Stallions drop set, get win

Wendy Alexander/The Madera Tribune

Madera South senior Jazlynn Vargas sends a kill past the Sunnyside block for one of her team-leading 14 kills in Tuesday’s four-set victory..

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The Madera South Stallions girls volleyball team looked to have things in order in the first set of its non-league match with the Sunnyside-Fresno Wildcats.

The Stallions took a 19-13 lead after a kill from Veronica Ramirez. However, the Stallions never got the serve back and Sunnyside scored 12 straight points for the win.

However, Madera South battled back for wins of 25-18, 25-16 and 25-22 to take the match Tuesday at Madera South.

“It was a little bit of a slow start,” head coach Travis McEowen said. “You have to give it to Sunnyside. They put some stuff at us that made us work. The first set, we couldn’t match it. That server was firing lasers at us. We struggled in serve receive. We got a good pass once in a while. It wasn’t our set.”

Jazlynn Vargas put down 14 kills to lead the Stallions. Danae Prudente and Ramirez each had 11 kills for the Stallions. However, the trio put down every kill for the Stallions except for two from Anna Kajitani.

“We came back out with much more focus in the second set and did everything we needed to do to get the job done and get the win,” McEowen said.

Basically, the Stallions had to get out of their own way. In the first set loss, Madera South committed 15 unforced errors. In the second set, the Stallions had 12 unforced errors, including hitting the ball into the net six times in the two sets. The Stallions had 18 unforced errors in the final two sets combined. In all, Madera South also had 13 missed serves to go with 11 aces.

Ramirez started off the first set with a kill and Vargas served an ace for a 3-1 lead. Ramirez added two more aces to increase the lead to four. Prudente served up three points with an ace and a Vargas kill for an 11-5 lead.

Ramirez put down a back row kill for a side out and Vargas put down a side out kill and served up two points for a 16-9 lead.

The Wildcats cut the lead to three before missing a serve. Kajitani served up two points, including a Ramirez kill for a 19-13 lead.

Then, the shoes fell off the Stallions. Sunnyside scored 12 straight points. In the run, Sunnyside had three aces and four kills while Madera South had five unforced error, including a ball falling on their side of the court for the final point of the set.

After Sunnyside tied the second set at five, the Stallions took control after a Prudente kill. She served up two more points, including a Vargas kill for an 8-5 lead.

A Vargas kill increased the lead to four. Vargas had a push hit for a kill and Madera South led 12-7.

Sunnyside came back to cut the lead to two before they missed a serve. Hannah Eades served up two points, including a Prudente kill for a 17-12 lead.

Sunnyside served an ace to cut the lead to 19-16, but missed its next serve.

Ramirez served up two points for a 22-16 lead. After a Sunnyside side out, Vargas put down a kill and Elisa Escobar served up a point for set point.

Sunnyside got the side out, but Vargas finished the set with a kill and a 25-18 win.

In the third set, the Stallions got a pair of kills from Prudente, a kill each from Vargas and Ramirez and aces from Eades and Ramirez for a 7-2 lead.

Sunnyside cut the lead to two before a Prudente tip kill. After a Kajitani kill, Vargas put down another kill for a 12-7 lead. The Wildcats cut the lead to three with an ace.

Vargas served up two aces in a three-point run for a 16-9 lead. Sunnyside got the side out and scored two points to cut the lead back to four.

Ramirez recorded a tip kill to increase the lead to six. A Madera South missed serve and a Sunnyside ace got the lead back to four.

After four straight side outs, including two straight missed serves, Kelly Barrios closed out the third set for the Stallions with three straight points — all Sunnyside errors — and a 25-16 win.

In the fourth set, Sunnyside got off to the early lead. Despite an Eades ace, Sunnyside led 7-4 after a missed serve.

Side out kills by Prudente got the Stallions within one.

Ellie Morales served up six straight points. In the run, she had two aces and Vargas had three kills for a 15-9 lead.

After a trade in side outs, Escobar served up an ace and Vargas put down a kill for an 18-10 lead.

McEowen had a feeling of déjá vu when the Wildcats scored seven straight points to cut the lead to one.

The Wildcats hit out of bounds and the teams traded three side outs. With Eades serving, the Stallions scored two points for a 22-18 lead.

Sunnyside scored the next four to cut the lead back to one, but Ramirez put down a tip kill and Prudente put down a kill for match point, leading 24-21.

After a Sunnyside side out, the Wildcats missed their serve to give the Stallions the point and a 25-22 victory.