Flintridge Sacred Heart volleyball gives Mira Costa all it can handle

LA CAÑADA — A playoff atmosphere filled Flintridge Sacred Heart Academy’s gym as the Tologs hosted one of the state’s top volleyball teams Thursday evening in what turned out to be a thrilling nonleague match with Mira Costa.

The Tologs went the distance with the Mustangs— ranked No. 5 in California and 35th in the nation by MaxPreps — but ultimately fell in five games, 25-18, 15-25, 25-22, 19-25, 15-11, in a well-played affair from two squads looking to make deep postseason runs.

Aside from a slow start, the Tologs played Mira Costa evenly throughout the match, but could not match the energy in the fifth set. The Mustangs had dropped two games all season coming in to the match.

“A lot of it came down to playing at home, in front of the home crowd,” said Flintridge Sacred Heart Coach Ernest Banaag, who coached the Tologs to the second round of the CIF Southern Section Division I-AA playoffs last season. “All summer, I’ve preached that it’s about staying steady; it’s more mental than physical. Physically, we match with anyone, but we need to better ourselves mentally, not get flustered.

“We stayed with them. I think we should have won.”

Admittedly, nerves played a role early in the match, with Mira Costa quickly taking 10 of the first 11 points en route to cruising to taking the first game. FSHA’s smallest margin after the 10-1 deficit was six points, as the early lead garnered proved to be insurmountable.

With early jitters set aside, the Tologs (6-4) rebounded to take the second game they led throughout in. Paced by its defense that did not allow Mira Costa’s hitters to get into rhythm and spark any scoring runs, digging out swings or meeting Mira Costa at the net, Flintridge Sacred Heart maintained momentum in the second despite the Mustangs (12-2) staying within striking distance.

The Tologs led by six at 16-10 before the Mustangs reeled off three unanswered, prompting a Banaag timeout. It proved beneficial, as FSHA notched nine of the game’s final 11 points to tie the match at one game apiece.

In a match that did not have any tie scores nor lead changes over the first two games, the third game saw eight ties and five lead changes, mostly in the latter stages of a nailbiting frame. The game’s final 14 points included seven ties with neither team able to gain separation. Ultimately, the Mustangs scored the final four points, including a net violation to the Tologs’ dismay, putting an end to a tightly contested game in which four was the largest lead by either side.

Kayla Lund, who led the Tologs with 27 kills, had eight in the third.

The junior outside hitter and the Tologs again rebounded and knotted the match with a game in which they led from start to finish. Midway through the fourth game, Lund’s emphatic kill highlighted four unanswered points that increased an 11-8 advantage to a six-point cushion, prompting a Mira Costa timeout.

The Mustangs cut the lead down to two at 19-17 later in the game, only to see the Tologs respond with scoring six of the game’s final eight points to secure the fourth and force a deciding fifth game.

“We went out strong, with nothing to lose,” said Lund, who had four kills in the final game. “We were going after every ball, diving everywhere. We played with all heart.”

The Tologs will begin Mission League play Tuesday, as they travel to Marlborough. Flintridge Sacred Heart finished second in league last season after splitting the league title with Harvard-Westlake in 2013.

“It’s always tough to lose at home, but this is a good barometer of where the team is going into league,” Banaag said.

Ali McCollum added 11 kills for Flintridge Sacred Heart. Clare Lund led the team with 33 assists, with Katie Krappman complementing well with 31.

“We’re going to face big girls and stronger teams, so this was good preparation, good competition, especially for the younger girls on the team,” Kayla Lund said. “It’s a good taste of what’s coming up.”