Glendale Dismantles La Quinta to Reach Final

La Quinta High felt right at home in the Hoover High gymnasium Thursday night before the start of its Southern Section 3-A Division volleyball semifinal against Glendale.

The Aztecs brought posters to hang on the walls, fans to hang all over the referees and a lone cheerleader who seemed more embarrassed by her singularity than excited about the match.

Unfortunately, La Quinta neglected to tell Glendale that this was intended to be a private party. The Dynamiters proceeded to send La Quinta home early, recording a 15-11, 15-10, 15-9 victory in only 80 minutes.

“We really dug down deep because we wanted to reach our goal,” Glendale outside hitter Chad Blatchley said.

That goal--advancing to the 3-A final--was accomplished behind a frenetic Glendale defense that continually stymied La Quinta with an assortment of diving digs.

“That’s as good as we’ve played defense all year,” Glendale Coach Jack Trotter said. “We’ve been playing better every match.”

Glendale (17-4), which has swept all four of its playoff matches this season, will meet Arcadia for the 3-A title at 6 p.m. Saturday at Westminster High in Orange County. Arcadia defeated Brentwood, 15-7, 15-10, 15-10, in the other semifinal Thursday.

The Dynamiters will be making their first appearance in the final. They have lost to Arcadia three times this year--once in the Arcadia tournament and twice in Central League play.

La Quinta (16-4) and Glendale traded scoring spurts to open the match. La Quinta scored the first six points and Glendale responded with 10 in a row.

After La Quinta rallied to take an 11-10 lead, Glendale, thanks to several flying digs, scored the last five points to win the game.

“In this game, you’ve really got to play until the whistle blows,” Blatchley said.

Sophomore Joey English led Glendale with 13 kills. Blatchley added 12 and Trent Parkin, a junior outside hitter, had 10.