Little things are what count for St. Monica Academy volleyball

LOS ANGELES — With his team up comfortably in the third and deciding game, St. Monica Academy girls’ volleyball Coach Darren Bradley called a timeout.

The veteran noted to his squad that he was not pleased with the serve-receive defense and certain elements in the passing game.

It was those sorts of details that Bradley emphasized in an otherwise dominant effort for the Crusaders, who defeated host Ribet Academy, 25-6, 25-7, 25-4 in a nonleague match that lasted 47 minutes on Wednesday afternoon.

“It’s the little things that you focus on,” Bradley said. “I didn’t like the way my setter was moving on a certain play and I wanted to point that out. It doesn’t matter who we’re playing or the level of competition, you always work on improving.”

The Crusaders (5-1-1) had few faults Wednesday as they converted 24 aces and kept a young and relatively green Fighting Frogs squad off balance.

Ribet Academy (0-4) finished with 17 total points through three games, with only five of those points generated through its offense and the rest coming from St. Monica gaffes.

St. Monica perhaps looked best in the third game, as the visitor raced to a 10-0 lead behind the serve of senior Michelle Hall, who finished with five kills and four aces.

Eventually, Ribet Academy senior Diana Keshishyan broke up the streak with a dig that dropped along the Crusaders’ backline.

St. Monica eventually took a 16-2 lead after a Fighting Frogs attacking error when Bradley called a timeout after noticing his team’s defensive response to 5-foot-11 middle blocker Janette Mensah.

“She’s the type of big player we’re going to see in the playoffs and we have to do a better job of preparing,” said St. Monica senior outside hitter Rose Goodwin, who finished with six kills and four aces. “I have to do better against her and the defense has to play better.”

In fairness to Goodwin and her teammates, Mensah finished with one kill, as St. Monica cruised to a 25-4 victory.

As for the first two games, the Crusaders jumped out to big leads in both.

St. Monica led, 10-1, in the first game and reached game-point on an ace from Molly Hagan. On the next possession, the Crusaders won, 25-6, on a lift violation versus Ribet Academy.

In the second game, it appeared St. Monica had won, 25-5, on a kill from Goodwin.

However, the scorekeeper did not award the Crusaders the game-winning point, instead giving a second life to Ribet Academy.

The Fighting Frogs did score two points before falling, 25-7.

“We just want to get better,” said senior setter Therese Boles, who finished with 19 assists. “It’s little things like working together that are important for us.”

The contest was also a learning experience for first-year Fighting Frogs Coach Rebecca Quintana, who scheduled the contest versus the Division VI powerhouse despite the difference in experience and execution between the teams.

“There are players on my team where this is their first year of ever playing volleyball,” Quintana said. “So, I wanted them to see what a very good program looks like. I want them to want to be like St. Monica. It was important game for us, too, if we want to get better.”