The race for this year’s Redwood League championship in volleyball will likely go down to the wire in what is expected to be a competitive league this fall.
But on Thursday night the Ferndale Wildcats kept their championship ambitions well on track with a four-sets win over defending champion St. Bernard’s in Eureka.
The Cats won 25-16, 20-25, 25-21, 25-22.
Also on Thursday night, the Hoopa Warriors bounced back from Tuesday’s league-opening loss to SB with a straight-sets win at South Fork, winning 25-14, 25-18, 25-21.
Ferndale is now 2-0 in league play, with St. Bernard’s and South Fork both 1-1 and tied for second.
“The team overall is coming together really well and the girls continue to work hard towards a great season,” Ferndale head coach SK Montiel Clark said. “I am extremely proud of their efforts and I’m excited for more.”
The final three sets of the night were close as both teams battled.
St. Bernard’s head coach Sejay Cyphers described it as “a competitive match that left us wanting a little more.”
“I’m disappointed with the result because I felt like the opportunity was there for us, but we were unable to finish when it mattered most,” the SB coach added.
The Gossi sisters — senior outside hitter Olivia and sophomore middle blocker Abagail — each enjoyed big nights in the win, finishing with a team-high 10 kills apiece.
Setter Dalia Cantu-Mendez also had a big night in the win and finished with seven aces while leading an “excellent offense,” according to the coach.
Libero Fallon Bullan added 15 digs and “kept us steady,” the coach added.
Despite the loss, there were some positives for the Crusaders, who continued to battle.
“We had some great rallies and several hustle plays that showed the fight and determination of this group,” Cyphers said. “Our girls continued to battle and never stopped competing.”
Brittyn Ikeya had a good hight at the service line for St. Bernard’s and finished with with seven aces and two kills, while teammate Scarlett Zerlang had two kills and an ace and Claira Hoffman had a block, an ace and a kill.
“Credit to Ferndale,” Cyphers said. “They were the better team tonight and did a great job limiting their errors.
“For us it comes down to learning how to capitalize on those close moments and finish the points when we have the opportunity.”
Both schools will continue league play on Tuesday.
St. Bernard’s will host South Fork and Ferndale will host Hoopa.
And Cyphers is confident her players can bounce back.
“This is a team that continues to work hard and grow, and I’m proud of the effort they continue to give,” she said. “We’ll take what we can learn from tonight, get back to work and keep moving forward.”
The Ferndale JVs also won in two sets to make it a good all-around night for the program.
The Young Cats are also 2-0 in league.
Hoopa 3, South Fork 0
The Warriors kept their championship ambitions on track with a nice bounce-back win at South Fork.
Karmen Whitecrane continued her impressive start to league play with another big night, finishing with a team-high eight kills, while teammate Vuunsip E-Kor added three kills.
Tylie McKinnon had a big night at the service line for Hoopa, finishing with eight aces, while Luella Cosce had a team-best 14 digs and Kimi Wagenfuhr had eight digs.
The Warriors improved to 10-13-1 overall, while South Fork dropped to 3-5.
