VOLLEYBALL: Quartz Hill sweeps, remains perfect
Sept. 26, 2014
ALONSO TACANGA/Valley Press
QUARTZ HILL - The powerful Quartz Hill girls volleyball team saw itself in a toe-to-toe battle in all three games against Golden League rival Highland on Thursday night.
In all three games, the Rebels' relentless fierceness eventually overwhelmed the Bulldogs.
"We knew right away that we'd have to kind of battle for a while and hopefully pull away at the end of each set," Quartz Hill head coach David Gutierrez said.
In a 25-14, 25-20, 25-15 sweep of Highland, the second-ranked team in Division 3AA didn't wait until the end of each set to pounce on its rival.
Quartz Hill, which is 11-0 overall and 3-0 in league play, took over following early deficits in all three games. The Rebels went on set-ending runs of 18-6 in the first, 18-11 in the second and 18-7 in the third.
Ifeoma Ufondu, a nightmare for the Bulldogs all night long, was particularly strong in the final frame, recording seven of her 17 total kills during Quartz Hill's clinching run.
"I don't know that we turned it on so much," Gutierrez said. "I think we're capable to force teams to have to play 25 total points in order to beat us."
So far, no one has been able to do that, with the frustrated Bulldogs becoming the latest victims.
Highland, one of the league's top teams, couldn't sustain the intensity of play it started out with, nor its composure, according to head coach Tina Diaz.
"It wasn't typical of our team the way we played," she said.
The Bulldogs, who dropped to 2-1 in league play, held 8-7 leads in every frame before being presented with onslaughts from Quartz Hill.
Some of the damage was self-inflicted, as Highland spotted the Rebels 20 free points off of errors and violations. Unfortunately for the Bulldogs, the mistakes also played a trick on their psyche.
"It's the momentum part of volleyball," Diaz said. "Any time we had the momentum, one of our players would make one of those really bad errors at a bad time and it would kill the momentum.
"The frustration would set in and the girls wouldn't play to their potential because they were so frustrated about that player who made that basic error. And they couldn't recover from it."
Junior outside hitter Katelyn Evans led Highland with six kills while teammates Paula Hicks and Jada White each added five. Evans, one of the league's top talents, was visibly upset following the loss but was far from discouraged.
She was already looking ahead at the rematch at Highland on Oct. 21.
"I think we can get them. I do," Evans said.
It certainly won't be easy. Besides Ufondu, the Rebels have a handful of players who can attack with both power and finesse. They also appear to be firing on all cylinders early in the season.
In one occasion in the first set, Aquabata Okenwa leaped up off the floor before setter Lindsey Blasius even had a chance to touch the ball to set it up for her, but Okenwa's hang time allowed Blasius to give her the perfect assist for one of Okenwa's eight kills on the night.
Perfect timing. Perfect team.
"We've gotten to a high point this week," Gutierrez said. "The girls were definitely excited for this match. They might have jumped a little bit higher and moved a little bit faster."
With the Rebels as the clear cream of the crop at this point in the Golden League, the Bulldogs, who have league championship aspirations of their own, will have six league games to work out some kinks before they get their next shot at Quartz Hill.
Despite the loss, they are confident they can put a blemish in the Rebels' impeccable season.
"We'll be prepared now," Diaz said. "I'm a little bit old school. I had to see how Quartz Hill played with my own eyes first. Second time around, we'll be more prepared."
ALONSO TACANGA/Valley Press
QUARTZ HILL - The powerful Quartz Hill girls volleyball team saw itself in a toe-to-toe battle in all three games against Golden League rival Highland on Thursday night.
In all three games, the Rebels' relentless fierceness eventually overwhelmed the Bulldogs.
"We knew right away that we'd have to kind of battle for a while and hopefully pull away at the end of each set," Quartz Hill head coach David Gutierrez said.
In a 25-14, 25-20, 25-15 sweep of Highland, the second-ranked team in Division 3AA didn't wait until the end of each set to pounce on its rival.
Quartz Hill, which is 11-0 overall and 3-0 in league play, took over following early deficits in all three games. The Rebels went on set-ending runs of 18-6 in the first, 18-11 in the second and 18-7 in the third.
Ifeoma Ufondu, a nightmare for the Bulldogs all night long, was particularly strong in the final frame, recording seven of her 17 total kills during Quartz Hill's clinching run.
"I don't know that we turned it on so much," Gutierrez said. "I think we're capable to force teams to have to play 25 total points in order to beat us."
So far, no one has been able to do that, with the frustrated Bulldogs becoming the latest victims.
Highland, one of the league's top teams, couldn't sustain the intensity of play it started out with, nor its composure, according to head coach Tina Diaz.
"It wasn't typical of our team the way we played," she said.
The Bulldogs, who dropped to 2-1 in league play, held 8-7 leads in every frame before being presented with onslaughts from Quartz Hill.
Some of the damage was self-inflicted, as Highland spotted the Rebels 20 free points off of errors and violations. Unfortunately for the Bulldogs, the mistakes also played a trick on their psyche.
"It's the momentum part of volleyball," Diaz said. "Any time we had the momentum, one of our players would make one of those really bad errors at a bad time and it would kill the momentum.
"The frustration would set in and the girls wouldn't play to their potential because they were so frustrated about that player who made that basic error. And they couldn't recover from it."
Junior outside hitter Katelyn Evans led Highland with six kills while teammates Paula Hicks and Jada White each added five. Evans, one of the league's top talents, was visibly upset following the loss but was far from discouraged.
She was already looking ahead at the rematch at Highland on Oct. 21.
"I think we can get them. I do," Evans said.
It certainly won't be easy. Besides Ufondu, the Rebels have a handful of players who can attack with both power and finesse. They also appear to be firing on all cylinders early in the season.
In one occasion in the first set, Aquabata Okenwa leaped up off the floor before setter Lindsey Blasius even had a chance to touch the ball to set it up for her, but Okenwa's hang time allowed Blasius to give her the perfect assist for one of Okenwa's eight kills on the night.
Perfect timing. Perfect team.
"We've gotten to a high point this week," Gutierrez said. "The girls were definitely excited for this match. They might have jumped a little bit higher and moved a little bit faster."
With the Rebels as the clear cream of the crop at this point in the Golden League, the Bulldogs, who have league championship aspirations of their own, will have six league games to work out some kinks before they get their next shot at Quartz Hill.
Despite the loss, they are confident they can put a blemish in the Rebels' impeccable season.
"We'll be prepared now," Diaz said. "I'm a little bit old school. I had to see how Quartz Hill played with my own eyes first. Second time around, we'll be more prepared."