TOKAY BEATS LODI IN VOLLEYBALL
Ehlie Burroughs and Tokay High volleyball teammate Grace Polhemus knew what they had to do behind the line.
Tokay outside hitter Kayly Pau did her job at the net. Combined, the trio and their Tiger teammates had all-around play on the court.
But the Lodi volleyball squad executed its serves earlier in the match against its crosstown rival. Every point was key for the two local teams that were looking to extend their season going into next week. Tokay went on to win the fourth set and posted a 3-1 TriCity Athletic League win over the Flames at The Inferno on Wednesday; the final scores were 25-22, 25-19, 22-25, 25-19.
The win does three things for Tokay (4-6 in the TCAL, 6-8). First, Tokay swept Lodi (3-7 in the TCAL, 13-10) in their annual meetings this season. Tokay beat Lodi in six of the seven sets; the Tigers swept the Flames 3-0 in their first meeting on Oct. 7.
“Fantastic,” said first-year Tokay coach Kirsten Ryan in sweeping Lodi. “The girls worked real hard and I’m super proud of them.”
Wednesday’s match was
huge for Tokay and Lodi. With the win, Tokay clinched the league’s fourth playoff spot; the TCAL is sending four teams into the Sac-Joaquin Section playoffs.
According to the section’s office, the playoff brackets are scheduled to be released on Saturday. The playoffs are scheduled to begin on Monday.
According to Tokay High Athletic Director Michael Holst, it is believed that the last time a Tokay volleyball team reached the playoffs may have been in the mid-late 2000s.
Lodi jumped out to a 3-0 lead in the fourth set, thanks to two service points from setter Gianna Mora, plus a kill from outside hitter Madison Steele.
Then Burroughs went to the serving line. Pinpointing her serves at various spots on the Flames’ side of the court, Burroughs, a junior middle blocker, recorded service points and three of her five aces that established Tokay to take an 11-3 lead.
The Flames were solid with their serving in the third set that led to their only win in the match, were trying to get back on track. That led to cutting the Tigers’ lead to 13-7. After a series of sideouts by both teams, a kill from Lodi middle blocker Grace Salazar led to tying the set at 16-16. But a side out gave Tokay the lead at 17-16.
“We got our serves going,” said first-year Lodi coach Chuck Sterni. “That was the key. Keeping the serves on them.”
Then Polhemus (36 assists, 13 digs), a junior outside hitter and setter who has been a starter since her freshman year, took charge of the match for the Tigers. She stayed behind the line to serve out the rest of the match.
“It was very critical to get our momentum back,” Ryan said.
Along with coming up to the net for a kill, Polhemus and Pau (24 kills, 19 digs and four blocks), sophomore opposite hitter Taylor Willis (six kills and six digs) and Burroughs (19 digs and seven kills) slammed down kills down the middle and down each sideline that gave Tokay the victory.
“Serving in the fourth set was very crucial because you have to keep the ball in play, no matter what,” Polhemus said. “Hitting it down and crushing the ball makes us have energy.”
Sterni added, “When they have their big (Pau, who stands 6-foot-4) in the back row, we had to attack. That was the key to try to keep her back there and get points until she got to the front row.”
Back to the third set, Lodi, behind the play of Steele, along with Hannah Dondero at the libero spot, Mora, middle blockers Emma Eigenberger and Grace Salazar, setter Isabella Battaglia and outside hitter Riley Woznick, rotated around their side of the court to serve.
Along with serving contributions from hitter Julianna Hammer, a sophomore, plus a combination of Tokay errors on defense and serving, the Flames jumped out to an 8-4 lead.
Tokay rallied and tied the set at 10-10 thanks to a side out. But a service point from defensive specialist Kenzie Nies, a junior, Lodi retook the lead at 11-10. The Flames finished the set with a 14-12 score that was thanks to both teams exchanged many side-outs.
Both teams battled in the first two sets. They exchanged multiple leads in each set. Tokay led by only as many as two points in the first set, and five but won by six in the second set.