Consistency is key: Southwest topples Calexico, 3-0
CALEXICO — Yes, the Southwest Eagles defeated the Calexico Bulldogs in their volleyball match Tuesday night. And it will indeed go into the record books as a straight sets sweep.
But this was a scrap in every sense of the word. From the very beginnings of the match, it was clear that the two teams were natural foils.
They traded points back and forth with such regularity that it wouldn’t be a surprise to learn that the whole thing fell under the purview of some hyper-localized stock-exchange.
Both teams took turns in the driver’s seat. The earliest exchanges had an explorative affect. It seemed as though Southwest wasn’t entirely sure what to expect from the Bulldogs, who had been something of a middling team in 2017, and Calexico used that to their advantage to win a couple of early points.
The Eagles stabilized quickly, however, and soon began to demonstrate why they’re perennial Imperial Valley League contenders.
As the first set progressed the Bulldogs seemed to become a bit more tentative in the face of Southwest’s steel resolve.
Many attacks that seemed ferocious enough from the stands where calmly turned back by the Eagles’ stout defense — defense that more and more turned to offense, sending Calexico into a number of desperate scrambles.
Once Southwest grabbed the lead, there was generally no wresting it from them. They were able to make a small cushion stick as they took the first set, 25-19.
What distinguishes the Eagles’ play — what proved to be the defining quality of the match — is their terrific team discipline.
All night long the Eagles stuck together in tight formation, a bunch of purple jerseys arrayed in a wheel, which whirled and spun, seemingly as one.
Southwest touches almost never seemed to involve two players attempting to hit the same ball, something which happened not infrequently on the Calexico side.
The two sides seemed to be typified by their respective liberos. Southwest’s Sadriena Rodriguez, seemed to receive every ball exactly the same way and to be just where she needed to be as often as not.
Calexico’s Luz Martinez, was less precise, but no less talented. She would on occasion pull off some truly impressive digs, often involving somersaults. Indeed it was Calexico’s athleticism that kept them in the thick of it while Southwest attempted systematically to shut them down.
The Bulldogs appeared to have something of a size advantage on the front line, which they used to make a slew of clean blocks and thunderous putaways.
If not for their occasional bouts of miscommunication and freelancing, it is easy to envision Calexico walking away with a win here.
The second set played out much like the first, but things got increasingly contentious. A number of fans trickled in late and the atmosphere in the gym got quite rowdy.
Southwest ends up winning it 25-21, after a number of intense exchanges and cheer-offs that occasionally reach for pure pandemonium.
In the third (and final) set, the din may well have registered on the Richter scale, especially after a questionable line call made it 17-13 Calexico, such was the dueling joy and outrage of the opposed faithfuls.
At that point, it appeared as though the Bulldogs might have enough momentum to close out the set, but after a couple of plays in which the Eagles seemed uncharacteristically discomfited, Coach Lisa Hinshaw called a timeout, after which 17-13 quickly became 19-19.
Things didn’t cool down from there.
A bit of scoreboard hot-potato led to a 25-25 deadlock. The Eagles ground it out, 28-26, to stay IVL unbeaten, and nobody can say they haven’t earned it.