Getting an opening round playoff game at home, the varsity Escalon Lady Cougars made the most of that opportunity, defeating Liberty Ranch 3-0 in Division 4 volleyball action.
They hosted the Hawks on Oct. 28 and swept the visitors 25-20, 25-18, 25-10.
“I think we might have come out a little slow and timid but once we found our groove we took care of business,” said head coach Shay Beam. “Our outsides led us in kills; Chloe Green had 10, Emma Strong had 13, and middle Peyton Houser Keaton contributed five kills.”
Houser Keaton also had three blocks, along with Strong, who also had 15 digs on the night.
“Serving is where we kind of set ourselves apart,” said Beam. “Aniston Hunt had six aces, Avery Bartelink had three, and Brynn Caton went on a long run in set two, getting us back from a four or so point deficit.”
The home crowd also helped buoy the Lady Cougars, who entered the playoffs as the number four seed, and took care of business against the number 13 Liberty Ranch Hawks.
The varsity girls were quickly back on the court, facing off Thursday, Oct. 30 in the quarterfinals, hosting number five seed El Dorado.
After dropping the opening set, 18-25, Escalon came back strong to take the next three, 25-19, 25-22, 25-9.
“Setter Aniston Hunt did a phenomenal job spreading out her sets, she ended the night with 32 assists and five kills herself,” Beam explained. “Strong had 11 kills, Bartelink had seven kills, Green and Marissa Terry each had six, and Peyton Houser Keaton had four.”
The squad also had players with double digit digs on the night.
“The team did well identifying the hitters in front of them,” the coach said. “Strong had 13 digs, Emma Rangel had 12, Bartelink had eight and Caton had five.”
After battling in the first set and ultimately falling short, it was a more determined Escalon team that came back for set two and though the sets were tight, they didn’t let El Dorado take another one. Strong also put together a lengthy series of service points in the final set.
“Coach Stephanie (assistant coach Stephanie Ceja) and I were very proud of our girls for fighting for every point on Thursday night and coming out on top,” Beam said.
Seniors Marissa Terry, Emma Rangel, Skyler Owings and Chloe Green were all excited to get a win in what may have been their final game on the home court.
“It was just a lot of fun, I think we finally clicked,” Terry said following the win over El Dorado. “I think we were playing with a lot of heart and it is really emotional.”
For Owings, she is proud of the team and how they have grown together this season.
“We have really excelled the last three months … we have worked really hard,” Owings said. “I’m so proud of us for getting to where we are … and I just love this team.”
Libero Emma Rangel said the team came together after an up and down league season to play some of their best volleyball in the postseason.
“We always put in all of our effort, 100 percent, we’re always going, going, going and working on everything and constantly watching film to study the other teams,” Rangel said. “I think we’re really coming together as a team, putting it all together as a team and just crushing it.”
Green had some big kills during the opening two playoff rounds and has been a key presence on the court this season.
“I feel like this year we had a lot of new people added to our team and I feel like we all, over time, have been able to come together so well and I feel like we’re all such good friends on and off the court and that has just helped us so much,” Green said.
She also said having a loud supportive crowd – as well as vocal teammates on the sidelines – gives those on the court a boost.
“It definitely helps us so much,” Green explained. “Having our school support and just all of our team come together, it’s just really special.”
