Santa Rosa Girls Volleyball Season Ends in CIF Wild Card Playoff Round
By Joe Quinn October 22, 2019
Watching these two teams playing back and forth and the lead often never more than two points in the first two sets, one had to wonder how good must those teams be who made the playoffs on the strength of the regular season. These two teams were evenly balanced, talented and with a load of athletic ability. That is up until the fourth set when the Wildcats of Twenty Nine Palms took the lead, expanded it and stayed ahead throughout the set taking the match 3 sets to 1.
The first set was played ever so close with the lead shifting back and forth. Although the Ranger girls were up 23-22 they lost the last three points and the set 25-23. This was despite a spectacular left-handed back hand block by Allison McGavran earlier in the set and great net play by Ariana Madrid. Genevieve Mezamartinez got to everything on her side of the court and more and did as she always does setting up spikes and attacks for her teammates. Many of those set ups in the 1st set were to Kayla Bird who did not disappoint and made several timely cross court spikes to the Wildcat backcourt.
Twenty-Nine Palms started the 2nd set quickly surging to a 4-1 lead but the Rangers quickly came back taking the lead at 9-8 on a Mary Murray serve. It went to 12-11 Rangers on an Ariana Madrid slam and was then knotted at 17-17. Mary Murray made an athletic, almost impossible block and point to move it to 19-17. The Rangers then put the set out of reach at 23-19 producing a win in this set at 25-19 tieing the match at one set each.
It looked as if we should prepare for a five “setter” as the even play in the 3rd set seemed to tell the crowd. Each team stayed within a few points of the other with the lead constantly changing starting from a 4-0 lead by the Rangers to one of 6-5 favoring the Wildcats. From that place on both teams played well and evenly as the knotted scores at 10-10, 17-17, 19-19 and finally at 23-23 seemed to say. We had seen some really long points at this stage and one excellent block and return by Allison McGavran in mid-set at 17-17 and then again at 20-19. However, the Wildcats secured the last two points and took the set 25-23 and now held a 2 set to one lead.
The crowd, well attended by both sides despite the long trip by the Wildcat families and friends, was clearly expecting more of the same. However, it was not to be for Santa Rosa. Despite some hard earned digs by Jozlyn Gomez the Twenty-Nine Palms girls ran it out quickly to 7-1, 8-2 and 12-3 and it never got closer from there on out. The Rangers lost the set 25-15 and the match three sets to one.
The Wildcats now move on to the CIF-Southern Section Division-Eight Playoffs as a winner of this Wild-Card match and will fill one of the eight open wild-card play-in slots
It was a disappointing loss and the end to the season for the Ranger team. The future may be bright for the Ranger girls though as all but two of the players will return next year. Ariana Madrid and Cailyn Layton are the only two seniors on the team and have played their last Santa Rosa Volleyball match.
