Team issues seem distant for Flintridge Sacred Heart volleyball in victory over La Salle

PASADENA —It wasn’t too long ago when the Flintridge Sacred Academy volleyball team seemed at a point of internal conflict.

The Tologs began the month of October with consecutive Mission League losses and seemed out of step with a squad that had dropped three league matches in two years.

Whatever issues may have existed, whatever angst may have been simmering now seems a distant memory, particularly on Thursday evening when the Tologs easily put away a once unbeatable rival in host La Salle, 25-17, 25-13, 25-12, in nonleague action.

The victory was the 10th in 11 matches for the Tologs (19-7) since a 3-0 loss to Harvard-Westlake on Oct. 8.

“I told the girls after the [Harvard-Westlake] game that I owed them my honesty and that we weren’t playing our best and that we needed to change our attitude,” Flintridge Sacred Heart Coach Ernest Banaag said. “We had a rare Friday practice right after Harvard-Westlake, which we almost never do, and we got back to playing good volleyball.”

On Thursday, the Tologs were borderline great in picking up a second straight victory over a La Salle (9-16) squad that had won six consecutive matches versus Flintridge Sacred Heart between 2010-2013.

In reality, the match wasn’t that close.

Flintridge Sacred Heart broke open a 5-4 advantage in the third game with an 8-3 run spearheaded by four kills from junior outside hitter Kayla Lund, who finished with a team-high 14 kills and 17 digs.

“It’s special to win against La Salle,” said Lund, who improved her personal record against the Lancers to 2-2. “I’m so proud of my team, not just how we played tonight, but how we’re back to playing our style of volleyball.

“We weren’t doing that earlier. It was important to play like a team.”

Buoyed by a six-point lead, the Tologs never allowed the Lancers to climb any closer than within five points before senior Clara Gross closed out the 25-12 win with a block of La Salle’s Emily Wasson.

Gloss was part of a diverse Tologs offense that received at least one kill from nine players thanks largely to 35 assists from setter Clare Lund.

“Look, if Clare is doing her job and spreading the ball all around, we’re a tough, tough team to beat,” Banaag said. “Clare could feed Kayla 50 times a match, but it’s not going to do our team any good. Tonight, with the ball all over the place, you saw how tough we were to stop.”

In the second game, the duo of sophomore outside hitter Ellis DeJardin (eight kills and 10 digs) and senior opposite Ali McCollum wreaked havoc on La Salle in tallying six kills and an ace as the Tologs broke open a 10-8 game with a 13-3 run.

“I can’t believe we had that many players score,” said McCollum, who tallied seven kills . “The passing was great and the communication was even better. Everyone was talking and making sure we were doing what we were supposed to be doing.”

A Lancers’ service error sealed Flintridge Sacred Heart’s 25-13 win.

Maybe the most competitive set was the first, as La Salle pulled within 17-14 on a kill from junior middle blocker Ravin Rhodes (five kills and three blocks).

Yet, Flintridge Sacred Heart answered back with a kill from McCollum and an ace from sophomore libero Katherine Lund (15 digs) to go up by five and never look back.

“It’s exciting to see how we’re playing now,” Kayla Lund said. “I remember when we couldn’t beat these guys, when we were too young, and now we beat them again. A month ago we had our problems and now we’re over them. We’ve really worked to do that.”