The Crusaders are finding their groove on the volleyball court at an opportune time.
On Thursday night, the St. Bernard’s girls traveled to Hoopa for the second time in 10 days and came away with another big win over one of their biggest challengers for this year’s Redwood League championship.
SB won in four sets, 25-11, 23-15, 25-17, 25-18, improving to 3-1 in league play and dropping the Warriors to 2-2.
The win was the second straight in league play for the visitors, who have responded well to last week’s loss against Ferndale.
And the players came ready to go, opening up strong with a 14-point win in the first set.
“The girl showed up to play again,” SB head coach Sejay Cyphers said.
Scarlett Zerlang and Samantha Sundberg helped set the early tone from the service line.
Zerlang served seven consecutive points in the opening set, while Sundberg served six straight points.
The Hoopa girls battled back to tie things with a hard-fought two-point win in set two, but the Crusaders wood close out strong, taking the final two sets to end the match in four.
Karmen Whitecrane and Vuunsip E-Kor each finished with five kills for the hosts, while Violet King had a big night at the net, finishing with four blocks and three kills.
“The Hoopa gym is always loud with their student section and crowd,” Cyphers said. “It’s a great energy to go play in.”
Cyphers also praised the play of Hoopa’s King.
Luella Cosce added 14 digs for the Warriors, while E-Kor had 10 digs, and BellaAnn King finished with a team-high 20 assists.
A good night serving for the Crusaders continued well into the night, with Sailor Storer serving 10 consecutive points in the third set.
“Consistency from the service line was key tonight,” Cyphers said.
Next up, on Tuesday, St. Bernard’s plays at Ferndale and Hoopa plays at South Fork.
