Pali High setter Delaney Arth talks about her team’s season opener against Taft.
Palisades High girls volleyball coach Carlos Gray didn’t know what to expect heading into Thursday’s season opener against Taft.
Only one of his starters was playing the same position she did last year and it 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.
The defending City Section Division II champion Toreadors ultimately prevailed, 25-20, 25-23, 23-25, 15-25, 15-3, but Isabel Kelly 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 skillfully with 31 assists, libero Olivia Zelon dug 11 balls and Angel Echipue proved to be 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.”
The Dolphins travel to another West Valley League opponent, Granada Hills, 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.”
— Steve Galluzzo
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