When the draws were released for the City Section Division I girls volleyball playoffs Palisades High head coach Carlos Gray described a potential quarterfinal with South Gate as “a semifinal-level match.”
When the teams met last Thursday in the Elite Eight, however, it went much smoother than Gray anticipated. The sixth-seeded Rams gave Palisades all it could handle in pool play at the Sylmar Tournament a few weeks earlier but the third-seeded Dolphins swept the best-of-five rematch, 25-15, 25-20, 25-9.
Photo: Steve Galluzzo
“We came in better prepared,” Gray said. “I had film on them and knew exactly how to defend them and attack them.”
Isabel Kelly led the way with 10 kills and fellow outside hitter Domineque Jeffords added six as the Dolphins took charge early in the opening set, jumping out to a 9-4 lead. Kelly’s spike up the line ended it.
“We knew what we had to do to beat this team — we played smart, we controlled our block, we controlled our passing and our effort was consistent the whole time,” said Kelly, who switched from middle blocker to outside hitter this season. “They had a huge block, so the key was smart roll shots and being consistent.”
South Gate made adjustments and took an early 11-9 lead in the second set, but the Dolphins regrouped to pull in front 18-17 and established a two-set cushion on Jeffords’ crosscourt kill.
Libero Olivia Zelon made several diving saves to keep points alive while Tielar Richards, Angel Echipue and Milena Gorum controlled the net.
“Isabel was a real force tonight and Olivia is the X Factor,” Gray said. “We can leave a section of the court open because I know she’ll somehow get there.”
The third set was never in doubt as Palisades opened a 7-0 lead. South Gate called time at 21-9 to stem the tide but the Dolphins won the final four points.
In Tuesday’s semifinals Palisades traveled to second-seeded El Camino Real, with the winner facing Granada Hills or Carson for the championship Saturday at 7 p.m. at Roybal Learning Center in Los Angeles.
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