Reedley – The Immanuel Eagles volleyball team shook off a tough loss on Tuesday against San Joaquin Memorial and defeated the Liberty Hawks (Madera) in their non-conference match.
Led by former Tri-County Conference (TCC) All-Sequoia League Defensive Player of the Year, Spencer Horn, the Eagles used an aggressive offense to defeat the Hawks 3-1 in four sets (25-19, 28-30, 25-16, 25-14) on Sept.3. With their hard-fought victory, the Eagles improved their record to 7-7. The loss drops the Hawks record to 7-4-1.
Horn was constantly around the net and the middle of the court, coming up with crucial blocks and spikes that frustrated the Hawks all night. “Spencer’s a super talented player,” said Eagles head coach Alyssa DenHartog. “She passes a lot of balls, digs a lot of balls in defense, and then takes some big swings on the outside. She does a good job for us.”
The first set opened up with both teams exchanging points for a few minutes. The Hawks made things interesting when outside hitter Emma Del Toro slammed a kill for a point and opposite hitter Miya Prado lobbed the ball over the net that dropped in for a point to tie the game at 9-9. The Hawks then scored four of the next five points to pull out in front, 13-10. Just when it seemed like the Hawks were on a roll, the Eagles rallied with an offensive outburst that extended their lead to 22-17.
Hawks’ head coach Grant Clark had an aggressive game planned against the Eagles. “We knew they had a really good attack on both pins and we know they like to run a three in the middle,” said Clark. “We kind of game planned around that.”
The second set was perhaps the most athletic of the match. The Hawks opened with a kill for a point, but the Eagles would counter that with one of their own to tie the game at 1-1. The score would go back and forth until more kills and a key block by the Eagles slipped over the net and confused the Hawks, dropping in for a point that made the score 6-5.
The Hawks regained some of their momentum to retake the lead, 10-8. At times, the Eagles played too strong offensively, so they made some adjustments and tightened up their defense.
“I think our defense is definitely our stronger aspect right now,” said DenHartog. “We still want to continue to find ways to be creative.”
The Eagles and the Hawks arrived at a 1-1 draw over the first two sets, but their third set was when Immanuel began to assert their dominance.
The Hawks jumped out to an early 8-6 lead. The Eagles countered right back when Horn’s service ace and kill near midcourt tied the set at 8-8. The Hawks came back with a few adjustments of their own..
The Eagles started to pull away with some adjustments of their own and midway through the set, their 20-11 lead would be one of the largest of any set all night. It was a lead they wouldn’t relinquish.
In the fourth set, the Eagles jumped out to a 7-2 lead. The most thrilling moment of the match happened when both teams kept the ball in play for almost two minutes. Finally, the ball would drop in for an Eagles’ point that made it 9-2. By the time the Eagles increased their lead to 20-10, it was clear that the Hawks had run out of gas. “Our girls played really well,” said Clark. “We just got really tired towards the end.” Fittingly, the match point came on an ace serve by the Eagles.
Even with their 7-7 record, the Eagles appear to be in a good spot as they get ready for league play soon. “I feel like we’re in a really good spot right where we need to be,” said DenHartog. “I know it’s going to be a really tough league, so to sit at .500 right now is a good spot for us.”
