Chatsworth Blows Lead, 4-A Match

Neal Newman thought he was reliving a nightmare Thursday when his University High girls’ volleyball team fell behind host Chatsworth by nine points in game three of a City Section 4-A Division quarterfinal.

But it was the third-ranked Chancellors who experienced a nightmarish finish as University recovered for a 15-10, 10-15, 15-12, 15-10 victory.

In a September match, Chatsworth (12-2) had dropped the first game against University only to rally and win the next three.

“I was saying: ‘Oh, my God, deja vu, ‘ “ Newman said. “But we were able to settle down and put some pressure on them.”

Seemingly on the verge of advancing to the semifinals, Chatsworth lost its offense and then the match.

“We relaxed and we lost our momentum,” Chancellor Coach Steve Berk said. “We got ahead and just let down. I am very disappointed. I expected to go to the finals.”

A sluggish start put Chatsworth in an early hole and University built a 9-1 lead in the first game. Paced by Erin Barry with four aces, the Chancellors rallied to tie, 10-10, but University rebounded to score the next five points.

Strong hitting by Rose Pasag (16 kills in the match) helped the Chancellors break a 7-7 tie and win game two. And Chatsworth kept the momentum with a 7-0 start in the third game. It was 12-3 when the Chancellors collapsed. With Rita Tongsak serving, the Warriors scored the final eight points.

University (10-5) built a 10-4 lead in the fourth game before Chatsworth rallied to 11-8 on a four-point service run by Christy Boyle. The Chancellors could score only two more points, however, before University’s Dawn Omura ended the match with an ace.