LAKEPORT — Clear Lake High School served notice that it was game for a match Thursday night by winning the first set against Roseland University Prep in a North Central League I varsity volleyball battle of undefeated teams at Lakeport.
And then RUP, defending league champion, answered back. The Knights, who have yet to lose a league match since joining the NCL I last year, dominated the final three sets for a 22-25, 25-12, 25-14, 25-8 victory, snapping the Cardinals’ nine-match winning streak in the process.
Despite winning a set from the Knights (4-0), which no other NCL I team had been able to accomplish this season, Clear Lake (2-1) couldn’t sustain that momentum.
“RUP came out ready in that second set,” Clear Lake head coach Marci Psalmonds said. “Our serve receive tanked completely.”
The Cardinals committed 32 serve receive errors on the night, which combined with 25 swinging errors provided the Santa Rosa team with more than two games worth of points.
“They (Knights) did play well, but we also gave it to them,” Psalmonds said. “The game got a little too big for some of my players.
“On the positive side, they (Cardinals) know they can beat them, it’s just a matter of getting back to work and playing better together,” Psalmonds said. “We don’t face them again for a few weeks, so we should be ready. The nice thing is they never gave up.”
Expecting a strong defensive effort from RUP, Psalmonds said she was more impressed with the Knights’ offensive attack.
“I wasn’t expecting them to be that good offensively,” Psalmonds said of RUP’s frontline hitters. “They rip it from the outside.”
RUP’s hard serves also hurt the Cardinals throughout the match.
While the younger Cardinals struggled with the pressure applied by the Knights and the magnitude of the match, that was not the case for senior setter Sierra Bruch, who stood her ground all night.
“She must have run 10 miles,” Psalmonds said. “She played awesome, but she can’t do it by herself.”
Bruch finished with 27 digs and 17 assists and was a bright spot during an otherwise dreadful passing night for the Cardinals, according to Psalmonds.
Another senior, Rubi Ford, also did her part, according to Psalmonds.
“No hitting errors or missed serves ,” Psalmonds said of Ford, who contributed 12 digs. “She rose to the occasion and played well the whole time.”
Clear Lake’s movement on the court also was lacking, according to their coach.
“I told them to keep their feet moving out there, but it was like they were stuck in quicksand,” Psalmonds said.
Senior middle hitter Abby Mertle led the Cardinals with five kills and two blocks.
Clear Lake is home Tuesday to play Middletown.
Junior varsity
RUP defeated Clear Lake 25-11, 25-8 in junior varsity action although Clear Lake head coach Morgan Psalmonds said the final score was not indicative of her team’s performance.
“There were a lot of long rallies and they (Knights) won 90 percent of them,” Psalmonds said. “I can’t be too upset with my team. The one area we did not do well was communication.”
Libero Atiana Patino recorded a team-best 13 digs and initiated several rallies for the Cardinals, according to Psalmonds. Emily Gersalia added seven digs and six assists while Kayah Billig had five kills.
