REEDLEY – When the final whistle blew, No.11 seed Encinal (Alameda) left the terminal for an early departure as the No.3 seed Eagles secured a rousing and competitive 3-0 victory in Round II of the State Championships (Division V).
Much like their round I opponent, Oakland Tech, the Eagles had no idea what to expect from an Encinal team making its first appearance in the CIF State Championships.
Encinal made a couple of appearances in the previous North Coast Section Girls Volleyball Championships, having lost 3-0 in the quarterfinals to University (San Francisco) last season.
But regardless of their playoff experience, the Eagles knew better than to take the Jets for granted in this match. Head coach Alyssa DenHartog and her staff drew up a specific game plan designed to keep the Jets stranded on the runway.
“We scouted hard and drew up a pretty specific and intentional game plan,” said DenHartog. “I felt like the girls executed it really well.”
When the Eagles took the court, they skipped the preferred check in and started to implement their special game plan. And while it worked for them, they found out that this Encinal team posed more of a threat than Oakland Tech did in round I.
While the Eagles dominated the first set with plenty of spikes, kills, aces and blocks, the second set unfolded much differently.
The Eagles became extremely confident when Spencer Horn’s tip to the corner gave them a 10-3 lead. Immanuel continued to expand the lead thanks to athletic play at the net and in the middle of the court.
But then, the Jets kicked on the afterburners and fought the Eagles down to the wire. Eventually, the Jets tied the set at 16-16 on a kill to the far corner. And towards the end, Encinal snatched a brief 22-21 lead when Addie Krause’s hit into the net dropped in front of her.
“They really locked down the middle of the court and had a big block at times,” said DenHartog. “So we definitely were trying to move the offense around and find space.”
The Eagles had to keep a keen eye on Encinal’s dangerous outside hitter Taylor Roloff. Roloff ranks third in the state with 643 kills. Roloff’s height, strength and speed helped lead the Jets’ surge in the second set.
“We did a really good job of keying in on her and staying attentive wherever she was,” said DenHartog. “We knew she was going to get her kills, and she got plenty tonight, but we were able to keep the pressure on her.”
The Eagles flew to the victory nest on the all-around game of Tori Visser. Visser’s offense and defense helped prevent the Jets from diving in with any more sneak attacks.
“I think my defense was good and I thought my setting was pretty good, too,” said Visser. “I knew we had to work for the victory. I knew we could do it.”
The Eagles can now look farther down the road as this confident playoff run continues.
“I think our culture, attitude and heart all season has been awesome,” said DenHartog. “We’re each other’s biggest champions.
Immanuel will leave the confines of home and travel to face No.3 seed Bear River(Grass Valley) in the Regional Finals on Nov. 19.
“I’m really excited, I’m ready to go,” said Visser. “Let’s do it.”
