FRESNO – Sanger West and Hoover played a thrilling, five set match that resulted in the Hornets emerging victorious against the Patriots at The Hive Gym at Sanger West.
With their victory, the Hornets finish the regular season at 18-12 overall and they’re also champions in the newly aligned North Yosemite League. As for the Patriots, they finished the season 12-19 overall and 2-4 in the North Yosemite League.
Sanger West’s 3-2 (25-22, 25-23, 23-25, 21-25, 21-19) league championship victory on Oct. 24 marks the third time the Hornets played the Patriots this season. Back on Sept. 28, Sanger West stung the Patriots with a 2-0 shut out. And on Oct. 15, Hoover marched off with a 3-1 revenge win.
Sanger West’s previous games against Hoover had them well-prepared for another close match. But this rematch is different. The Hornets played a Patriots team determined to spoil their championship aspirations.
“So, I feel like we kind of had everything to lose and Hoover had nothing to lose,” said Sanger West head coach Montana Kaufmann. “So they came in playing fearless.”
In the first two sets, the Hornets found out how fearless the Patriots were. Hoover attacked Sanger West with aggressive hits and kills on offense, intimidating play at the net and timely defense. But the Hornets didn’t back down and responded with their own aggressive style of play.
Sanger West had several saves, especially at the net, that kept the ball moving. And their defense swatted away several hits by the Patriots at the middle of the court.
Sensing victory on the horizon, Sanger West started to lose control of the game. In the third set, their 20-15 lead evaporated thanks to careless mistakes caused by Hoover’s relentless rally. And in the fourth set, with the score tied at 20-20, Hoover mounted another rally that caught the Hornets by surprise.
Middle hitter Avery Roberson led Hoover’s offensive charge against the Hornets. Several of her swift kills and thunderous blocks forced the Hornets to adjust their game plan on several occasions.
“A huge shout out to number 10 (Roberson) on their team,” said Kaufmann. “She was a force to be reckoned with and we had to definitely game plan for her.”
Sanger West’s letdowns in the third and fourth sets served as a wake up call. After seeing some of the different looks that Hoover threw at them, changes had to be made.
“Going into that third and fourth set, I think we got a little too comfortable,” said Kaufmann. “They just moved girls into different positions. And going into that fifth set, we knew we wanted to get that win to secure our league championship.”
In the fifth set, The Hive came alive as both teams continued to trade points off mistakes and opportunities. And with the score tied at 17-17, Myla Dundero’s hit to the corner helped give the Hornets the last push they needed to pull away with the victory.
Dundero did her part to keep her team in the game. Her blocks at the net stifled the Patriots and several of her kills came so fast and hard, they couldn’t be saved.
“So, she was a stud, blocking and hitting tonight,” said Kaufmann. “She was totally ready to block and wasn’t afraid to be swinging at everything.”
It was a hard and difficult league championship victory for Sanger West. They battled, never quit and now they get to enjoy a monumental achievement for their program.
“So, it was just, you know, fight or go home; we battled all night,” said Kaufmann. Two seasons ago, we had a losing record, so with our league realignment, to get first, that feels really good.”
