ADD PHOTO
The defending league champs are not giving up their title easily.
On Thursday night, the St. Bernard’s girls beat Ferndale in straight sets on the volleyball court to keep their hopes of an 11th consecutive league title on track.
The Crusaders won 25-20, 25-23, 28-26 to go to 6-2 in league play with one game remaining, while the Wildcats dropped to 6-2 and also have one game remaining.
Both schools will close out league play on Tuesday, when the Cats host Hoopa and the Crusaders host South Fork.
If they both win or both lose those games, then they would be crowned co-champs.
Also in action on Thursday, Hoopa Valley beat South Fork in five sets, winning 24-26, 25-13, 25-9, 23-25, 15-11 and improving to 4-4 in the Redwood League.
The big game of the night, however, was at St. Bernard’s, where the two league contenders faced off for the third time in league play.
And it was the Crusaders who avenged two earlier league losses to their rivals, and they did so with some help from their fans, who were clearly up for the occasion.
“What a night,” SB head coach Sejay Cyphers said. “Our student section came in loud at times. It felt like a gladiator ring. The momentum started with us and stayed with us. It was a night to remember for our team.”
It was a fitting atmosphere for two rivals who have battled neck and neck through league play.
“The St. Bernard’s crowd had amazing energy and it really was an exciting game to watch,” Ferndale head coach SK Montiel Clark said.
Brittyn Ikeya continued her big week with another strong performance for the home team.
The senior standout finished with eight kills and seven aces, while teammate Sailor Storer added three blocks, three aces and two kills.
Samantha Sundberg also had three aces and two blocks in the win, while Scarlett Zerlang added three kills and two aces.
But it was a team effort.
“Tonight we finally saw the team I knew we had in us all season,” Cyphers said. “The girls earned every point tonight. They’ve worked day in and day out in practice, and today it paid off in a big way.”
The Cats struggled against the Crusaders’ offense.
“Ultimately, our biggest struggle was our defense last night,” the Ferndale coach said. “We struggled to time our blocks and allowed too many balls to hit the floor.”
Senior team captain and setter Dalia Cantu-Mendez did her best to keep the Cats in the game and “did a great job spreading the ball around,” according to the coach.
She finished with 17 assists, while outside hitter Olivia Gossi had a good night at the service and line and had four aces.
“Ferndale gave us a tough game,” Cyphers said. “We’ve spent weeks preparing for their tough serves and strong middles. Their setter stays so composed on their side and she’s got so much hustle.”
Montiel Clark praised the performances of the SB outside hitters, and despite the loss she was proud with the way her players battled.
“My team made a great effort and kept all the sets close in score,” she said. “We will continue to work hard to finish out our season strong in our last league match against Hoopa.”
Cyphers also wants her team to close out strong after such a big win.
“We need to finish this season and go get playoffs ready to rock,” Cyphers said.
At Hoopa, meanwhile, the visiting Cubs gave their hosts all their could handle, but came up just short and remain winless in league play.
Impressive sophomore Vuunsip E-Kor led the Warriors with a team-high 10 kills and 12 digs, while Tylie McKinnon had a good all-around game, finishing with five aces and eight kills.
BellaAnn King also impressed for Hoopa and had 36 assists and eight aces, while Violet King had seven kills and four blocks, Naress Crawford had 10 aces and 11 digs, Luella Cosce had 18 digs and Victoria Nelson-Bautista had 12 digs.
