Given how many new players were on the court, Palisades High girls volleyball head coach Carlos Gray didn’t know what to expect heading into last Thursday’s season opener against Taft.
Only one of the Dolphins’ starters was even playing the same position she did last year and that showed in the first two sets, but when Sadie Gray rolled her ankle and couldn’t continue it seemed to inspire her teammates, who rallied to take sets three and four and level the match.
Photo: Steve Galluzzo
Sure, the defending City Section Division II champion Toreadors ultimately prevailed, 25-20, 25-23, 23-25, 15-25, 15-3, but there were plenty of positives for Pali High’s coach to focus on.
Isabel Kelly, a middle blocker last season, had four aces and showed what she can do at outside hitter, Tielar Richards had a team-high 11 kills, setter Delaney Arth ran the offense efficiently with 31 assists, libero Olivia Zelon dug 11 balls and was a stadout on defense and Angel Echipue proved a strong presence in the middle with nine kills.
“The key to us coming back was ball control,” Gray said. “We started to key more on the pins. The ball control went away in the last set. It finally caught up to us having girls in positions they aren’t used to playing. That said, give Taft credit. That team is full of seniors and is not going to get rattled no matter the situation.”
Monday’s Western League opener against Westchester was canceled and will be made up on a date to be determined. The Dolphins travel to Granada Hills, a team from the West Valley League, on Sept. 19 in a rematch of last year’s City Section Division I final, which the Highlanders won in three sets.
“It’s one thing scrimmaging against your own team but it’s fun to play against another really good opponent. It was a good way to measure ourselves,” Arth said. “I think this is a good confidence builder for Granada Hills, but there are little things we need to fix along the way.”
Taft Coach Arman Mercado expected a tough match and was not surprised it went five sets.
“Pali’s middles were dominant, they played great and they’ll be there at the end,” Mercado said. “Game 5 is what we love. We train for that situation in practice.”
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