Girls volleyball: Uni tops Mesa in four

Richard Dunn

COSTA MESA - Chalk it up to experience as Costa Mesa High’s girls

volleyball team, while much improved from years past, fell short in its

Pacific Coast League third-place showdown against visiting University.

“We need more experience in tighter matches,” said Costa Mesa Coach

Darlene Bailey, whose team lost in four games. “It’s harder to get the

12th, 13th and 14th points than it is eight, nine and 10.”

The Mustangs had leads in the first two games, but the Trojans rallied

both times, winning 15-9 and 15-11.

Mesa extended the match with a 15-8 win in the third game, but

University (7-6, 5-2 in PCL) closed it out in the fourth game, 15-9, and,

barring an unforeseen miracle, locked up the PCL’s third and final

guaranteed CIF Southern Section playoff berth (following Corona del Mar

and Laguna Beach).

Costa Mesa (6-6, 3-4), which travels Thursday to Northwood, still has

hope of gaining a wild card entry in the CIF III-AA playoffs.

“We played good defense once again, but we weren’t as strong

offensively as in the past,” said Bailey, whose team raced to an early

8-2 lead in the first game, only to watch University come back and

outscore the Mustangs, 13-1, the rest of the way.

“Sometimes we just do that -- Uni starts slow,” Trojans Coach Jo Ann

Byars said. “I don’t call any timeouts when we start like that, because

it doesn’t matter. They just get nervous, so I leave them alone.”

To rally Uni in the first game, Melissa Zapiain, whose 23 kills and

five solo blocks led all players, and Kristan Cunningham (10 kills)

created a brick wall on defense at the net.

Zapiain and Cunningham sparked Uni with three solo blocks each as the

Trojans erased the six-point deficit and built a 12-8 advantage.

After a kill by Mesa’s Katie Roche for a sideout, Kristen Bagwell put

up a blocking roof on Zapiain for a point. But a service error gave Uni a

sideout and the Trojans rolled off three unanswered points to complete

the comeback win.

“We competed hard,” Bailey said. “We just need matches.”

In a wild second game, Mesa had early leads of 5-3 and 6-4, the latter

following a solo block by Costa Mesa sophomore Sharon Day.

But the Mustangs began to struggle with the Trojans’ serving.

Cunningham provided Uni with four consecutive points from behind the

service line, including an ace on a ball that went off the side of her

hand and found an open spot on the Mesa floor.

Then, after an exchange of sideouts, three straight unforced errors on

serves by Uni’s Natalia Topik resulted in points as the Trojans went

ahead, 11-6.

After Uni led, 14-8, the Mustangs chipped away. After an error on Uni

for a Mesa sideout, a net violation on the Trojans and an ace by Roche

pulled the Mustangs to within four, the Trojans’ margin of victory.

Senior middle blocker Casey Peterson (22 kills and four solo blocks)

ignited Mesa in the third game with six kills and an ace to help the

Mustangs build a 12-3 lead.

Uni rallied again, pulling to 12-8, but Peterson had three more kills

in the third game to get the Mustangs to game point, then Day ended

matters with a kill.

Roche finished with 10 kills and two aces, while Mesa senior setter

Nancy Hatsushi dished out 31 assists. Bagwell (four solo blocks), Emily

Abbott (four kills) and Day (three kills) also played well for Mesa.

After a 4-4 deadlock in the fourth quarter, University took advantage

of Mesa hitting errors for a 12-5 lead.

Day, Roche and Peterson, however, got the Mustangs close (12-9) with

kills. But the Trojans finished them off and won by six.