Wild rally leads Crescenta Valley girls’ volleyball past Burbank

BURBANK — Though the CIF Southern Section girls’ volleyball playoffs are more than a week away, the atmosphere and experience at Burbank High on Thursday evening provided Burbank and Crescenta Valley with a good tune-up.

The Falcons rallied from a two-game deficit to notch an impressive 23-25, 21-25, 25-22, 25-22, 15-12 victory in Pacific League play in a match that lasted 2 hours, 8 minutes.

“What we’re doing right now is we’re learning lessons, we’re learning how to win big games and how to rise up in big moments,” Crescenta Valley Coach Kevin Boyke said. “That’s what today’s match was all about.”

Crescenta Valley (13-9, 10-3) clinched no worse than sole possession of third place in league with one match remaining. The Falcons close out the regular season Tuesday versus visiting league champion Arcadia (19-1, 13-0).

With a win Tuesday, Crescenta Valley can still tie for second in league should fourth-place Burbank (16-9-3, 7-6) upset crosstown rival Burroughs (19-5, 11-2), which is also on Tuesday.

As for Thursday, there were plenty of big efforts from both sides.

Senior right-side hitter Patty Kerman led her team with 16 kills, four blocks and two aces and was at the center of the Falcons’ rally. Crescenta Valley junior outside hitter Adelina Minasian added 12 kills and three blocks, while Elise Boyle chipped in three aces.

For Burbank, junior Melissa Daniel tallied a match-high 18 kills and three aces, senior Hailey Heath contributed 17 kills, senior Nicole Winters finished with seven kills and three blocks and senior Hannah Porter chipped in five kills and five aces.

Both squads surged in the fifth set, with Burbank leading, 5-3, behind back-to-back aces from Carly Palmisano. Crescenta Valley countered with a 6-1 run to lead, 9-6, on a kill from freshman Annamarie Alvarez.

The Bulldogs twice pulled within a point of the Falcons, including on a kill from Heath to trail, 13-12.

Yet, Kerman answered with a kill that was followed by a Bulldogs’ attacking error that sealed a 15-12 victory for Crescenta Valley.

“I think everyone who needed to step up, did,” Kerman said. “I think everyone played a significant role in winning this match. You can’t win this by yourself and that’s why it’s a team sport. It was just great to be a part of this game and this team.

“When we get to the playoffs, we know we’re going to be the underdogs, like tonight. We showed that we could pull together.”

After dropping the first two sets, the Falcons created some space midway through the third game by breaking a tie at 13 with a 4-0 spurt fueled by blocks from Teny Noordermeer and Boyle.

Even as Burbank closed within 19-18 on a kill from Heath, the Bulldogs never pulled even as an eventual kill from Minasian sealed a 25-22 win in the third set.

From that victory, Crescenta Valley rolled to a 19-11 lead in the fourth set before holding on for a 25-22 triumph behind four kills from Kerman.

Though Burbank came up short, Bulldogs Coach Karl Rojo saw Thursday’s effort as a positive.

“We played with a lot of heart,” Rojo said. “I told them before the match that I don’t care if they lose or win, I wanted the girls to play with effort and heart. Lately, we’ve had some confidence issues. Even though we lost, this was a big boost of confidence.”

Burbank and Crescenta Valley battled in a tightly contested first set that saw Crescenta Valley surge to within 23-22 of Burbank after a Bulldogs’ attacking error.

The Bulldogs did not surrender the lead, though, as Heath helped her team bounce back with a kill. While a Bulldogs’ centerline violation gave Crescenta Valley life, a Bulldogs’ dump claimed the squad a 25-23 win.

Burbank looked best in the second set, when the squad consistently led by three to five points and won, 25-21, via a Falcons’ service error.

“It was crazy out there and that was just an intense, intense game,” Daniel said. “There were different swings of momentum and I think we just let up a little at the end and they got us. Even though we lost, I think this was a good for us. We need to know we can play in these types of games when we get to CIF.”