Holy Family can’t regroup against Providence after call
BURBANK — After splitting the first two games with Providence High, the Holy Family girls’ volleyball team appeared to have won the third set, 25-21, after what looked to be an Iris Guzman kill.
But a late net interference call gave the point to Providence, making the score 24-22, with the home team serving.
Providence went on to win that third game, 27-25, and ultimately the match by running away with the fourth and walking away with a 22-25, 25-22, 27-25, 25-8 nonleague victory at Providence.
“I think we just got momentum,” said Providence setter Jennifer Nardoni, who logged 37 assists. “We started to play more together as a team rather than thinking individually.”
Holy Family Coach Robert Bringas didn’t want to make excuses, but admitted that if his team would have won the third game, and taken a 2-1 lead in games, the end result might have been different.
“It obviously had an effect,” Bringas said. “We lost that set. It’s part of it and that’s something they have to learn to deal with.”
Bringas emphasized that his team can learn from disappointment instead of letting up.
“It sure looked like it,” Bringas said of the carry-over and letdown for his squad in the fourth game. “That’s something we’re going to have to work on, just continuing on and fighting on after tough calls.”
The match featured two very similar teams. Each relied on a stellar setter — Holy Family’s Rianne Sanchez logged 33 assists — and solid serving, but neither side featured a dominant hitter or could dominate at the net.
“When we shook hands at the end there, I told him we basically have the same team,” said Providence Coach James Jimenez, whose team improved to 2-1.
The match was a back and forth affair for the first three games. The Pioneers held a 22-18 advantage in the first before the Gaels rallied with seven unanswered points.
The second game was much the same, only the roles were reversed. It was Holy Family (1-2) that was up, 17-12, before Providence closed out with a 13-5 run to take the game.
In the third, the Gaels were ahead, 24-20, before Providence closed on a 7-1 run that included the net violation call.
Both Jimenez and Nardoni stressed that consistency will be the key for Providence’s continued improvement. Nardoni added that as a setter without one dominant hitter, she looks for the teammate who’s on a roll.
Fabi Jimenez had 14 kills and 15 digs for Providence. Teammate Stephanie Henoud added 10 kills and Nikka Adraneda had 25 digs.
Guzman finished with 12 kills for Holy Family.