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Lady Cougars Sweep Hilmar Volleyball Squads
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With just one Trans-Valley League contest on the schedule this past week, Escalon went on the road to Hilmar.

For the varsity Lady Cougars, it was a 3-1 victory over the host Lady Yellowjackets in the Thursday, Sept. 30 match.

Scores were 25-20; 25-23; 23-25; 25-15.

Leading the way for the varsity was Rylie Lattig with an outstanding effort, coming away with 39 assists, four aces and 11 digs.

Mandy Murphy continued her impressive season on the court as well, with 20 kills, nine digs and three blocks.

Emily Vickers also was among the stats leaders with 17 kills, five aces and 14 digs while libero Grace Ferreira dug out 13 balls.

“We started very slow against Hilmar, and then finished strong at the end,” head coach Teresa Williamson noted. “The girls didn’t play bad, just didn’t start with the fire that we have been playing with.”

They were scheduled to play a non-league game at Big Valley on Monday, Oct. 4; then are to host Riverbank in Escalon on Thursday, Oct. 7.

“We will be celebrating Dig Pink,” Williamson said of the pink jerseys to be worn by players for Breast Cancer Awareness Month. “Please come out and show your support.”

 

JUNIOR VARSITY

On the road for their Thursday night contest at Hilmar, it was a win in straight sets for the JV girls.

“We went to Hilmar expecting a challenging night and we walked away winning in two sets,” said coach Krystal Rodriguez. “One of the best and sweetest wins in my career. Who doesn’t want to beat Hilmar on their court or field?”

Madison Smith continues to work hard and improve on the right side, Rodriguez added, while Macie Vickers continues to dominate the back row with Grace Spurgeon, both having amazing defense with Hilmar’s attacks.

“Sophia Martin stayed consistent and aggressive getting in four kills,” Rodriguez said. “Macie Vickers had four kills out of the back row with only having seven attempts, she’s a powerhouse.”

Also having an outstanding night was Claire Barkus, a freshman, who played well in middle front and continues “to improve each time she takes the court,” said Rodriguez.

 

FRESHMEN

Playing Ripon Christian in non-league action, Escalon’s youngest volleyball team went on the road to face off with the young Lady Knights, helping them fill in a hole in their schedule on Sept. 27.

“We won in three,” said coach Shay Beam. “Last time we played RC we won but it was very close. Thankfully, I can say the same for this game. We took it to three with scores of 18-25, 25-8 and 15-12.”

Leading the way were Chloe Fraser with seven aces and four kills; Mady Herrera with six aces and eight kills.

“On Thursday we finally faced Hilmar again, our only loss of the season,” Beam said of getting back to TVL play, on the road for that contest as well.

“Of course I wanted to win and I told my team just that,” said the coach. “They dug themselves into a few holes and fought with a lot of heart to win in three.”

Herrera had six aces, nine kills and five digs. Fraser had eight kills and three aces, Alondra Gonzalez added one block. Natalie Giuntoli had nine digs; Cheyenne Ratkiewicz added eight while Lexi Briggs and Riley Ogilvie both had seven digs.

“We played good defense on Thursday night at Hilmar, I’m very proud of how they stepped up and won that game,” Beam said of the 26-24, 22-25, 15-9 victory. “You can’t coach heart but these girls luckily have it on their own.”

Also, the freshman girls traveled to the Orestimba Tournament and they went undefeated, taking first place. Look for additional details on that tournament showing in the Oct. 13 issue.