11/8/07 C.I.F. Playoffs (2nd Round) - M.L. King (Riverside)
Recap: (L 0-3: 22-25, 20-25, 13-25) - The Lady Apaches traveled to Riverside to take on the Martin Luther King Wolves, the fifth-ranked team in Division II-A. They knew going in that this would be a difficult match, requiring a solid effort from everyone, and the first game was just that. The match started well as a couple of Clinton and Stillman kills, and a McPherson dink gave the Apaches an early 5-3 advantage. But the Wolves are not ranked 5th in the Division for no good reason. After a timeout they pulled themselves together and eventually tied the game at 7-7, behind several crosscourt kills from both their outside and right-side hitters. But both defenses were solid as well – keeping a variety of potential kills in play, and giving their own hitters extra opportunities. Several rallies saw Diefenbach, Lee and Han continually digging out balls and giving our hitters four and five opportunities to put away the point. The teams traded kills and digs to a 13-13 tie at the halfway point of the game, with neither side getting more than a 2 point advantage at any time. But a King ace, and a couple of Apache miscues after long rallies, allowed the Wolves to push out to a 21-17 lead. A Clinton/Tucker block pulled the Lady Apaches within 19-23, and a Clinton/Stillman block inched us even closer to 21-23. Another crosscourt kill from King’s right-side hitter gave the Wolves a little breathing room at 21-24, but a Tucker ace tightened the game to 22-24. A Clinton/Tucker block looked like it might draw the Lady Apaches within one point, but King managed to pop the ball up at the net and their middle blocker wasted no time in pounding it into an open floor for the game point.The early part of the second game stayed tight as the teams again traded solid digs and kills with neither side getting more than a couple points ahead. Another Tucker ace gave the Lady Apaches a 4-3 lead, but King just kept methodically working the ball to their hitters and took a 6-5 advantage. A few Apache miscues created a 7-12 deficit but a couple of long rallies, ending in a Stillman dink and a Clinton kill, trimmed the Wolves lead to 9-12. The Lady Apaches continued to work hard and eventually pulled to within 11-13 behind solid serving from McPherson. But this King squad is well coached – they never panicked and they never strayed from their game plan no matter what the circumstance – and eventually they pushed out to an 18-12 lead off a block of a Stillman spike. A Stillman/Benton block, and a Tucker dump after a long rally, pulled the Apaches within 16-19, but King put together another short run and soon had a 23-17 advantage. One more time the Lady Apaches attempted a comeback, closing in at 20-24 behind Clinton and Stillman kills. And one more time King answered, blocking a Stillman spike and securing a two-games-to-none lead.
Game three started with a thud for the Lady Apaches. The Wolves started the game with their setter serving low line-drives that the Lady Apaches just couldn’t seem to handle, including two outright aces, and another that tipped the top of the net and fell into an open court. Before they knew it, the Apaches were in a 0-8 hole and all the momentum was on the Wolves side of the net. Our girls continued to work and fight hard, but their confidence was fading. Stillman and Mang kills, and Clinton and Tangorra blocks were helping, but the frustration of a 0-2 game deficit, and our own inconsistent serving was becoming more than the Lady Apaches could overcome. Perhaps it was inevitable – though no team ever wants to believe they’ve simply succumbed to a better foe. But maintaining a consistently high level of play is one of the keys to moving through this playoff system. And although our Lady Apaches have demonstrated their ability to play at that level many times, consistency has been a nagging issue all season long regardless of our opponent.
They may not realize it now, but there is much to be proud of about this past volleyball season. And at some point in the future these young ladies will look back on this season and appreciate the discipline that was required of them, smile over the friendships they shared, and realize that the winning and losing was much less important than the life-lessons they learned from it. You’ve made us all proud of you this season ladies!
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11/6/07 C.I.F. Playoffs (1st Round) - Yucaipa
Recap: (W 3-1: 25-23, 25-16, 22-25, 25-17) - The first round of CIF Playoffs pit the Yucaipa Thunderbirds (with a 10-4 record) against our Lady Apaches here in Arcadia. The early stages of the first game saw both teams struggling to find their rhythm on offense while the defenses kept balls in play with solid digs and service returns. The teams stayed within a couple of points of each other the entire time until a few Apaches miscues turned a 14-15 deficit into a 17-22 hole, and it appeared the Thunderbirds would be taking the first game of the match. But the Lady Apaches dug in and began to methodically climb out of their hole. Some well placed Han serves trimmed a couple of points off Yucaipa’s lead down to 19-22. After a Thunderbird point off a block, back-to-back Stillman kills shaved off a couple more points to 21-23. Then a Tucker/Mang block had the Lady Apaches within one point at 22-23. A Yucaipa net violation, and a Han kill, gave the Apaches a 24-23 lead and had the home crowd on it’s feet screaming for that last point. The Thunderbirds appeared to have tied the game on a solid block, but Tucker managed to “one-arm” the ball back into Lee (from out of bounds) who was able to set the ball to Mang in the middle. And with one swift motion, Mang completed the comeback, pounding the ball into an open floor, finalizing the amazing come-from-behind win.The second game didn’t have quite the drama as the first, but it was still just as tense. Both squads began to find some rhythm to their offenses although the defenses continued to keep many balls in play as rallies lasted longer the more they played. The early going was an odd mixture of service aces and service errors from the Lady Apaches. With the score 5-6 in favor of Yucaipa, the Apaches put together a short run, sparked by service aces from both McPherson and Han, and pushed out to a 12-7 lead. Just as it appeared we might be taking control of the game, the Thunderbirds climbed back into the match with some solid serving of their own, trimming our lead to 14-12. A Stillman kill, some well placed jump-serves from Tucker, and a McPherson kill, gave the Lady Apaches a little more cushion at 19-14. The teams traded a few points to 23-16, and then a McPherson ace pushed it to 24-16. And finally, after a long rally, an attempted Thunderbird kill landed beyond the baseline and the Lady Apaches had secured their second game.
Game three was as tight and tense as the first two had been. An early Tucker ace gave the Lady Apaches an 8-4 lead, but the Thunderbirds would not give up and continued to stay close with solid defense and timely kills of their own. The teams were tied at 12-12 and 14-14 before Yucaipa created some separation with solid blocking and a few well placed kills, prompting an Apache timeout with the score 20-24. Out of the timeout, a Clinton/Han block brought the Lady Apaches to within 21-24. After a very long rally, that included several good digs by Diefenbach, Han and McPherson, Tucker set Han for a kill that shaved the lead to 22-24 and had the crowd believing they might see another come-from-behind win. But when a return of a Thunderbird serve sailed high into the rafters, grazing a support beam and falling harmlessly between several Lady Apaches, Yucaipa had finally escaped with a hard-fought win.
As with the previous three games, these teams stayed close to each other most of the way. However, both squads appeared a little tired at first, as they traded service errors and a variety of miscues leading to a 12-12 tie at the halfway point. But slowly, the Lady Apaches began to find their rhythm on offense as Tucker began spreading the ball around between Clinton, Stillman, Han and McPherson for solid spikes. With Stillman serving they pushed out to a 15-13 lead thanks to a couple of Clinton kills. Then with Tangorra serving, Tucker found Stillman and Han for a few more kills and a 20-14 advantage. Lagase kept the Thunderbirds on the defensive with her low line-drive serves, and a Tucker spike gave the Lady Apaches a 23-15 lead. After an Apache miscue, Tucker set Clinton for a “one” pushing the lead to 24-16, and two points later she set Stillman for the winning kill down the left sideline for the 25-17 victory.
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Lady Apaches finish the Regular season with 20 wins, 7 losses
. . . . Now it's on to the C.I.F. playoffs!
11/1/07 Crescenta Valley
Recap: (W 3-0: 25-22, 25-13, 25-15) - The six Apache seniors (Clinton, Diefenbach, Han, McPherson, Stillman & Tucker) took the court for their last league match today. But any sentiment that might have been felt early on was quickly quenched once the ball was in play. The Falcons and Lady Apaches traded short runs early in the first game as both teams started slowly. With the score 7-8, and McPherson serving, the Apaches went on a 9-point run highlighted by several Stillman kills and solid blocking from Mang and Han. But just as quickly the Falcons mounted a run of their own, thanks to some good jump-serves and several Apache miscues, and almost caught the Lady Apaches. A Mang kill stopped the C.V. run and gave us a 21-17 cushion, and with the score 24-22 McPherson finished the game with a dink just over the top of Falcon blockers into an open floor.The second game stayed close in the early going with the teams tied at 5-5 as Benton took over the serving chores. A kill each from Han, Stillman and McPherson, and a couple of C.V. miscues gave the Lady Apaches a 10-6 lead. After a Han/Clinton block pushed the score to 13-7 the Falcons called a timeout looking to regroup. The teams traded points to 17-10 until Tucker started finding holes in the C.V. defense with her jump-serve. Combined with a couple of Clinton kills and a Stillman/Mang block, the Lady Apaches pushed out to a 23-10 lead, and the Falcons called another timeout. A Han kill gave us a commanding 24-12 lead, and a nice service return from Diefenbach helped set up a McPherson crosscourt kill for the win.
The third game saw the Lady Apaches come out strong. Behind the serving of Clinton, the strong net play of Mang and Han, and multiple Stillman kills, they streaked to an 11-3 lead prompting the C.V. coach to call a timeout. Shei and Lagase replaced Tucker and Lee after the timeout, and with Tangorra serving the Apaches extended their lead to 18-8 as Shei set Stillman, Mang and Lagase for multiple kills. Another Falcon timeout proved temporarily helpful as C.V. trimmed a few points off the lead to 22-15. But with Stillman serving, the Lady Apaches finished out the match – the final point coming on a solid Mang/Lagase block.
Images from C.V. match:
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10/30/07 Burroughs
Recap: (L 1-3: 25-21, 22-25, 17-25, 18-25) - Recap below taken from Star News article...
ARCADIA - The yellow banner hangs ominously in the Arcadia High School gymnasium. It's longer than any other in the facility, boasting of 26 Pacific League titles. "Coming to a program that is so well developed, with banners hanging everywhere, I was so nervous coming in," Burroughs coach Edwin Real said of Tuesday afternoon's Pacific League showdown against the Apaches.Real can relax.
The Indians clinched their first league title in 14 years, and their first in the Pacific, with a four-game victory, 21-25, 25-22, 25-17, 25-18. "I think they have a great program here," Real said. "Even when it was game point to 18, I was still nervous."
It is the first time since 1978 that the Apaches have been shut out of a league title for two consecutive years and only the fourth time since then that they have not won at least a share of the league title.
Burroughs is 13-0 in league, and Arcadia is 11-2. Both teams have one match remaining in the regular season on Thursday. Arcadia's only two league losses came against the Indians. "I doubt (there is extra pressure)," Arcadia coach Chuck Freberg said of the long banner and past league titles. "I don't think so. There is never on me. We had an opportunity, but we didn't do it. But we did the best we could."
Burroughs, behind the solid play of Karrissa Lagmay, did not even celebrate after an Arcadia spike went wide on match point. "I think that's the way they are," Real said. "Even in pre-game talks, I get pretty worked up. I get sweaty. I get riled up. They do not look ready, but when they come out, they come out pretty hard."
Once Lagmay gets rolling, it's hard to stop the Indians. At 5-foot-7, she's one of the smaller players on the court, but Tuesday she had 18 kills and five blocks.
"She's really something," Real said. "She finds the spots. There's no secret where we are going to. When they block it, we set it for her again. People look at her and they don't take her seriously at the beginning. And she has that fast arm swing. By the time those blockers get on it, the ball is already halfway past. She is something we've been lucky with in developing her quickness. She's like one of the smallest players in the gym."
Freberg said the Apaches knew what was coming, but it was a matter of stopping it. "We set up a game plan, but it is so hard to follow," he said. "So, we didn't follow our game plan. Obviously, we wanted to get on (Lagmay), but we were unable to do that." The Apaches seemed to do it in the first game. Arcadia's Stephanie Stillman had seven of her game-high 19 kills in the opening game.
The Indians led 10-4, but Arcadia pecked away and tied it 20-20 on an Ashley McPherson dink. The Apaches took the lead 21-20 on a Karen Han spike, their first lead since 2-1. McPherson then served out the game.
"We thought we were in command early on, but the last seven, eight points, it went the other way," Real said. "I think I was more nervous than they were."
That changed in the second and third games when Lagmay stepped in. She had three kills in the second game, which only became close when the Apaches scored three points before Burroughs closed it out at 25-22. She had five kills and two blocks for points in an even easier third game.
"We got in the way of ourselves," Freberg said of the middle sets. "I was trying to get a mix in there to help us out, but it just didn't work out."
Arcadia led 13-12 in the fourth game, but Burroughs rallied back with a pair of Brianna Casillas aces to lead 18-16. Jessika Diaz served four consecutive points, helped by a pair of Lagmay aces, to finally put the Apaches away.
"It's kind of like this is a wake-up call," Freberg said. "We're still learning. Mentally, we knew what we needed to do, but physically we just couldn't do it.
"It was a tough game. We played well, but they kept, coming, coming, coming. We made some great plays from time to time."
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10/25/07 Glendale
Recap: (W 3-0: 25-16, 25-15, 25-13) - The Lady Apaches looked to stay within one game of first place Burroughs as they hosted the Glendale Nitros. The first game started slowly as both teams struggled through service errors and miscues, looking to find their rhythm. The Apaches would push out to two (and three) point leads only to have Glendale catch them each time as Nitro hitters frustrated the Apache defense with soft “dinks” over outstretched blockers. The first half of this game saw many potential Apache kills being hit long or wide as the teams found themselves tied at 3-3, 8-8 and 11-11. The Lady Apaches pushed out to a 16-13 lead behind some solid blocking from Mang and Stillman, and a couple of Han kills, prompting the Glendale coach to call a timeout. The teams traded points to 20-16 before the Lady Apaches finally found some rhythm on offense, as Stillman serves had the Nitros scrambling. Finally, a Stillman serve produced a free ball that Lee passed to Tucker, who set Han for the final kill, and a 25-16 win.The second game was much like the first, as the Lady Apaches would take small leads only to have the Nitros climb back into the game with timely “dinks” and tough defense. At 12-10, Tucker found some holes in the Glendale defense with her serve and the Lady Apaches started to extend their lead. In spite of a Glendale timeout at 16-10, she continued to keep the Nitros off balance with her serves, as well as set McPherson and Stillman for kills, pushing the lead to 24-13. After a couple of miscues at the net let Glendale get to 15 points, McPherson took a Tucker set and gave the Nitros a taste of their own medicine as she dinked a ball over the blockers into an open spot on the floor for the final point of the game.
The third game began with Tangorra filling in for Han in the back row. An early combination of Mang serves and Tangorra kills had the Lady Apaches leading 11-6. The teams traded a few points before a few Nitro miscues, accompanied by some well-placed serves from Tangorra, gave the Apaches a 17-10 lead, prompting a Glendale timeout. Shei replaced Tucker after the timeout and kept the offense in sync the rest of the way. A couple of Stillman kills, and good serving from Shei, pushed the lead to 24-12. Benton almost had a solid block for the win, but didn’t let that bother her as she took a quick set from Shei on the very next point, and killed it into an open spot in the Nitro defense for the win. Now Burroughs (and a chance to redeem our only league loss) comes to our gym next.
Images from Glendale match:
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10/23/07 at Hoover
Recap: (W 3-0: 25-21, 25-8, 25-19) - With Clinton, Tucker and Tangorra out of action for today's match, coach Freberg was trusting that the rest of the team would step up their game and extend their winning streak to five matches. His trust was rewarded as the Lady Apaches played their best defense in the past six matches, and defeated a tough Hoover squad.Game one began with a starting lineup of Benton, Shei, Diefenbach, Lee, Stillman and Han. The Lady Apaches struggled early in the match as the Tornadoes tough defense, combined with a few Apache service errors and attempted kills that missed their mark, left the teams tied at 11-11 and then 15-15. The game was marked by long rallies as both teams proved their ability to dig and pass, keeping points alive and hoping their hitters could get hot. At 19-18 a combination of Stillman serves and solid blocking from Mang and Benton created a 23-18 cushion. Hoover pulled to within 24-21, but McPherson finished the game with a serve that the Tornadoes couldn’t handle, giving us the win.
Game two saw the same staring lineup as game one but this time the Lady Apaches jumped out to early leads of 6-1 and 11-5 as Diefenbach, Lee and Molina seemed to dig out every ball that came their way. After a Hoover timeout at 13-8, Han found a rhythm with her low line-drive serves and the Lady Apaches ran off 9 straight points, as Shei began finding Lagase and Stillman for easy spikes. The Tornadoes tried to collect themselves with another timeout at 22-8, but it had no affect as Han served out the game: the final point coming on an attempted Hoover backcourt spike that went long.
The third game started similar to the first, as the Lady Apaches hurt themselves with miscues and serving errors, resulting in a 3-5 deficit. But good net play by Mang, Benton and Stillman, and solid digging by Molina and Han pushed the Apaches back into a 10-8 lead. The teams traded points for a few games as the defenses tightened and the rallies lasted longer. Just when it appeared the Lady Apaches would pull away, a few serving errors and some well-placed Tornado spikes got Hoover back into the game at 16-16. Some solid defense from Lee and Diefenbach, and a couple of kills from Stillman and Lagase pushed the Apaches back out to a 23-18 lead. A Benton kill made it 24-18, then Shei set Stillman for the final point of the match - a kill down the left sideline.
Images from Hoover match:
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10/18/07 at Burbank
Recap: (W 3-0: 25-20, 25-13, 25-12) - The Lady Apaches invaded the Burbank gym looking to extend their three game winning streak and stay within a game of first place Burroughs. Play on both sides of the net was a little raggedy at first, as the teams struggled to 12-11 Apache lead halfway through the first game. Some solid Tucker serves, combined with a couple of Stillman kills, pushed the lead to 17-11. The Lady Apaches then traded points with the Bulldogs to 22-16, still fighting through service errors and some miscues. Finally, at 24-20, the teams engaged in a long rally, that included several good digs on both sides of the net, until an attempted Bulldog kill went wide giving the Apaches the first game.The second game started with Tangorra and Lagase joining Diefenbach in the back row. Some good Burbank defense, and a few more Apache service errors, put us in an early 5-7 deficit. But, with Lagase hitting low line-drive serves, the Lady Apaches went on a 12-0 run highlighted by solid digs from Diefenbach and Tangorra, and several Stillman kills from the outside position. From there the teams traded several short runs, pushing the score to 23-13, until Tucker finally served out the game – the final point coming on a well placed jump-serve that Bulldog defenders couldn’t handle.
Game three saw Coach Freberg starting a back row of Molina, Han and Lee. The Bulldogs jumped out to a 3-1 lead as the Apaches appeared a little hesitant and slow to the ball. But, with Tucker’s jump-serve finding holes in the Burbank defense, and solid blocking by McPherson, Mang and Clinton, the Lady Apaches pushed ahead to a 10-3 lead. After the Bulldogs managed to block a Han spike Stillman ignited a 6-0 run, finding weak spots in the Burbank defense with her jump-serve, and extended the lead to 16-4. Shei came in to give Tucker a well-deserved rest, and continued to keep the offense in rhythm as she spread the ball around between Clinton, Stillman, McPherson and Han. A couple of late Apache miscues allowed Burbank to push past the 10-point mark. But, after a short rally, the match ended on an attempted Bulldog back-row hit that wound up in the middle of the net.
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10/16/07 Pasadena
Recap: (W 3-0: 25-20, 25-23, 25-10) - The Bulldogs entered this match without their best hitter and blocker, Katie Merrill, but that didn’t keep them from putting up a fight. The first game was a sloppy affair as both teams appeared sluggish, suffering from a variety of miscues and mental mistakes early on. A series of short runs from both squads kept the score close, with neither team leading by more than a couple of points at any time. But with a 13-12 lead, the Lady Apaches put together a short burst behind the serving of Clinton, as she mixed floaters and hard line drives, to push the lead to 18-12. The Bulldogs inched back to 20-16, and the teams traded points the final few games until McPherson managed to keep the ball up, after having her spike blocked, allowing Tucker to pass to Clinton who finished the game with a well placed back-row hit.The second game saw Pasadena jump out to an early 10-5 lead thanks primarily to some tough defense and more Apache miscues. But, trailing 18-14, the Lady Apaches finally put together a run of their own. With Tucker keeping Bulldog defenders on their heels with her jump-serve, the Apaches ran off six straight points to take a 20-18 lead. Pasadena tied it at 20-20 off the block of a Stillman spike, but the Lady Apaches toughened up on defense and pushed to a 24-23 lead. With the Bulldogs serving, it looked as if this game could take a while to finish. But Tangorra got a clean service return to Tucker, who set Stillman for the cross-court kill, and the Apaches escaped with a hard fought come-from-behind win.
Game three saw the Lady Apaches take a commanding early 10-2 lead aided by solid jump-serves from Stillman. McPherson and Benton began to control the net with their blocking, and the offense finally came to life as Tucker set Stillman, McPherson, Han and Clinton for a variety of kills from all over the court. In addition, Bulldog hitters began to struggle to keep the ball in bounds, and Lee and Molina managed to get to just about anything that did stay within the lines. A monster kill from McPherson, and a couple of Benton-McPherson blocks pushed the lead to 20-8 and pretty much insured the win, with the final point coming on an attempted block of a Stillman kill that went way wide.
Images from Pasadena match:
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10/11/07 at Muir
Recap: (W 3-0: 25-10, 25-7, 25-12) - The Lady Apaches went into the Mustang’s gym looking not only to improve their league record to 7-1, but to prepare themselves for the Pasadena match coming next Tuesday. A few Apache miscues, and some decent Mustang defense kept the score close early on, but Tucker and Stillman soon found a rhythm and the rout was on. And just about anything that Muir was able to put back over the net were usually short enough for Clinton and Mang to kill immediately.With the Lady Apaches exhibiting some of the quickness and aggressiveness that had been missing the past few matches, Coach Freberg was able to rotate players and try various combinations. A backcourt of Diefenbach, Lee and Molina kept almost every ball in play during the second game while Benton, Lagase, McPherson and Clinton controlled the net. The second game also saw some impressive serving from both Stillman and Clinton as Mustang players’ scrambled all over the floor trying to track down Apache serves.
The third game was simply more of the same. Although the Mustangs were able to stay within striking distance early on, Shiei eventually began finding Stillman, Tangorra and Lagase for easy kills and the Apaches pulled away with Molina passing to Shei, who set up Stillman for the final kill. Aside from the win itself, the good news is that the Lady Apaches had the opportunity to find their rhythm on offense, and looked quicker to the ball and more aggressive on defense. With Pasadena coming to our gym next, this was good to see.
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10/9/07 at Crescenta Valley
Recap: (W 3-0: 25-16, 25-23, 25-10) - Coming off the embarrassing lose to Burroughs, and facing a Falcons team sporting a 3-3 league record, the teams stumbled their way through the most of the first game with errors plaguing both sides of the net. Finally, with the Lady Apaches protecting a 14-10 lead, some well-placed serves from Tucker pushed the margin to 18-10 and gave us some needed breathing room. From there the teams traded points until an attempted CV kill went wide to give the Apaches the first game.The second game was a see-saw battle with the teams trading early runs, predominantly off of their serves. With the Lady Apaches leading 8-3, CV senior Maggie Rajtar got hot with her jump-serve and proceeded to bring the Falcons back into the match, and a 12-8 lead. A Clinton block finally halted the run and the Apaches eventually pulled even at 14-14. The game stayed close from there, as both defenses tightened up making points harder to come by. With the Lady Apaches leading 24-23, a solid dig from Diefenbach allowed Tucker to set up Han for a cross-court kill that finally put an end to a difficult game.
The third game saw the Lady Apaches eventually finding some rhythm to their offense. With good serving from Lagse, bolstered by solid hitting from Stillman and McPherson, they moved out to an early 10-2 lead. And once we finally found our timing, the Falcons struggled to block Apache hitters Stillman, Han, Clinton, McPherson and Lagase the balance of the game, resulting in the 25-10 final.
Hopefully, the Lady Apaches can build off this match and continue to keep their rhythm and regain the aggressive play that marked their early season matches. With Pasadena coming to our gym in one week, that might come in handy.
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10/4/07 at Burroughs
Recap: (L 0-3: 17-25, 22-25, 16-25) - Recap below taken from Star News article...
Arcadia High School girls volleyball coach Chuck Freberg couldn't remember the last time his team was swept in a Pacific League contest since taking over the program in the mid '80s. In fact, he's not sure it had ever happened. Before Thursday, that is.That's when the Apaches were swept in three games - emphatically - by host Burbank Burroughs 25-17, 25-22, 25-16.
"Ever since I've been coaching girls, I don't recall being swept in league," Freberg said. The loss could be the prelude toward another first in Freberg's career at Arcadia - not winning league for a second consecutive season.
The Apaches (8-4, 5-1) were outplayed in just about every aspect by the determined Indians (8-2, 6-0). Karissa Lagmay paced Burroughs, which finished third a year ago, with 14 kills, including seven in the first game to set the tone.
Tatiana Sao had 11 kills for the Indians while Wendy Rolph added eight. Burroughs libero Traci Hamanaka appeared to be all over the floor in collecting 24 digs to make it tough for the Apaches to score. "We came out fired up," Burroughs coach Edwin Real said.
Stephanie Stillman led Arcadia with eight kills while Susie Clinton was held to just three. Apaches setter Jennifer Tucker was held to just 18 assists. "We didn't play well as a unit," Freberg said. "They were more aggressive hitting than we were. "We just got beat up."
After easily taking the first game, Burroughs fell victim to hitting errors that aided Arcadia in tying the second game at 10-10. But the Indians' defense tightened and the Apaches never threatened from that point.
"We have a pretty good back-row defense, and this was the best we've played defensively all season," Real said.
The teams will meet again on Oct. 30 at Arcadia, more than likely with the league title at stake, and Freberg knows his team will have to perform much better to have a shot against this year's league favorite.
"We're either going to step up and get better, or we're going to get destroyed at our place," Freberg said.
Images from Burroughs match:
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10/2/07 at Glendale
Recap: (W 3-0: 25-11, 25-20, 25-23) - This one gives new meaning to the phrase “ugly win.” After controlling the first game and cruising to a 25-11 win, the Lady Apaches found themselves stumbling through the rest of the match. Nitro hitters began to dink balls into open spots in our defense, sending Apaches scrambling for every ball and creating a little confusion (and frustration) as we worked to set up Stillman, McPherson, Han and Clinton with good opportunities. With our hitters a little off-balance, the Glendale defense was able to dig more balls and make each point as difficult as possible to earn. Also plagued (again) by service errors and a variety of miscues, the Lady Apaches appeared primed for an upset halfway through the second game. The quickness and aggressiveness that we’d shown against tougher teams like Los Altos and Thousand Oaks was nowhere to be found. Fortunately, the Apaches had enough left in the tank to squeak out two more (very close) wins and escape with little more than their egos harmed. No one really had an explanation for thier on-court malaise but, with Burroughs next on the agenda, we’ll trust that Coach Freberg will be able to prepare both their game and their psyches for what should be a very difficult match.
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9/29/07 Royal Tournament
Pool Play:
Rio Mesa (W 2-0)
Alemany (W 2-0)
Thousand Oaks (L 0-2)
Playoffs:
Ayala (W 1-0)
Arroyo Grande (L 0-1)
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9/27/07 Hoover
Recap: (W 3-0: 25-6, 25-16, 25-4) - The Tornados were completely overmatched by the Lady Apaches through the first game and most of the second, as Stillman, McPherson, Clinton and Han took turns spiking the ball where ever they chose. But, with the Apaches ahead 18-8 in the second game, everything went sideways. Apache serves went long, kills missed their mark, and momentum switched to Hoover. Before we knew it the Tornados had cut the margin to 18-16, and appeared ready to steal the game. But just as quickly the Lady Apaches turned it around. With Lee serving, the Apaches flexed their muscles and finished out the final seven points with kills from Stillman and Clinton putting the exclamation point on the game. And that looked to have taken the fight out of the Tornados as the third game was so lopsided that, with Tangorra serving, the Lady Apaches reeled off 15 straight points turning a 1-1 tie into a 16-1 lead. From there the outcome was never in question as the Apaches finished off the Tornados with little trouble.
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9/25/07 Burbank
Recap: (W 3-0: 25-13, 25-14, 25-13) - Not quite the match we had expected. These Bulldogs came into this match with a 6-1 record and had many of us believing we'd be in for a difficult time. But instead, the Lady Apaches jumped out to early leads in each of the three games and were never really tested thereafter. The shorter Burbank squad consistantly had trouble keeping Stillman, McPherson, Clinton, Han, and Tangorra from hitting over the top of their blockers. By the third game Coach Freberg was confident enough in the outcome that he gave most of his starters a rest, while Benton, Shei, Molina, Lagase and company finished the job.
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9/22/07 Arcadia Tournament
Keppel (Alhambra)
Recap: (W 2-0: 25-12,25-18) - The Lady Apaches looked a little rusty initially as the teams traded the first 8 points. But, despite playing without hitters Stillman and McPherson, we began to find a groove with Tucker setting Han, Clinton and Tangorra for kills that created some needed separation and a 20-8 lead. A couple of solid blocks from Mang and Clinton finished off the first game. The second game stayed closer as the Aztecs began digging more balls and found a few holes in our defense. But the Apaches never backed down and eventually Clinton, Tangorra and Lagase began to find their mark and built a 19-13 advantage. Keppel appeared to be sneaking back into the game until a block from Lagase made it 21-18. And with Diefenbach serving, the Lady Apaches took the final 4 points on an Aztec miscue, a couple of kills from Clinton and Lagase, and a Mang block.
Los Altos (Hacienda Heights)
Recap: (L 0-2: 25-27,23-25) - Again playing without Stillman and McPherson, it looked as if the Conquerors would make quick work of our Apaches. But, trailing 18-10, the Apaches pulled themselves together and made a run. With Diefenbach and Lee digging everything that came their way, and Tucker spreading the ball around between Clinton, Lagase and Tangorra, they went on an 8 point run and tied the score at 18 apiece. From there both teams played solid ball as they traded kills and blocks back and forth, never separated by more than a single point. Finally, at 26-25, Los Altos got the ball to one of their better hitters who pounded the ball to a spot just out of reach, which allowed the Conquerors to escape with a tough win. The second game was more the same quality of volleyball. Diefenbach, Lee and Molina continued to dig out Los Altos spikes and Tucker kept the Conquerors blockers guessing as she moved the ball around between Clinton, Tangorra, Lagase and Mang. The teams traded short runs of 3 to 5 points throughout the entire game, with the lead switching hands several times. Ultimately, the difference was the ability of Los Altos hitters to get over the top of the Apache blockers. After a Mang block brought the Lady Apaches to within 23-24, the Conquerors set their big hitter one more time and she delivered with a crosscourt kill that was just over the top of a Clinton-Tangorra block. They were two tough losses, but they proved the resiliency and toughness of our Lady Apaches.
San Marino
Recap: (W 2-0: 25-22,25-20) - Stillman and McPherson were back in the lineup, and although Han (who had hurt her back in the previous match) had to be replaced, the Lady Apaches looked as if they should have a solid match. Instead, they seemed to need a few points to get used to the combination of players. And they may have been a little spent after their tough match with Los Altos as well. A number of service errors didn’t help their cause either, but eventually they found a little bit of rhythm and began to take control of the game. Service errors and miscues continued to keep the Apaches from pulling away, but they did enough to win the game. The second game was a little cleaner as Stillman and McPherson began to find their rhythm, and Mang and Clinton took advantage of stray balls at the net. But the Titans kept the game close with some solid serving and hitting of their own. Although an Apache win never appeared in doubt, untimely miscues kept us from building more than a 6 point lead at any time.
Temple City
Recap: (W 2-0: 25-20,25-14) - The Rams came into this match with a 3-3 tournament record but played solid ball for most of the first game. Their defense managed to keep the ball in play and forced the Lady Apaches to be patient and work for every point. We eventually pushed out to a 15-11 lead, thanks to some solid jump-serves from Tucker, and maintained that edge throughout the remainder of the game. The second game the Apaches controlled from beginning to end. The Rams continued to dig balls and work hard, but the blocking and hitting of Clinton, Stillman, McPherson, Tangorra, Lagase and Mang eventually wore them down.
California (Whittier)
Recap: (W 1-0: 25-23) - The first round of playoff brackets matched us against a Condors squad with a 5-3 tournament record. The Lady Apaches started the game out with solid serving and aggressive hitting. Tucker set Clinton for some quick “ones” early while Tangorra and Diefenbach kept California spikes in play. A couple of kills from Stillman and Lagase gave the Apaches a 17-9 lead and it looked as if the game was well in hand. But the Condors were not prepared to give up. They went on a 6-0 run using solid defense and taking advantage of a few Apache miscues. But a Clinton-Mang block temporarily turned them back and a couple of float serves from Clinton widened the margin to 20-15, but California came back again and pulled to within 20-18. From there the teams traded points back and forth until Tucker set Stillman for the final kill and the win.
San Marcos (Santa Barbara)
Recap: (L 0-1: 17-25) - San Marcos came into this semi-final match with an unbeaten tournament record and an average margin of victory that was almost double-digits. The Lady Apaches had their hands full with the taller Royals squad, but continued to work hard. Solid blocking from Clinton, McPherson and Mang kept the match close, but untimely service errors were proving costly. At the halfway point of the game we were only down 13-10 but were struggling to find answers to the Royals hitters. Another Apache service error, and a couple of blocks that fell wide, put San Marcos in command 16-10. The teams traded the next few points, each after long rallies, pushing the score to 20-14 but the Lady Apaches continued to be error prone. Even spikes that would normally have found their mark were going long as Apache hitters strained to get the ball over the Royals blockers. Conversely, San Marcos hitters were finding crosscourt openings as they killed balls just over the fingertips of Apache blockers. In the end we just didn’t have any answers that would offset their height advantage. The Lady Apaches fought hard, but were a little out of rhythm the entire game.
Images from the Tournament:
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9/20/07 at Pasadena
Recap: (W 3-0: 25-20, 25-21, 25-21) - Exerpts below taken from Pasadena Star News...
Thursday, the visiting Apaches pulled away near the end of each game en route to a 3-0 victory."We're trying to get people to play together and have them getting used to their responsibilities," Arcadia coach Charles Freberg said. "It's still very early in the year, we've played only two league games, four total, and we're looking for people to step up and take the lead."
The Apaches, 2-0 in league and 3-1 overall, found that role of responsibility in each of the three end games on Thursday. Jennifer Tucker and Courtney Lee came up with big service games at the finish and Ashley McPherson had two late, timely spikes to make just enough of a difference.
In two of the games, Pasadena had it tied at 17, only for Arcadia to go on a roll at the finish.
In the first game, Stephanie Stillman served three consecutive points for a 21-17 lead. After swapping points, Pasadena's Katie Merrill came up with one of her three blocked shots for a point to cut Arcadia's lead to 22-20. But McPherson hit a spike that ricochetted off the net for a winning point and Pasadena made two errors to give Arcadia the game.
The Apaches got out to a 20-12 lead in the second game. Pasadena fought back with blocked shots by Kourtnie Schweitzer and Merrill and a Merrill service ace to make it 22-18. But Stillman, who had a game-high 10 kills, got the lead back to 23-19 and then sent a back-row spike in for a winner on game point.
Pasadena took leads of 8-5, 15-12 and 18-17 in the third game. But the Apaches took over again. Susie Clinton had a spike and service winner to tie it at 8 and Stillman's two service winners broke a 10-10 tie. But Merrill served four consecutive points for a 15-12 lead.
Arcadia fought back, with Clinton's kill tying it at 18. She scored a service winner and Stillman came up with a block for a winner and, a point later, Stillman had another spike to stretch the lead to 22-18. Pasadena cut the lead to 22-20 thanks to a Merrill spike, but Stillman scored on a spike and Tucker served one of her two aces for a 24-20 lead. The teams traded the last two points, with McPherson's spike finishing off the match.
Images from Pasadena match:
~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~9/18/07 Muir
Recap: (W 3-0: 25-7, 25-4, 25-4) - The Lady Mustangs knew this was not going to be their day as the Apaches jumped out to an early 10-1 lead in the first game. And it was all downhill after that as Coach Freeberg was able to go deep into his bench, giving valuable experience to some of his players while giving the starters some rest.
Images from Muir match:
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9/11/07 at San Gabriel
Recap: (W 3-2: 25-19, 25-16, 20-25, 19-25, 15-8) - A lot closer than it should have been! It looked like the Lady Apaches were cruising with a 2 games to none lead, but then the Matadors started digging everything that came over the net, and fought their way back into the match. But they couldn't keep it up in the fifth game as Stillman, Clinton, McPherson and Tangorra began hitting winners and eventually put the match away, scoring the final six points.
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9/7/07 at Thousand Oaks
Recap: (L 0-3: 17-25, 19-25, 20-25) - A tough match against a very good (Division I-AA) opponent in their home gym. It had the excitement of a CIF playoff game as the Lancers home crowd cheered long and loud for their team. Our girls fought hard for every point, but found themselves playing catch-up the entire match. Losing is never fun, but this was a good test of the Lady Apaches ability to keeping working hard no matter what the outcome.
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