Flintridge Sacred Heart Academy volleyball downed in three
LA CAÑADA FLINTRIDGE — There isn’t a sense of panic surrounding the Flintridge Sacred Heart Academy volleyball team. Not after splitting its first two Mission League matches.
However, Flintridge Sacred Heart first-year Coach Ernest Banaag said there might be some tinkering with the lineup.
“Right now, we are inexperienced,” Banaag said after Harvard-Westlake recorded a 25-17, 25-7, 25-13 against host Flintridge Sacred Heart on Tuesday night. “You can sit hear and nitpick, yell and scream, but we will get back at it and make some adjustments.
“Maybe we have to make some changes with our rotation. It’s still only two league matches, and we still we like we have a fighting chance [to contend for the playoffs].”
Harvard-Westlake (13-5, 1-1 in league) used its experience to dispatch Flintridge Sacred Heart (4-6, 1-1) in the first of two head-to-head season meetings. The Tologs stayed close throughout the first half of the second game before solid passing and blocking by the Wolverines proved to be too much for the Tologs to handle.
The second game proved to be the turning point, one that deflated the Tologs, who are looking to win their first league championship since 2006.
Harvard-Westlake took a 5-2 lead and extended the advantage to 11-3 on a kill by Arielle Winfield, the daughter of Major League Baseball Hall of Famer Dave Winfield. The Tologs got no closer than 17-9 on a kill by Ally Clapp.
“We just came out flat in the second game,” said Banaag, whose team began league Thursday with a home win against Alemany.
A kill by Winfield gave the Wolverines a 12-3 advantage in the third game. Mia Natsis of Harvard-Westlake recorded a kill to make it 17-4.
Harvard-Westlake Coach Adam Black said the Wolverines’ serving improved each game.
“Our serving and attacking worked because it gave us a chance to keep the ball in,” Black said. “It gave us an opportunity to get after it.
“Flintridge Sacred Heart has a good coach and they are going to do some good things.”
Colleen Degnan finished with 18 digs for the Tologs, who got seven from Emily DeVelle and five kills from Sophia Coffey.
Winfield paced Harvard-Westlake with a team-high 12 kills. Jo Kremer recorded 10 kills for the Wolverines, who got 13 digs from Madison McAndrews.
Flintridge Sacred Heart will next participate in a league road match at 6:30 p.m. Thursday against Louisville before hosting neighbor La Canada in a nonleague contest at 6:30 p.m. Saturday.
