
In the third set, the Hawks had trouble on defense. The Tribe took advantage of a missed serve for four straight points and a 4-2 lead. Two Tribe aces opened the lead to three. A four point run gave the Tribe a 13-6 lead.
After a a Bauer tip kill, the Hawks showed signs of waking up. Montemayor served up an ace, Boatwright put down a kill off a Faretta assist and Jamie Avellaneda got a kill on a dig to cut the lead to 15-12.
Taylor Toschi served up two points to cut the lead to one. After a Faretta diving dig, Bauer put down a side out kill and Bocchini put down a kill to cut the lead to one.
Chowchilla served up two aces and another serve wasn’t returned for a 22-17 lead.
After a Chowchilla missed serve, Medina recorded two solo blocks to cut the lead, again, to one. However, a Chowchilla kill and two Liberty net violations gave the set to the Tribe, 25-21.
“It’s energy and focus,” Clark said of the third set. “We got a little lethargic. It was a nice little wake-up call for the fourth set.”
The Hawks and Tribe battled close to each other for the first 18 points of the fourth set. Montemayor and Conae had two kills in the first half of the fourth set.
Boatwright got a kill on a down ball and Conae put down a kill for a 12-9 lead.
After Bauer got a side out kill, Conae and Bauer combined on a dual block to lead 14-10.
Conae served up an ace and Bocchini put down a kill for an 18-13 lead. The Tribe scored three straight points to cut the lead to two before a Medina tip kill.
Boatwright got a kill off the net for a 20-16 Liberty lead. The Tribe got the side out and added another point.
However, the Hawks got the side out and didn’t give it back. Montemayor punched a ball to save it and it found the back corner for a kill. Medina served up an ace off the net for a four-point lead.
Bauer recorded a kill off a Chowchilla overpass and then sent a kill off the Tribe block for match point.
Off a Bauer assist, Montemayor ended the match with her fifth kill of the night for a 25-18 win.
