Two Points, Venice Prove Too Much For Chatsworth

Only two points separated Chatsworth High from a berth in the City Championship semifinals.

Two points were all the Chancellors needed to defeat Venice in a girls’ volleyball quarterfinal.

Two points were all that stood between the Chancellors and a come-from-behind victory that could have provided untold momentum for a showdown against top-seeded Palisades.

The two points never came.

Venice defeated Chatsworth, 5-15, 16-14, 15-11, 6-15, 15-13, Wednesday at Chatsworth.

Chatsworth (14-1), seeded No. 4, held a 13-10 lead in the fifth game, but failed to score on its next five serves, leaving the door too far open for Venice (11-3), seeded No. 12.

Looking to make their first semifinal appearance since 1995, the Chancellors were devastated, several of them crying after the match.

“We had it,” said outside hitter Leila Pate of Chatsworth. “We were so close. . . and we just fell apart at the end.”

Venice, which upset fifth-seeded Poly in the first round, pounced on the opportunity to reclaim the match.

The Gondoliers sliced the Chatsworth lead to 13-11 on a kill by Stick Raichel, who finished with 25 kills and five blocks.

After a blocking error by Linda Wang of Chatsworth pulled Venice to within 13-12, Raichel came up with several big plays, tying the score at 13-13 on a kill and adding another kill on the next play for a 14-13 Venice lead.

The match ended on a block by Raichel.

“Those were things we talked about all week in practice,” said Coach Myra Einberg of Venice. “Rule No. 1 was to take that extra step. Rule No. 2 was to refer back to rule No. 1.”

The Chancellors had been in only one other five-game match this season.

“What can I say?” said Coach Bud Dow of Chatsworth. “I guess the tension got to them. We were worn out.”

Wang, a sophomore middle blocker, was a big reason the Chancellors were in position to win.

She had a kill and a block late in the fourth game, forcing a fifth game, and had 18 kills and eight blocks in the match.

Chatsworth started strong, taking an 11-0 lead in the first game on the strength of four aces.

But the Chancellors’ serve abandoned them in the second game, when they had six service errors.

* SPIKER OUT: Josh Spiker of Ventura High will miss the rest of the cross-country season because of a fracture in his leg. Page 13