Central Valley High School's varsity volleyball team appeared headed for an easy victory.
Down 2-0, host Livingston won the third game and nearly forced a tiebreaker.
The Hawks earned a hard-fought 3-1 (25-7, 25-8, 18-25, 25-23) victory over the Wolves in Western Athletic Conference play Thursday evening.
"I expected to win in three games," Central Valley head coach Kelly Heese said. "Livingston is a very scrappy team. They didn't give up."
The third-place Hawks improved to 2-1 in the WAC.
The fifth-place Wolves dropped to 1-2 in the conference standings.
"Consistency is what we're struggling with right now," Heese said.
Ellysa Widas led Central Valley with 27 assists, two blocks and one ace.
Julia Ramsey had 24 kills, three aces and one dig.
Adria Robinson added eight kills and four blocks.
The Hawks nearly squandered a seven-point lead in the fourth game.
"It was point for point for a little bit," Heese said. "I thought we were going to a fifth game. Momentum switched. Player for player, they couldn't match up. That was the difference."
Bulldogs beaten
Ceres High's varsity volleyball team lost twice last week.
"They played really well as a team and stayed positive," Bulldogs head coach Darlene Tobler said. "I still have high hopes for the girls."
Last-place Ceres High dropped to 0-4 in the WAC standings.
First-place El Capitan swept host Ceres High, 3-0, on Thursday at Phil de la Porte Gymnasium.
The Bulldogs challenged the Gauchos during the second game. El Capitan prevailed, 25-23.
"We were communicating and playing great defense," Tobler said.
Sabrina Baisdon, Ceres High's setter, did not compete as she was sidelined with a fever.
Kiera Brownlee started in Baisdon's place.
"She stepped in and did such a good job," Tobler said. "We didn't miss a beat."
Visiting Livingston defeated Ceres High, 25-16, 25-23, 25-23, on Sept. 22.
"The girls worked hard," Tobler said. "They played good defense."
The rematch will take place at Livingston on Oct. 8.
"We're going to have to communicate better," Tobler said.
