The members of Central Valley's and Ceres High's varsity girls volleyball teams expended a tremendous amount of energy during last week's matchup.

The visiting Hawks won the crosstown showdown in five games, 15-25, 25-16, 18-25, 27-25, 15-8, Wednesday evening at Phil de la Porte Gymnasium.

"This was not one of our team's best efforts to be honest," Central Valley first-year head coach Regina Selfridge said. "Our best effort so far was when we played against Summerville High School. The girls were amazing and were playing at an incredibly high level."

The Hawks improved to 2-2 in the Western Athletic Conference.

The Bulldogs dropped to 1-3 in conference play.

Ceres High and Central Valley placed second and third, respectively, in the WAC standings last season.

"It was fantastic playing Ceres," Selfridge said. "Darlene Tobler (head coach of the Bulldogs) runs a great program. The Ceres match provides an opportunity for the girls from both high schools to see each other and play against each other. Of course it feels wonderful to walk away with a W."

Bulldog Alyssa Stiles collected 37 digs, 10 kills, five blocks and one ace versus the Hawks.

Kyara Rodriguez added 28 assists, 17 digs and three kills.

Madison Nash had 26 digs, eight kills, two aces and one block.

Diana Zarco had 22 digs, four kills, two assists and one ace.

Mya Robinson had 16 digs and five kills.

Siriana Gudino had nine blocks, five kills, two digs and one ace.

Karina Pulido had eight digs.

Isabel Macias had six digs.

Yanelli Rodriguez had two digs.

Julissa Arreola had one dig.

"I am very proud of my team and how they played," Tobler said. "Central Valley is always competitive and I didn't expect anything less than what they brought. They worked very hard. Their coach and I have known each other for quite a while and I always look forward to seeing her. As far as my team goes, we have everything we need to succeed. We are still working on consistency and will continue to give 100 percent to improve and be more consistent.

The Hawks battled back from 1-0 and 2-1 deficits in edging out the Bulldogs.

"I was a bit concerned after we dropped the first game (15-25) to Ceres," Selfridge said. "We had one of our key players (Mariana Garibay) come back that had not played since August 30 and another key player (Anysia Lopez) that was suddenly out. We didn't have time to practice the new rotation because the injury happened during practice and we were not 100% certain Mariana was going to be cleared."
Garibay, a third-year varsity player, missed seven matches and a two-day tournament with a wrist injury.

"She was very effective against Ceres when we had her in," Selfridge said. "She helps keep the girls pumped up and talking. When she is on the court, the girls move more fluidly and are much better at communication. The girls have more confidence."

Briana Quiroz filled in for Lopez.

"We struggled a bit with Anysia being out due to a rolled ankle in practice and Mariana Garibay just coming off an injury," Selfridge said. "Mariana didn't even get to practice. She went straight from an injury right into the game. We did limit her a bit to ease her back in."

Central Valley won the decisive game in dominant fashion (15-8).

The Hawks won the fourth game by the slimmest of margins (27-25).

"We were able to pick up momentum due to the girls improving their communication as the match progressed," Selfridge said. "They also began covering the hitter and the blocker more. The girls did not execute the game plan to perfection, but we still got the end result we needed."

Central Valley's junior-varsity girls volleyball team defeated host Ceres High in straight games (25-19, 25-13) last Wednesday.

The Hawks also won the frosh contest, 27-25, 19-25, 15-8.