Glendale High volleyball sweeps Hoover in quick fashion

GLENDALE — Serene Snaer looked for the most vulnerable opponent and simply tried to attack her.

Whether it was on a kill attempt or a set, the senior on the Glendale High girls’ volleyball team had numerous opportunities to frustrate her cross-town rivals.

Snaer had a match-high seven aces and added six kills, as the Nitros needed just 65 minutes to defeat host Hoover, 25-13, 25-15, 25-14, in Thursday’s Pacific League match.

“When it comes to serving, I like to look to someone to pick on and it comes out the way it does,” said Snaer, who had four aces and a pair of kills in the final game. “I also try to find an opening.”

She quickly added that she thought the Tornadoes (1-6 in league) were better than what they showed in the first meeting between the teams.

Hoover Coach Gaby Gallardo said her team just wasn’t ready.

“They don’t want to win,” she said. “They don’t want to play. There is no desire right now. They said they were ready and it’s a rival. But to come out and play like this, it’s disappointing.”

The Tornadoes had as many unforced errors as they had points in the first game.

“That’s not being focused and not knowing what their goal is,” Gallardo said.

Hoover’s own mistakes hurt its chances, as it had nine unforced errors in the second game and eight in the third.

“They were pretty slow today,” Glendale outside hitter Kirsten Cabarong said. “They didn’t have a strong blocker. We knew where to hit it.”

Cabarong led the Nitros (8-3, 4-3 in league) with a match-high 11 kills and she also contributed three aces. Teammate Grace Tappin had seven kills and Sevana Stepanian and Brenna Cancilla had eight and seven assists, respectively.

The Nitros’ balanced attack didn’t allow the Tornadoes to gain much momentum.

Glendale never trailed in the first game, as it started the contest with five consecutive points – four on Hoover errors – and ended it with four unanswered points. It used an eight-point run to build a 10-4 lead in the second game, one of five runs that the Nitros had of at least three unanswered points in the first two games. Hoover couldn’t score three consecutive points in either of the first two games.

The Tornadoes, though, scored the first four points of the third game, but saw the Nitros put together another rally. Glendale took 10 of the next 11 points to deflate the Tornadoes and move one step closer to a possible postseason berth, the Nitros’ goal for this season after they finished in sixth place in league last year.

“Our motivation to win is for our school,” Cabarong said. “We want to make it to the CIF [playoffs].”