Burbank volleyball can’t find footing against Chatsworth
CHATSWORTH — The Burbank High girls’ volleyball team found itself with one last chance to pick up a win before the start of Pacific League play when it went on the road to face Chatsworth.
Against the Chancellors, the Bulldogs could not secure their first victory of the young season. Despite a late surge by Burbank, Chatsworth scored a 25-17, 25-13, 25-23 sweep Wednesday in nonleague action.
“I thought we did well fighting back in that third set,” Burbank coach Karl Rojo said. “I thought our defense was pretty scrappy throughout the entire match.”
In the third game, Burbank (0-4) was two points from defeat when the Bulldogs came charging back. Trailing, 23-18, Bulldogs Olivia Price delivered a kill in the interior. Amanda Broyls followed with two consecutive kills. Then Katie Treadway rang up an ace to draw within one. However, Chatsworth’s Chelsea Olmedo ended the run with a kill.
After that, Burbank nearly tied the game when a Bulldogs kill made it 24-23, but Olmedo tapped the ball over the net and down for the match’s final point.
Treadway, a junior, led the way for Burbank with eight kills to go along with 13 digs and two aces. Broyles had seven kills and eight digs, Kayla Pino also had eight digs, junior Leah Tawil had six kills and setter Ashley Eskander had 15 assists and four digs.
Chatsworth (3-0) was led by Olmedo, who had 13 kills, four digs and two aces. Sophomore setter Delaney Vega had 26 assists and a match-high four aces.
“We were trying to figure out [Olmedo],” Rojo said. “She was being very dynamic: going middle, going line.”
The opening game saw Burbank briefly lead at 7-6 after a Broyls kill that went off Chancellors’ blockers. Later, the game was tied as late as 11-11. However, Olmedo scored a kill from the outside to break the deadlock and Chatsworth stayed in control the rest of the way. The final margin of eight was the largest advantage the hosts had in the opener.
The Bulldogs’ only lead in the second game was at 1-0 off a Treadway kill. The Chancellors scored the next five points and were not threatened again.
The hosts’ largest lead of the game was 13 after an ace by Jessica Anzurez made it 24-11. Tawil then scored a kill and was followed by a kill from the outside by Treadway, but the the game ended when the ensuing Burbank serve sailed long.
In game two especially, Burbank’s serve-receive was a problem. In the second game alone Chatsworth had six aces.
“[Chatsworth] definitely had some good servers out there,” Rojo said. “They were making it really tough on us. I thought their libero did a great job keeping the ball up on their side.”
The win for Chatsworth, a Los Angeles City Section school, was made sweeter because last season the Bulldogs defeated the Chancellors, 2-0, as part of the Sylmar Invitational Tournament.
“Burbank is a good team,” Chatsworth coach Sina Aghassy said. “I think our girls were a little fired up after last year. They kind of beat us up real good. I know they graduated some seniors
“We’ve got group of [nine] seniors coming back.”
Up next for the Bulldogs is the start of Pacific League play at Muir on Tuesday when Burbank will once again look for the first win of the season.
“We are still trying to figure things out [and] moving pieces around,” Rojo said. “I think after this we are going to know what to do going forward.”
Twitter: @jefftsports