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Hawks tame Tigers in volleyball, beaten by Gauchos
Lady Bulldogs lose twice
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Blanca Espinoza and Central Valley swept Pacheco, 25-12, 25-11, 25-16, at home on Thursday. Espinoza had five digs and two aces. - photo by DALE BUTLER/The Courier

The much-anticipated matchup between Central Valley's and El Capitan's varsity volleyball teams took place on Sept. 15 in Ceres.

The Gauchos and Hawks placed second and third, respectively, in the Western Athletic Conference and both qualified for the playoffs last fall.

A year removed from making history, Central Valley sought to make a statement during its first of two meetings with El Capitan.

The Gauchos prevailed by sweep, 25-16, 25-15, 25-21.

"We just didn't play our game," Hawks head coach Kelly Heese said. "We didn't have any offense. We played defense the whole night. We should have competed a lot better. I didn't think they'd be that strong."

Central Valley standout Julia Ramsey tallied 13 kills, three aces and one block.

Alyssa Costa had four kills.

Ellysa Widas tallied four blocks.

"We should have at least taken them to five games," Heese said. "We lost our rapport and intensity on the court. When we run our offense, it's hard to shut us down."

Central Valley will in all likelihood need to split with El Capitan and win out to capture a share of the WAC title.

"It's going to be tough," Heese said. "They're solid all the way around. They're so scrappy. They don't let anything hit the floor. I was pretty impressed. It takes a lot to impress me."

Hawks 3, Panthers 0
Central Valley topped visiting Pacheco 25-12, 25-11, 25-16 on Thursday.

"We won," Heese said. "But I didn't see any intensity on the court. They have a lot of potential. I need to find a way to light a fire under their tushes."

The Hawks evened their WAC record at 1-1.

Ramsey finished with 20 kills, five aces, one block and one dig.

Widas collected 22 assists, two aces, one block and one dig.

Costa totaled eight kills and one dig.

Blanca Espinoza chipped in with five digs and two aces.

Mariana Garibay had four aces, two kills, two blocks and one dig.

Adria Robinson had four blocks.

Carmen Sanchez had three aces, one kill and one dig.

Central Valley defeated Pacheco thanks in large part to second-year varsity player Widas' serving and setting.

"She's come a long way," Heese said. "Her confidence is better. She's coachable. "She works hard. She wants to be pushed. She's a great team leader and player. She doesn't play for herself. She plays for her team. I've seen her mature so much. She's amazing."

Los Banos, Patterson sweep Ceres High
Ceres High School's varsity volleyball team dropped a pair of matches during the opening week of Western Athletic Conference play.

Visiting Ceres High lost 25-18, 25-19, 25-12 to Los Banos on Thursday.

Breanna Moreno had 16 digs and two aces for the Bulldogs, who fell to 1-6 on the year and 0-2 in the WAC standings.

Sabrina Baisdon collected 10 assists.

Madison Nash tallied eight kills.

Kendall Meyer chipped in with three blocks.

Patterson swept host Ceres High, 25-21, 25-20, 25-21, on Sept. 15.

Baisdon dished out 13 assists.

Moreno totaled 13 digs.

Shelby Veuve contributed seven aces.

Kaylee Holloway had six kills.

Meyer added four blocks.