Nitros get best of Tornadoes
SOUTHEAST GLENDALE — Jump serving can sometimes confuse the opponent.
For Glendale High girls’ volleyball player Alyssa Magpantay, that’s precisely what she wants to do every time she’s set to serve. Her serving certainly tied up Glendale’s chief rival in knots.
Magpantay collected eight aces Tuesday afternoon to help host Glendale pick up a 25-16, 25-16, 25-17 Pacific League victory against cross-town rival Hoover.
“I think I’m more consistent when jumping,” said Magpantay, who had four aces in the first game to give Glendale the upper hand. “I don’t know why, other than my arm strength is better.
“We need to keep getting better.”
Glendale (4-4, 3-4 in league) proved to be in complete control in the first of two season meetings against Hoover (1-7, 1-6). The teams will meet again at 3:30 p.m. Nov. 5 at Hoover.
The Nitros jumped out to 7-0 leads in the first and seconds games, and the Tornadoes could never form a similar run to climb back into the match.
“In all three games, for some reason, we always started off slow,” said Hoover Coach Charles Min, who got six kills from Sara Ortiz. “We had some opportunities, but we couldn’t convert.
“I see some things that we are doing well. We just have to get them to come through in their roles.”
Perhaps Magpantay’s serving troubled them. Most of her serves went untouched by the Tornadoes.
“Her serving and passing worked well for us,” said Glendale Coach Jennifer Vo, whose team finished with 11 aces. “They couldn’t pick up any of her jump serves.”
A perfect example came in the first game, as Magpantay’s first ace gave Glendale a 5-0 lead. The Nitros used a late 6-0 run — capped by three aces by Magpantay — to take a 23-13 lead.
Her best stretch of work came during the beginning of the second game. She had a pair of aces to help Glendale grab a 7-0 lead.
“We were able to serve tough and play smart,” said Vo, who got seven kills from April Reed and five from Ninette Mirzakhanian. “Our biggest problem has been service-receiving, and we’ve been a little slow with that.
“I think [Glendale] came out pumped.”
Hoover, which never led throughout the 75-minute match, got four kills from Rachel Sears. The Tornadoes fell behind, 12-1, in the first game before using a 12-5 run to close to within 17-13 on an ace by Andrea Ghazarian.
Glendale and Hoover will begin the second half of league competition at 3:30 p.m. Thursday.
The Nitros will host Burroughs, while the Tornadoes will travel to Muir.
CHARLES RICH covers sports. He can be reached at (818) 637-3228 or charles.rich@latimes.com.
