Glendora, CA- The South Torrance Spartans traveled to the home of the Regents for a rare Friday night game. Even with leading scorer Roni LaPierre on the bench, the Spartans were no match for the Regents. St. Lucy's took the match in four sets, 21-25, 25-22, 25-23, and 25-17.
Set one was marred by a lot of early Regent mistakes. Six service errors, numerous net violations and several overpasses had the Regents on their heels and calling time out trailing 12-18. An ace serve by Juliet McClure coming out of the time out, followed by a solo block by Loryn Carter had the lead cut to 2, 16-18. Just moments later, Loryn Carter cut the lead to one, 18-19, with a cross court kill and South called for a time out to ponder how to slow the Regents down. The Spartans came up with just enough to close out the set 25-21, however, it always felt like the Regents could turn things around anytime they chose. Set one South.
Set two was also marked by inconsistent Regent play. St. Lucy's seemed to be in commend, even when trailing by as many as five points. Loryn Carter made smart choices as to when to tip over the block and when to hammer the ball. The Spartans led until a Natalie Caro shot down the line tied it at 13. The Regents enjoyed their first lead at 18-17 following a Juliet McClure ace serve. Caro came up big down the stretch with a shot off of the block and two consecutive ace serves to close it out, Regents 25, Spartans 22.
Set three was where Sydney Bast shined. Despite South's early and substantial lead, Bast made the right hard swings and got just enough kills to keep the Regents in the hunt. St. Lucy's reduced the once six point lead to two on a couple BIG blocks by Carter. The Spartans took a time out leading 17-14 to see if they could stymie the Regent run. South then went on a 4-1 lead and could see the finish when the Regents called time out trailing 15-21. Much like the first set, it always felt as if the Regents could take over whenever they chose. This time they chose. A Carter block cut the lead to one, 22-23, a Sarah Bruchet ace knotted it at 23, a Carter tip over the block gave the Regents set point and a South hitting error gave the Regents the set 25-23. St. Lucy's 10-2 run at the end of the set was enough.
The Regents were in control of set four throughout. Newcomers Julianne Rohrer, Brennen Miller and Francesca D'Aquila contributed to the win. South called timeout trailing 4-10, only to return to an ace off of a Bast serve and back to back kills by D'Aquila that even had her cracking a smile. McClure blocked the kill attempt and gave the Regents the first match point. After siding out, Bast had had enough, up she went and knocked the final kill off of the high hands of the block, giving the Regents the win 25-17 and the match 3-1.
Tonights stat leaders were Juliet McClure (3 aces, 8 digs, 41 assists); Loryn Carter (4 blocks, 12 kills); Natalie Caro (13 digs, 14 kills); Sarah Bruchet (3 aces, 18 digs); Sydney Bast (2 aces, 1 block, 9 digs, and 15 kills) and Rachael Cavanaugh (5 kills.) St. Lucy's starts it's league season on the road next Thursday, October 3rd at Charter Oak. Come out and support your Regents!
Friday, September 27, 2013
Tuesday, September 24, 2013
La Salle Finally Gets The Best of the Regents
Pasadena- Victory over the Regents has been a long time coming for the La Salle Lancers. Prior to today, the teams had faced off four times, and each time the Regents had pulled out the victory. Today, La Salle got some long awaited redemption as they sweep St. Lucy's 25-19, 25-17, 29-27.
This pre-season match felt much more like a CIF playoff than an early non-league contest. La Salle had a strong fan contingency, their band, an announcer, and even charged admission. The volleyball did not disappoint. Set one was a closely contested match through the early going. Each point had to be earned by both teams. La Salle started to pull away with a strong middle attack, effective hitting by CK and Hailey DeSales, scrappy defense and a good block. The Regents took a timeout trailing 15-18 in hopes of turning the tide. Instead, La Salle returned with an ace serve by CK and the Regent hitters struggled to find the court around the block. La Salle took set one 25-19, but don't be fooled. The set was much closer than the score would indicate and every point was a battle.
Set two was knotted up until about the mid point, at which time the Lancers took control, stretching their lead to three, 16-13, on a Hailey Desales' ace. CK put a shot down to extend the lead even further, 18-14, and turned to the crowd for applause. With the crowd and the momentum behind them, La Salle pulled away and took set two 25-17.
The Regents had their chances in set three. Loryn Carter started out hot, making the first three Regent kills and putting up a huge block. La Salle caught up to the Regents at 5-5 and the teams stayed together until Roni LaPierre gave the Regents the lead 15-13 with a pretty roll shot over the block. La Salle took a minute talk it over. They fought their way back to a 16-16 tie and sent the Regents to a timeout. Lucy's came out of the timeout and went to work. Bast and LaPierre kills combined to extend the Regents lead 19-16. La Salle took a second time out; during which they chose to run lines. Following the timeout, the Regents' lead stretched to 20-16 when CK's attempt sailed long. A side out and DeSales cross court kill later had the Lancers trailing by just two and with the serve. Unfortunately, one of the Lancer players went down with a knee injury at this point. After the injury timeout, La Salle tied it at 20 when LaPierre's attempt carried long. Bast blasted a back court shot to the left side of the court to grab the lead back. CK pushed a shot off of Rachel Cavanaugh to get back to even. The Regents had a 22-21 edge, which Hailey DeSales erased by blocking LaPierre's tip, and then crushing a shot over the middle. La Salle's net violation knotted it at 23, but La Salle got the ball right back with a chance to seal the deal. Loryn Carter's tip over the block turned La Salle away and LaPierre's back row attack gave the Regents the chance to serve for the set, 25-24. Hailey DeSales tooled the block to extend the game and her ace serve gave the Lancer's their second match point. Loryn Carter put up another BIG block to level it at 26. CK's cross court shot gave La Salle a third match point, but again they did not convert as their kill attempt went long. The Regents double the next ball to side out and give the Lancer's a fourth chance to win the set. This time they put up a serve that was too hot to handle, and ended the set 29-27. It took four meetings to beat the Regents, and four set points to close out the match.
The Regents' record drops to 4-2 with the loss. Tonight's stat leaders were Juliet McClure, 30 assists; Sydney Bast, 15 kills; Roni LaPierre, 9 kills, 10 digs; Loryn Carter 9 kills, 2 blocks; and Sarah Bruchet, 23 digs.
This pre-season match felt much more like a CIF playoff than an early non-league contest. La Salle had a strong fan contingency, their band, an announcer, and even charged admission. The volleyball did not disappoint. Set one was a closely contested match through the early going. Each point had to be earned by both teams. La Salle started to pull away with a strong middle attack, effective hitting by CK and Hailey DeSales, scrappy defense and a good block. The Regents took a timeout trailing 15-18 in hopes of turning the tide. Instead, La Salle returned with an ace serve by CK and the Regent hitters struggled to find the court around the block. La Salle took set one 25-19, but don't be fooled. The set was much closer than the score would indicate and every point was a battle.
Set two was knotted up until about the mid point, at which time the Lancers took control, stretching their lead to three, 16-13, on a Hailey Desales' ace. CK put a shot down to extend the lead even further, 18-14, and turned to the crowd for applause. With the crowd and the momentum behind them, La Salle pulled away and took set two 25-17.
The Regents had their chances in set three. Loryn Carter started out hot, making the first three Regent kills and putting up a huge block. La Salle caught up to the Regents at 5-5 and the teams stayed together until Roni LaPierre gave the Regents the lead 15-13 with a pretty roll shot over the block. La Salle took a minute talk it over. They fought their way back to a 16-16 tie and sent the Regents to a timeout. Lucy's came out of the timeout and went to work. Bast and LaPierre kills combined to extend the Regents lead 19-16. La Salle took a second time out; during which they chose to run lines. Following the timeout, the Regents' lead stretched to 20-16 when CK's attempt sailed long. A side out and DeSales cross court kill later had the Lancers trailing by just two and with the serve. Unfortunately, one of the Lancer players went down with a knee injury at this point. After the injury timeout, La Salle tied it at 20 when LaPierre's attempt carried long. Bast blasted a back court shot to the left side of the court to grab the lead back. CK pushed a shot off of Rachel Cavanaugh to get back to even. The Regents had a 22-21 edge, which Hailey DeSales erased by blocking LaPierre's tip, and then crushing a shot over the middle. La Salle's net violation knotted it at 23, but La Salle got the ball right back with a chance to seal the deal. Loryn Carter's tip over the block turned La Salle away and LaPierre's back row attack gave the Regents the chance to serve for the set, 25-24. Hailey DeSales tooled the block to extend the game and her ace serve gave the Lancer's their second match point. Loryn Carter put up another BIG block to level it at 26. CK's cross court shot gave La Salle a third match point, but again they did not convert as their kill attempt went long. The Regents double the next ball to side out and give the Lancer's a fourth chance to win the set. This time they put up a serve that was too hot to handle, and ended the set 29-27. It took four meetings to beat the Regents, and four set points to close out the match.
The Regents' record drops to 4-2 with the loss. Tonight's stat leaders were Juliet McClure, 30 assists; Sydney Bast, 15 kills; Roni LaPierre, 9 kills, 10 digs; Loryn Carter 9 kills, 2 blocks; and Sarah Bruchet, 23 digs.
Friday, September 20, 2013
St. Lucy's Continues to Perform Well at Durango Classic
Henderson, Nevanda- The Durango Fall Classic is well known as the toughest national high school volleyball tournament. Each year it attracts some of the strongest volleyball teams from across the nation. This is the fourth year that the Regents have been invited to participate, and each year the team has finished better than the year before. St. Lucy's looked to have a heck of a time continuing that trend this year, having finished 16th last year and with a changed format that allows only one team from each pool to advance to the top 16. Guess what? The Regents were up to the challenge.
The Regents made it through pool play today 3-0; getting past Faith Lutheran, Mater Dei and Coronado and earning an opportunity to advance to the Championship Bracket tomorrow. First up was Faith Lutheran. The Regents took care of their opponents quite handily with tough serving and ball control. Set one went to Lucy's 25-16. Game 2 was even more lopsided, with the Regents up 11-1 before they turned the ball over on a service error. Faith Lutheran was no contest for St. Lucys; Regents win set two 25-14. Stat leaders for the match were Juliet McClure (8 aces, 23 assists); Loryn Carter (1 block, 8 kills); Natalie Caro (5 kills, 4 digs); Sarah Bruchet (8 digs); Sydney Bast (6 kills) and Roni LaPierre (5 kills.)
Next up was heavily favored Mater Dei. The Monarchs were coming off of just having won the Dave Mohs tournament and are ranked number one in CIFSS for their division. It took three sets, but the Regents were able to pull off the win. The Regents started set one strong, taking the early lead on a tool off the block by Roni LaPierre and a crushing kill on an overpass by Loryn Carter. Lucy's built a 12-8 lead before Dan O'Dell called time out. Mater Dei came out of the time out focused and number 11's strong serving got them to a 12-12 knot. Back and forth it went from there with ties at 13, 14, 15, 17 and 18. O'Dell employed the old "time out trick" at 18-18, to Mater Dei's success. Next thing you know, the Regents are down 18-21 and calling time out. A couple of calls that did not go the Regents way and a couple of service errors later, game Mater Dei 25-22.
Set two started similarly to set one. Lucy's ball control made a big difference: perfect pass, led to perfect set, led to perfect kill. Regents up 8-4 at the Mater Dei time out. Mater Dei clawed their way back into contention, despite incurring injuries to their middle blocker and setter, on a five point service run by Tess Morales. St. Lucy's created space again after the 10-10 tie, taking a 14-10 lead on solid play. The Regents maintained the four point lead until late in the set when the Monarchs made a push to get within 1, 23-24. The Regents fought hard, LaPierre saving a ball that careened off the block that Loryn Carter put down in a cross court slam, giving the Regents the hard fought victory 26-24.
The format of this tournament is a little different. Instead of playing the third set to 15, the teams play a 25 point third set. It would not have mattered. Lucy's led at 15, and took it at 25. This time it was Mater Dei that got out to the early lead, up 5-1. St. Lucy's repeatedly hurt themselves with service and hitting errors and stayed down by 4 until mid set. A LaPierre put away on an overpass gave the Regents their first lead since 1-0, up 13-12. They never let it go again. LaPierre went into her bag of tricks and poked balls to the deep corners and tipped over the block. Carter went into crush mode. Bast and Bruchet were passing nails. Loryn tipped the last ball over the block and the Regents took set three 25-21. Stat leaders were LaPierre (20 kills, 14 digs, 4 assists), Carter (11 kills), McClure (29 assists, 2 aces, 7 digs), Bast (1 block, 13 digs, 6 kills), Caro (11 digs) and Bruchet (14 digs.)
The last match of the day was Coronado. They had St. Lucy's in size; but that was all they had over the Regents. Set one was played pretty closely by both teams until the middle of the set. Around the 12 point mark the Regents shifted into a higher gear. Rachel Cavanaugh went on a wicked serving streak at the end of the match that saw St. Lucy's to a 25-15 victory. Set two was more of the same. Although the Coronado height had the ability to give the Regents fits, the Lucy defense more than stood up to the height differential. The Regents would not let a ball drop, even if it meant kicking it up and into play, as LaPierre did on one occasion. Freshman Brennan Miller made a late set appearance and made her presence known with an ace service. Sydney Bast blasted a shot down the line to end the match, St. Lucy's 25-12. Stat leaders were McClure (5 digs, 20 assists), LaPierre (7 kills, 1 block, 4 digs), Bast (6 digs, 6 kills, 2 aces), Cavanaugh (3 aces, 1 block, 3 digs, 4 kills), Carter (5 kills) and Caro (7 digs, 2 kills.)
The Regents play tomorrow at Durango where they will face Lakewood in a first place finisher's cross-over match to determine which 8 teams will fight for the Championship and which 8 teams will drop to the silver bracket.
Durango, Nevada- The Regents had a rough go of it on the second day of the Durango Fall Classic. The cross-over match against Lakewood was a test and St. Lucy's continued to play high level volleyball. They lost in three, 22-25, 29-27, 22-25. I'm not going to bore you with the details, since it is now several days later. (Sorry. I got busy. Dock my pay.) Suffice it to say, the Regents left it all on the court and should be proud of their play. The loss sent the Regents to the silver division to finish out the tournament.
Next up was Assumption. With no time to rest between the Lakewood match and the Assumption match, the Regents came out listless, and never recovered. They lost to a very disciplined and smart team in two, kinda ugly- 11-25 and ?-25.
The final match of the day was against Xavier Prep. Roni LaPierre sat this match out to nurse the sprained ankle she suffered at the end of the Lakewood match, so Kelsie Remige got an opportunity to put in some quality minutes. Remige was a mystery to the opponent, befuddling them by sometimes hitting with her left arm, then switching up and hitting with her right. Unfortunately, the Regents did not have enough firepower and dropped the match in two sets, 17-25, 20-25.
The Regents end the tournament tied for 15th place, which is not too shabby in this deep and talented field. They played amazing and proved to themselves and many of the doubters out there that they can make some noise again this year!
The Regents made it through pool play today 3-0; getting past Faith Lutheran, Mater Dei and Coronado and earning an opportunity to advance to the Championship Bracket tomorrow. First up was Faith Lutheran. The Regents took care of their opponents quite handily with tough serving and ball control. Set one went to Lucy's 25-16. Game 2 was even more lopsided, with the Regents up 11-1 before they turned the ball over on a service error. Faith Lutheran was no contest for St. Lucys; Regents win set two 25-14. Stat leaders for the match were Juliet McClure (8 aces, 23 assists); Loryn Carter (1 block, 8 kills); Natalie Caro (5 kills, 4 digs); Sarah Bruchet (8 digs); Sydney Bast (6 kills) and Roni LaPierre (5 kills.)
Next up was heavily favored Mater Dei. The Monarchs were coming off of just having won the Dave Mohs tournament and are ranked number one in CIFSS for their division. It took three sets, but the Regents were able to pull off the win. The Regents started set one strong, taking the early lead on a tool off the block by Roni LaPierre and a crushing kill on an overpass by Loryn Carter. Lucy's built a 12-8 lead before Dan O'Dell called time out. Mater Dei came out of the time out focused and number 11's strong serving got them to a 12-12 knot. Back and forth it went from there with ties at 13, 14, 15, 17 and 18. O'Dell employed the old "time out trick" at 18-18, to Mater Dei's success. Next thing you know, the Regents are down 18-21 and calling time out. A couple of calls that did not go the Regents way and a couple of service errors later, game Mater Dei 25-22.
Set two started similarly to set one. Lucy's ball control made a big difference: perfect pass, led to perfect set, led to perfect kill. Regents up 8-4 at the Mater Dei time out. Mater Dei clawed their way back into contention, despite incurring injuries to their middle blocker and setter, on a five point service run by Tess Morales. St. Lucy's created space again after the 10-10 tie, taking a 14-10 lead on solid play. The Regents maintained the four point lead until late in the set when the Monarchs made a push to get within 1, 23-24. The Regents fought hard, LaPierre saving a ball that careened off the block that Loryn Carter put down in a cross court slam, giving the Regents the hard fought victory 26-24.
The format of this tournament is a little different. Instead of playing the third set to 15, the teams play a 25 point third set. It would not have mattered. Lucy's led at 15, and took it at 25. This time it was Mater Dei that got out to the early lead, up 5-1. St. Lucy's repeatedly hurt themselves with service and hitting errors and stayed down by 4 until mid set. A LaPierre put away on an overpass gave the Regents their first lead since 1-0, up 13-12. They never let it go again. LaPierre went into her bag of tricks and poked balls to the deep corners and tipped over the block. Carter went into crush mode. Bast and Bruchet were passing nails. Loryn tipped the last ball over the block and the Regents took set three 25-21. Stat leaders were LaPierre (20 kills, 14 digs, 4 assists), Carter (11 kills), McClure (29 assists, 2 aces, 7 digs), Bast (1 block, 13 digs, 6 kills), Caro (11 digs) and Bruchet (14 digs.)
The last match of the day was Coronado. They had St. Lucy's in size; but that was all they had over the Regents. Set one was played pretty closely by both teams until the middle of the set. Around the 12 point mark the Regents shifted into a higher gear. Rachel Cavanaugh went on a wicked serving streak at the end of the match that saw St. Lucy's to a 25-15 victory. Set two was more of the same. Although the Coronado height had the ability to give the Regents fits, the Lucy defense more than stood up to the height differential. The Regents would not let a ball drop, even if it meant kicking it up and into play, as LaPierre did on one occasion. Freshman Brennan Miller made a late set appearance and made her presence known with an ace service. Sydney Bast blasted a shot down the line to end the match, St. Lucy's 25-12. Stat leaders were McClure (5 digs, 20 assists), LaPierre (7 kills, 1 block, 4 digs), Bast (6 digs, 6 kills, 2 aces), Cavanaugh (3 aces, 1 block, 3 digs, 4 kills), Carter (5 kills) and Caro (7 digs, 2 kills.)
The Regents play tomorrow at Durango where they will face Lakewood in a first place finisher's cross-over match to determine which 8 teams will fight for the Championship and which 8 teams will drop to the silver bracket.
Durango, Nevada- The Regents had a rough go of it on the second day of the Durango Fall Classic. The cross-over match against Lakewood was a test and St. Lucy's continued to play high level volleyball. They lost in three, 22-25, 29-27, 22-25. I'm not going to bore you with the details, since it is now several days later. (Sorry. I got busy. Dock my pay.) Suffice it to say, the Regents left it all on the court and should be proud of their play. The loss sent the Regents to the silver division to finish out the tournament.
Next up was Assumption. With no time to rest between the Lakewood match and the Assumption match, the Regents came out listless, and never recovered. They lost to a very disciplined and smart team in two, kinda ugly- 11-25 and ?-25.
The final match of the day was against Xavier Prep. Roni LaPierre sat this match out to nurse the sprained ankle she suffered at the end of the Lakewood match, so Kelsie Remige got an opportunity to put in some quality minutes. Remige was a mystery to the opponent, befuddling them by sometimes hitting with her left arm, then switching up and hitting with her right. Unfortunately, the Regents did not have enough firepower and dropped the match in two sets, 17-25, 20-25.
The Regents end the tournament tied for 15th place, which is not too shabby in this deep and talented field. They played amazing and proved to themselves and many of the doubters out there that they can make some noise again this year!
Wednesday, September 18, 2013
The Regents Outlast the Cougars in a Five Set Battle
"The battle of life is, in most cases, fought uphill; and to win it without struggle were perhaps to win it without honor. If there were no difficulties there would be no success; if there were nothing to struggle for, there would be nothing to be achieved." Samuel Smiles
Rancho Cucamonga- The fans waved American Flags, enjoyed the pageantry of the presentation of colors and a beautiful rendition of the National Anthem sung by a Rancho Cucamonga student and united in supporting our service men and women. The evening was dedicated to the Wounded Warrior project. But once the whistle blew, each team set out to implement its own war strategy. The teams battled hard, but when the smoke cleared, it was St. Lucy's that stood triumphant after a grueling five set contest: 21-25, 25-23,26-28, 28-26, 15-12.
Battle One: Rancho got out to a quick start, up 5-0 before Natalie Caro found the ground with a kill from the middle. St. Lucy's got to even and the fight went back and forth until Rancho made a mid-set run, sending the Regents to talk trailing 12-16. The Regents never did get their feet solidly underneath themselves in this set, with many serves into the net, unforced hitting errors and confused defensive assignments. The set ended appropriately, with a serve by LaPierre into the net. Rancho won this offensive 25-21.
Battle Two: The Regents hit the floor in set two with much more energy and hustle. They built a three to four point lead repeatedly, but shot themselves in the foot repeatedly, with unforced errors and net serves. St. Lucy's amassed a 12-8 lead, causing Coach Flores to retreat to a time out. A Rachel Cavanaugh ace and strong middle play by Caro kept the Regents ahead. Rancho called time out again; now down 15-20. The Cougars kept fighting and made it interesting, closing the gap to 22-23 when LaPierre hit one into the net. Rancho generously repaid the Regents by serving the next ball into the net, setting up the first set point: Regents 24, Rancho 22. Sydney Bast's attempt to end it sailed a little long, making it 24-23. The Regent's strong serve receive kept them focused and the set ended on a net violation by Rancho. St. Lucy's takes battle two 25-23.
Battle Three: The Regents started strong taking the first two points, but Rancho stormed right back and took a 4-2 lead after successive St. Lucy hitting errors. A big time block by Loryn Carter and another ace serve by Cavanaugh kept the Regents within striking distance. Rancho, however, was winning most of the long rallies and maintaining a three to four point lead. By mid-set, the Regents were back within one, following an ace serve by Bruchet to make it 16-17. Kylie Miller's back row attack pushed the Cougars up by 2. LaPierre tooled the block to cut the lead to one, and Cavanaugh's service winner tied it at 21. Back and forth the teams fought. Bruchet made an amazing set on a ball that careened off of the equipment and LaPierre put it down for the tie at 22. McClure served into the net, giving the Cougar's best server the ball and lead, 23-22. Bast's impressive serve receive and LaPierre's clutch hitting gave the Regents the ball and the lead 24-23. LaPierre, Caro and Bruchet each served for the set, but each time the Cougars pushed the Regents back. Kylie Miller finally strung two kills together to push Rancho over the top 28-26.
Battle Four: Sarah Bruchet left it all on the court in this set. More than once she pulled balls back onto the court that were practically in the bench, and the Regents were able to convert those balls into points. The Regents were up 8-4, but had to know that such a lead would not last. The Cougars battled to within one point, when LaPierre crushed one at the 10 foot line to put the Regents up 12-10. McClure stepped up and served an ace to make it 13-10. Rancho hung tough, and vaporized the lead, tying it at 13 on a big block. Loryn Carter's cross court kill restored the Lucy lead. The Cougars shifted the battle plan and started tipping and rolling the ball to tough spots. This led to ties at 16, 17,18 and 19. A cross court blast by Bast off of a nice set by McClure made it 22-20. Rancho kept fighting and tied the set at 24. LaPierre rolled a nice shot down, Regents up 26-25, but her next hit went a little wide. Miller attempted to put her team ahead, but hit it too long. Regents took advantage of the hitting error and pushed to a victory on the next ball. St. Lucy's took 4, 28-26.
So in the end, it all boiled down to the ever important Battle Five. LaPierre set the tone, smashing a shot between the block. The teams swung at each other, blow after blow, and were tied at 5. It was a tug-of-war from then on. Back row winner by Caro. Rancho worked the ball off of the Lucy block. Bast attacked from the back row. Rancho used the middle to score. LaPierre hit a winner to the deep corner. Kylie Miller with her own cross court kill and and ace to tie it at 11. Loryn Carter blistered a kill cross court. Bruchet and LaPierre paired up to ping pong a crucial ball over to extend the late lead. Rancho, strong from the middle, cut the lead to 1. Bruchet's overpass spelled sure disaster, but Rancho's overly zealous hit sailed long. Natalie Caro served for the set and match and Loryn Carter blasted a shot that was just too hot for Rancho to handle. Regents pulled it out 15-12, taking the 5th battle.
The Regents battled uphill all night. Although they struggled at times, through difficult, hard work, they found the honor in victory over a very good opponent. Both teams will surely meet in battle again, but today, the war was won by the girls on the hill.
Today's stat leaders were Roni LaPierre with 15 digs and 21 kills; Sarah Bruchet with 28 digs; Sydney Bast with 18 digs and 11 kills; Loryn Carter with 2 blocks and 15 kills; Juliet McClure with 2 blocks, 2 aces, 15 digs, 3 kills and 57 assists; Natalie Caro with 2 aces, 15 digs and 8 kills; and Rachael Cavanaugh with 2 aces, 4 digs and 9 kills.
Wednesday, September 11, 2013
The Regents Eek Out Another Road Victory
Hacienda Heights-- The gym was hot. The crowd was hostile. The opposing coach was distracting. The match was long. But the Regents had just enough composure to pull out another difficult road win. St. Lucy's took last night's match 25-16, 25-21, 25-27, 23-25, 17-15.
Set one got underway with a couple nice swings fired by outside hitter Syd Bast. The Regents jumped out to a five point lead on good defense and smart hitting before Los Altos began to heat up and chip the lead away. Rachael Cavanaugh stepped up and served two consecutive aces to stamp out the threat, and the Regents were in stride. Los Altos called timeout trailing 10-18, and saw the lead extend to 22-12 before mounting another attack. The Regents made a few defensive errors, giving the Conquerors new life and hope and causing Douglas to take a time out at 22-16. Coming out of the timeout, Bast tooled the block, Natalie Caro served an ace and Loryn Carter blocked the Los Al attempt to end the LA run, and the game. Regents 25, Conquerors 16.
Los Altos came out stronger in set two and took the early lead. The Regents caught up at 7 and pushed ahead to a 10-7 lead before Los Altos found it's middles and sparked a come back. The game was tied at 10, 11, 12, 13, and 14, before Sarah Bruchet created a little space with back to back aces. Los Altos middle hitter, number 15, kept finding the hole and kept the Conquerors within striking distance, until Juliet McClure's poke over on two and effective Regent serving took over. Los Altos took a time out at 17-23, and then took the next four points before siding out. The Regents did not let the serve go after that and pushed to a 25-21 end to set two.
Set three was feast and famine for the Regents. Los Altos went to a tricky short serving game that forced St. Lucy's out of system. Despite some nice kills by Roni LaPierre, the Regents trailed for most of the game. Loryn Carter logged a big block to tie the game at 15, but the Conquerors went into their bag of tricks and pulled out more short serves, roll shots, and tips to extend their lead to 20-16. St. Lucy's took a minute to talk things over, and came out of the time out more focused. The Regents started their late set run, sending Los Altos to their corner to talk at 21-23, and 22-23, in an effort to trip up server Juliet McClure. With the game tied at 23, McClure's serve went into the net. Loryn Carter's shot off of the block tied the set at 24 and gave the Regents the ball and a chance to end the match. It was LaPierre's turn to serve into the net. Loryn got the ball back for the Regents again, this time with a touch tip off of the block, and the Regents were serving tied at 25. Los Al got the ball to it's middle, who found the floor with ease. St. Lucy's attempt to tie it up at 26 sailed wide, and the Conquerors took the set 27-25.
Set four started out sloppy for both teams: two Regent errors, followed by a Los Al overpass that LaPierre put away. The teams eased into the set after that, keeping it close or tied before Bast went on a nice serving run to put the Regents up 13-9. The Conquerors were unrelenting, however, and fought their way back into the set. St. Lucy's timeout at 18-16 was not enough to stop the momentum and Los Altos tied it at 19. Loryn Carter's cross court kill gave the Regents the edge. The Los Altos middle hitter took it right back with a sharp shot to the back corner and her teammate consolidated the lead with an ace serve. Los Altos' hitter's attempt did not clear the tape, but the coach nonetheless took the opportunity to interrupt the game (for the second time) to dispute the call. The delay was followed by a Los Al timeout before the game resumed. St. Lucy's miscommunication on a second ball pass gave the Conquerers the ball and the lead at 23-21. The Los Al serve went long and Alina Mota was given the tough task of coming in cold to serve 22-23. Her serve nicked the antenna and Los Al was serving for the set, up 24-22. Roni LaPierre answered with a kill to regain the ball, but the Los Al middle responded with her own kill, giving the Conquerors set 4, 25-23.
Set five put the Regents to the test. Los Al had all of the momentum and the home court advantage. Roni LaPierre got the Regents off to a strong start with back to back kills, but the serving errors kept mounting. St. Lucy's seemed frazzled and dropped behind 4-6, before clawing back into it. Los Al took a timeout trailing 7-8, and it worked. Bast's serve coming out of the timeout sailed long and the set was tied at 8, and at 9, and at 10. Los Alto's grabbed the lead on another kill from the middle and extended the lead to 13-10 when Carter's swing did not clear the tape. Douglas called time out, and it worked! Los Al served the ball long; Carter put the next set down, and tipped the next to tie it at 13. Los Al set the middle for another automatic kill to the deep corner. LaPierre followed with her own deep corner shot to tie it at 14. Los Al blocked the next attempt to go up 15-14. Bast tied it with a cross court kill. The Regents took the lead 16-15 on a roll shot by Sydney and Sarah Bruchet finished the game, set and match with an ace. Regents win set 5 17-15.
It was ironic that this match ended with an ace serve considering the Regents donated 16 free points to the Conquerors on missed serves. At the end of the day, St. Lucy's found the strength it needed to battle the adverse conditions and muscle out the win. The Regent stat leaders were Roni LaPierre, 22 kills, 14 digs; Loryn Carter 14 kills, 2 blocks; Sydney Bast, 16 kills, 11 digs and 2 aces; Sarah Bruchet, 3 aces, 12 digs, and 5 assists; and Juliet McClure 18 digs and 43 assists.
Next up: Rancho Cucamonga, Tuesday, September 17th. This match is dedicated to the Wounded Warrior cause. Shirts are available for purchase and the proceeds are being donated to this worthy cause.
Set one got underway with a couple nice swings fired by outside hitter Syd Bast. The Regents jumped out to a five point lead on good defense and smart hitting before Los Altos began to heat up and chip the lead away. Rachael Cavanaugh stepped up and served two consecutive aces to stamp out the threat, and the Regents were in stride. Los Altos called timeout trailing 10-18, and saw the lead extend to 22-12 before mounting another attack. The Regents made a few defensive errors, giving the Conquerors new life and hope and causing Douglas to take a time out at 22-16. Coming out of the timeout, Bast tooled the block, Natalie Caro served an ace and Loryn Carter blocked the Los Al attempt to end the LA run, and the game. Regents 25, Conquerors 16.
Los Altos came out stronger in set two and took the early lead. The Regents caught up at 7 and pushed ahead to a 10-7 lead before Los Altos found it's middles and sparked a come back. The game was tied at 10, 11, 12, 13, and 14, before Sarah Bruchet created a little space with back to back aces. Los Altos middle hitter, number 15, kept finding the hole and kept the Conquerors within striking distance, until Juliet McClure's poke over on two and effective Regent serving took over. Los Altos took a time out at 17-23, and then took the next four points before siding out. The Regents did not let the serve go after that and pushed to a 25-21 end to set two.
Set three was feast and famine for the Regents. Los Altos went to a tricky short serving game that forced St. Lucy's out of system. Despite some nice kills by Roni LaPierre, the Regents trailed for most of the game. Loryn Carter logged a big block to tie the game at 15, but the Conquerors went into their bag of tricks and pulled out more short serves, roll shots, and tips to extend their lead to 20-16. St. Lucy's took a minute to talk things over, and came out of the time out more focused. The Regents started their late set run, sending Los Altos to their corner to talk at 21-23, and 22-23, in an effort to trip up server Juliet McClure. With the game tied at 23, McClure's serve went into the net. Loryn Carter's shot off of the block tied the set at 24 and gave the Regents the ball and a chance to end the match. It was LaPierre's turn to serve into the net. Loryn got the ball back for the Regents again, this time with a touch tip off of the block, and the Regents were serving tied at 25. Los Al got the ball to it's middle, who found the floor with ease. St. Lucy's attempt to tie it up at 26 sailed wide, and the Conquerors took the set 27-25.
Set four started out sloppy for both teams: two Regent errors, followed by a Los Al overpass that LaPierre put away. The teams eased into the set after that, keeping it close or tied before Bast went on a nice serving run to put the Regents up 13-9. The Conquerors were unrelenting, however, and fought their way back into the set. St. Lucy's timeout at 18-16 was not enough to stop the momentum and Los Altos tied it at 19. Loryn Carter's cross court kill gave the Regents the edge. The Los Altos middle hitter took it right back with a sharp shot to the back corner and her teammate consolidated the lead with an ace serve. Los Altos' hitter's attempt did not clear the tape, but the coach nonetheless took the opportunity to interrupt the game (for the second time) to dispute the call. The delay was followed by a Los Al timeout before the game resumed. St. Lucy's miscommunication on a second ball pass gave the Conquerers the ball and the lead at 23-21. The Los Al serve went long and Alina Mota was given the tough task of coming in cold to serve 22-23. Her serve nicked the antenna and Los Al was serving for the set, up 24-22. Roni LaPierre answered with a kill to regain the ball, but the Los Al middle responded with her own kill, giving the Conquerors set 4, 25-23.
Set five put the Regents to the test. Los Al had all of the momentum and the home court advantage. Roni LaPierre got the Regents off to a strong start with back to back kills, but the serving errors kept mounting. St. Lucy's seemed frazzled and dropped behind 4-6, before clawing back into it. Los Al took a timeout trailing 7-8, and it worked. Bast's serve coming out of the timeout sailed long and the set was tied at 8, and at 9, and at 10. Los Alto's grabbed the lead on another kill from the middle and extended the lead to 13-10 when Carter's swing did not clear the tape. Douglas called time out, and it worked! Los Al served the ball long; Carter put the next set down, and tipped the next to tie it at 13. Los Al set the middle for another automatic kill to the deep corner. LaPierre followed with her own deep corner shot to tie it at 14. Los Al blocked the next attempt to go up 15-14. Bast tied it with a cross court kill. The Regents took the lead 16-15 on a roll shot by Sydney and Sarah Bruchet finished the game, set and match with an ace. Regents win set 5 17-15.
It was ironic that this match ended with an ace serve considering the Regents donated 16 free points to the Conquerors on missed serves. At the end of the day, St. Lucy's found the strength it needed to battle the adverse conditions and muscle out the win. The Regent stat leaders were Roni LaPierre, 22 kills, 14 digs; Loryn Carter 14 kills, 2 blocks; Sydney Bast, 16 kills, 11 digs and 2 aces; Sarah Bruchet, 3 aces, 12 digs, and 5 assists; and Juliet McClure 18 digs and 43 assists.
Next up: Rancho Cucamonga, Tuesday, September 17th. This match is dedicated to the Wounded Warrior cause. Shirts are available for purchase and the proceeds are being donated to this worthy cause.
Thursday, September 5, 2013
Los Osos Is Too Gooden For The Regents
Glendora- The 2-0 Regents faced off against the 2-0 Grizzlies in a preseason dual for local bragging rights. Los Osos had more game, and size, than St. Lucy's could handle, and handed the Regents their first defeat of the year.
The Grizzlies set the tone early in the first set, getting the ball into the hands of their 6-2 outside hitter, Ashton Gooden-Smith, who made five early kills to put Los Osos comfortably in the lead. The Regents struggled to string consecutive points together, calling timeout trailing 4-10. The Regents were not able to figure much out during the timeout and the Grizzly lead stretched to 9. Despite amazing Regent defense on the final point, where LaPierre, Bast, and Bruchet made impossible digs on hard driven balls, St. Lucy's dropped set one 25-16.
Not much changed in set two, except maybe the number of Regent errors (which increased.) St. Lucy's started at an 0-4 deficit, serving the ball out and hitting into the antenna. The Regents would periodically put one down, but their one-and-out scoring was insufficient to keep pace with the Grizzlies who were picking up kills in threes and fours. The Regents were trailing 2-8 after three servers. Sarah Bruchet's serve saw the Regents get to within two, 6-8, but St. Lucy's would get no closer than that. St. Lucy's took a timeout at 13-17 to discuss things. Something terribly wrong must have been said in the huddle because it was all Los Osos after the timeout. Grizzlies finished out set two 25-15.
A lot changed in set three. The Regents came out on fire and jumped out to a 2-0 lead on a wicked kill by Loryn Carter. The Regents maintained a two to three point lead through the beginning of the set. Los Osos caught up to the Regents at 9, but Roni LaPierre's kill snatched the Lucy lead back. Los Osos caught up again at 13, this time LaPierre tooled the block to regain the lead. The Grizzlies finally caught up and overtook the Regents at 17, gaining their first lead 18-17. It was a see-saw battle from there. Kill by LaPierre. Roll shot by Gooden-Smith. Tip by Loryn Carter. A dubious "over" call against the Regents gave the Grizzlies a two point lead, followed by a thunderous put away of an overpass by Gooden-Smith, and Los Osos was thinking about packing their bags, up 23-20. The Regents were not going to roll over. They battled back to within one point, 22-23, when Sydney Bast's attempt was blocked straight down. A net violation gave the Regents one last hope, with Bast serving down 23-24. Unfortunately, LaPierre's attempt was blocked and the Grizzlies pulled out the straight sets win, taking the third game 25-23.
The Regent stat leaders were Roni LaPierre, 9 kills 11 digs; Loryn Carter, 5 kills, 2 blocks; Sydney Bast, 5 kills, 2 aces, 13 digs; Juliet McClure, 27 assists, 8 digs and Sarah Bruchet, 11 digs. In the end, Los Osos' size and experience won the day. Although St. Lucy's did not come away with a win, it was not a complete loss. The Regents learned a lot in this match that will serve them well as they prepare to face quality teams in the future. In fact, there's even chance that these two teams could meet again at the Durango Classic or the Redondo Union Tournament. Lucy girls are very good students so don't be surprised if they apply what they learned tonight and get a different outcome.
The Grizzlies set the tone early in the first set, getting the ball into the hands of their 6-2 outside hitter, Ashton Gooden-Smith, who made five early kills to put Los Osos comfortably in the lead. The Regents struggled to string consecutive points together, calling timeout trailing 4-10. The Regents were not able to figure much out during the timeout and the Grizzly lead stretched to 9. Despite amazing Regent defense on the final point, where LaPierre, Bast, and Bruchet made impossible digs on hard driven balls, St. Lucy's dropped set one 25-16.
Not much changed in set two, except maybe the number of Regent errors (which increased.) St. Lucy's started at an 0-4 deficit, serving the ball out and hitting into the antenna. The Regents would periodically put one down, but their one-and-out scoring was insufficient to keep pace with the Grizzlies who were picking up kills in threes and fours. The Regents were trailing 2-8 after three servers. Sarah Bruchet's serve saw the Regents get to within two, 6-8, but St. Lucy's would get no closer than that. St. Lucy's took a timeout at 13-17 to discuss things. Something terribly wrong must have been said in the huddle because it was all Los Osos after the timeout. Grizzlies finished out set two 25-15.
A lot changed in set three. The Regents came out on fire and jumped out to a 2-0 lead on a wicked kill by Loryn Carter. The Regents maintained a two to three point lead through the beginning of the set. Los Osos caught up to the Regents at 9, but Roni LaPierre's kill snatched the Lucy lead back. Los Osos caught up again at 13, this time LaPierre tooled the block to regain the lead. The Grizzlies finally caught up and overtook the Regents at 17, gaining their first lead 18-17. It was a see-saw battle from there. Kill by LaPierre. Roll shot by Gooden-Smith. Tip by Loryn Carter. A dubious "over" call against the Regents gave the Grizzlies a two point lead, followed by a thunderous put away of an overpass by Gooden-Smith, and Los Osos was thinking about packing their bags, up 23-20. The Regents were not going to roll over. They battled back to within one point, 22-23, when Sydney Bast's attempt was blocked straight down. A net violation gave the Regents one last hope, with Bast serving down 23-24. Unfortunately, LaPierre's attempt was blocked and the Grizzlies pulled out the straight sets win, taking the third game 25-23.
The Regent stat leaders were Roni LaPierre, 9 kills 11 digs; Loryn Carter, 5 kills, 2 blocks; Sydney Bast, 5 kills, 2 aces, 13 digs; Juliet McClure, 27 assists, 8 digs and Sarah Bruchet, 11 digs. In the end, Los Osos' size and experience won the day. Although St. Lucy's did not come away with a win, it was not a complete loss. The Regents learned a lot in this match that will serve them well as they prepare to face quality teams in the future. In fact, there's even chance that these two teams could meet again at the Durango Classic or the Redondo Union Tournament. Lucy girls are very good students so don't be surprised if they apply what they learned tonight and get a different outcome.
Tuesday, September 3, 2013
The Regents Continue to Dominate The Bearcats
Glendora- The St. Lucy Regents faced up against the Bonita Bearcats in a pre-season battle that proved to be less than fierce. Both teams played, fine. Each with moments of glory, but overall, the match was a snoozer. St. Lucy's took it in straight sets; 25-12, 25-17 and 25-21.
The Regents were in control of set one from start to finish. After an early seven point serving run by Roni LaPierre, the Regents were up 9-2. Riley Inman answered with an ace serve, solid defense and a run of her own to bring the Bearcats to within 5 of the Regents. They would get no closer. Franchessca D'Aquila put in some quality minutes for the Regents, playing well defensively and making kill after kill. Natalie Caro did her share of tough serving and had the Bearcats running for a time out down 18-9. Bonita was unable to shift the tide, and the Regents finished it out 25-12.
Set two brought more of the same. Loryn Carter found her swing and bounced a couple balls in front of the the 10 foot line. Bonita got the gap closed to three, but the Regents turned up the pressure. St. Lucy's led 20-14 at the Bearcat's time out call. The time out proved futile and the Regents took set two 25-17.
Set three was more interesting for a few reasons. One, the Bearcats kept it close and even took the lead a few times. Two, Coach Douglas played around with his line up, so we got to see several new faces. Among the new players to contribute to the Regent's success are a trio of freshmen: Jenna Bailey, Brennan Miller and Julianna Rohrer. In addition, some of the senior veterans showed their skills- Sarah Bruchet setting in a 6-2 with Juliette McClure, Madi Gilmartin stepping in at outside and making two key kills, and Kelsey Remige, clogging up the middle. As always, Sydney Bast provided solid defense and leadership on the court throughout the match. Despite ties at 7, 8, 9, 10, 16, and 21, when push came to shove, the Regents took charge, closing out set three 25-21.
Stat leaders for the evening were Roni LaPierre, 10 kills, 2 aces; Francessca D'Aquila, 5 kills; Rachel Cavanaugh, 2 blocks; Sydney Bast, 10 digs, 2 aces and Juliet McClure, 16 assists.
Next up: Los Osos. Los Osos lost in the CIF Championship last year, so they are hungry to prove themselves. In addition, the team has improved greatly since last year, adding some key new personnel. Be there on Thursday to support your Regents in what will surely be an exciting match. Game starts at approximately 5:30 pm.
The Regents were in control of set one from start to finish. After an early seven point serving run by Roni LaPierre, the Regents were up 9-2. Riley Inman answered with an ace serve, solid defense and a run of her own to bring the Bearcats to within 5 of the Regents. They would get no closer. Franchessca D'Aquila put in some quality minutes for the Regents, playing well defensively and making kill after kill. Natalie Caro did her share of tough serving and had the Bearcats running for a time out down 18-9. Bonita was unable to shift the tide, and the Regents finished it out 25-12.
Set two brought more of the same. Loryn Carter found her swing and bounced a couple balls in front of the the 10 foot line. Bonita got the gap closed to three, but the Regents turned up the pressure. St. Lucy's led 20-14 at the Bearcat's time out call. The time out proved futile and the Regents took set two 25-17.
Set three was more interesting for a few reasons. One, the Bearcats kept it close and even took the lead a few times. Two, Coach Douglas played around with his line up, so we got to see several new faces. Among the new players to contribute to the Regent's success are a trio of freshmen: Jenna Bailey, Brennan Miller and Julianna Rohrer. In addition, some of the senior veterans showed their skills- Sarah Bruchet setting in a 6-2 with Juliette McClure, Madi Gilmartin stepping in at outside and making two key kills, and Kelsey Remige, clogging up the middle. As always, Sydney Bast provided solid defense and leadership on the court throughout the match. Despite ties at 7, 8, 9, 10, 16, and 21, when push came to shove, the Regents took charge, closing out set three 25-21.
Stat leaders for the evening were Roni LaPierre, 10 kills, 2 aces; Francessca D'Aquila, 5 kills; Rachel Cavanaugh, 2 blocks; Sydney Bast, 10 digs, 2 aces and Juliet McClure, 16 assists.
Next up: Los Osos. Los Osos lost in the CIF Championship last year, so they are hungry to prove themselves. In addition, the team has improved greatly since last year, adding some key new personnel. Be there on Thursday to support your Regents in what will surely be an exciting match. Game starts at approximately 5:30 pm.
Subscribe to:
Posts (Atom)