There were six players in the court for the Orestimba girls’ volleyball team in their game Thursday night against Escalon, but Coach Carlee Felber says there was a seventh present and it went by the name of tenacity.
“Our seventh man out there on the court was tenacity,” Felber said. “It shows that you never give up.”
After dropping the first set 25-12 to Escalon, the Warriors rebounded and went on a three-set streak winning the match 3-1 in front of a spirited home crowd for Senior Night.
Escalon started the first set strong and had a series of unanswered points, running up the score to 21-10.
“In that first set we struggled to pass and we were not aggressive on offense,” Felber said. “but they didn’t let that get in their head and they came back in the other sets. The were passing better and were playing better offense.”
In the second set Orestimba showed their grit with diving saves and were trading points one for one with Escalon, until the Warriors were able to pull away and claim a 25-16 win.
In the third set it seemed Escalon was headed for the win, especially as they went on a run of five unanswered points early on. Orestimba though showed that tenacity Felber spoke of and went on their own run, catching up to Escalon and then surpassing them.
The Escalon Cougars showed prowess at finding the empty corners and Orestimba adjusted and in doing so earned the win 25-21.
The final set of the night saw Orestimba electrify the crowd, as they went on a tear of seven straight points to Escalon’s zero. The Cougars tried to stop the Warriors momentum with a timeout but Orestimba was not put off. They were playing more aggressively and utilized a wider coverage of the court, sending the ball back over the net time and time again. Orestimba won 25-17.
Senior Olivia Gray had a grand night on the court with 11 kills and one ace.
“It was a team effort,” Gray said of the victory. “We struggled in that first set but we got back into it and put our focus on one play after another.”
Rhyan Marroquin had eight kills for the night, along and five aces.
Ashlynn Bell had five kills and five aces.
Orestimba has a record of 1-11 in league and will be competing for a play-in spot in the Sac-Joaquin playoffs. They take on Venture Academy on Monday. The winner will play second-seeded Liberty Ranch on Tuesday night. The results of Monday’s game were after press time.
