Closing out the first half of the season on a winning note, Escalon’s varsity Lady Cougars shut down Hughson 3-0 on the volleyball court on Sept. 30.
It was their only match of the week, and they made it count with scores of 25-13, 25-20, 25-12.
Leaders were: Hannah Boyd 24 assists; Mandy Murphy nine kills, one block, eight digs; Mya Beary six kills, four aces, one block, three digs; Melanie Smith five kills and two blocks; Tess Cosby seven digs.
“We finished the first round of league 5-1,” said head coach Teresa Williamson, with their only loss in the first round coming against Hilmar.
The coach said the squad is eager to continue the season and look toward putting more wins on the books.
"The girls have been working hard. They are very motivated and determined,” Williamson said.
JUNIOR VARSITY
With Wednesday as their league bye, the JV girls also suited up for just one contest.
Unfortunately, they lost the match on their home court, swept by visiting Hughson, 22-25, 12-25, 12-15.
“As hard as the girls played we couldn’t pull the win out against Hughson,” said coach Krystal Rodriguez. “With volleyball being one of the most mental sports out there, they have to figure out how to not shut down for even one point when playing a match. Sometimes teams will lose focus, drive and energy that way and it’s such a fast sport nowadays that a good opponent will see that and win just for having more of those essential skills.”
Rodriguez said that’s what Hughson did, so that is what she will have her team work more on.
“Resetting and getting ready for the next play. With the extra day off it allowed us to work on everything from offense to defense and everything in between,” Rodriguez added. “First half of league is done and in the books. Time to step up our game and be ready for round two.”
FRESHMEN
On Monday, Sept. 30, the frosh girls played Hughson at home and won 25-14 and 25-17.
“This was a rough game to start. Two of our players suffered from sprained ankles right from the start, however, the team was able to recover and stay focused to finish the game with a win,” said coach Nicole Bianchi.
Faye Hernandez had a very solid serve receive allowing the team to run the offense. Mallory Berhorst led in attacks with five kills and Madelyn Spurgeon led in serving with four aces.
“I am very proud of the girls for stepping up to fill positions and finish out the game,” Bianchi said.
On Thursday, Oct. 3, the frosh girls got in an extra match, playing Linden at Linden and winning 2-0, with scores of 25-8 and 25-11.
“The team came out ready to play and stayed focus the entire match to finish with the win,” explained Bianchi. “In this game our serving really pushed points and all players did outstanding in that area.”
