Bulldogs take bite out of Vikes, win 3-0
HOLTVILLE – The Calexico High School Bulldog girls volleyball team opened up the second round of Imperial Valley League play by defeating a determined Holtville High Vikings team three games to none here Thursday night.
The Bulldogs prevailed 25-18, 25-19 and 25-16 to improve their IVL record to 5-2 while the loss left the Vikings, who have three IVL matches next week, at 0-4.
Calexico coach Yvana Lopez said she felt her team gave a great effort for playing in their third consecutive game this week after traveling to Palo Verde in Blythe on Tuesday and then playing a five-game match against the Cibola Raiders on Wednesday night in Yuma.
“We played solid volleyball tonight even though I could see some fatigue in the players,” Lopez said.
Holtville coach Chelsey Strahm saw her team stayed close in all three games of the match but failed at critical times.
“Being able to execute and keep the ball in play has been an issue for us all season,” Strahm said. “When we get behind our team tends to play too cautiously and try not to make mistakes when we need to be aggressive.”
The key combination for the Bulldogs was the setting of junior Nataly Martinez and sophomore Lyah Macias and the hitting of senior Iran Alvarez, who led all hitters with 23 kills in the match.
“I know where she is all the time and I’m looking to set to her … she’s solid, she’s our star,” said Martinez who had 13 set assists and two service aces. Macias added 12 more assists to the Bulldog cause. Calexico’s senior libero Luz Martinez had a solid night in the backrow with 26 digs while serving up 18 points.
Alvarez has been the go-to hitter for Calexico the past three seasons and sometimes feels the pressure. “When we are behind I feel pressure from within myself but when I get a kill it brings me back,” Alvarez said.
“She feels like the team is on her shoulders but it’s really just that her teammates trust her,” Lopez said.
For Holtville, in the match Ella Hoyt had 13 set assists and four digs, Jasmine Martinez had four kills and three blocks while Sarah Grizzle had eight kills, two service aces and six digs.
Next week will perhaps be the most important of the season for the Bulldogs who travel on Tuesday to play Brawley and then on Thursday go to Southwest, the two teams currently ahead of them in the IVL standings.
“We will have a hard time on the road beating them but we are still aiming to win,” Nataly Martinez said.
Added Lopez, “Next week will be interesting because we need to win those matches for league but matches will help us get a better position in CIF because they are both tough.”