Estancia feisty in triumph
- Share via
SANTA ANA — The last time Estancia High outside hitter Annie Tomasek took the court against Calvary Chapel, she worried more about her SAT scores than the scores in the volleyball match.
The senior took the test the morning before playing the best two-out-of-three match at a tournament earlier this month.
It lasted only two games and Estancia lost.
In the rematch Tuesday, Tomasek made sure she was ready. She and Estancia passed.
Not exactly with flying colors.
But in a road match with more importance, Tomasek tied her season best with 31 kills to lead Estancia to a 26-24, 20-25, 25-14, 25-19 Orange Coast League victory.
Tomasek looked and played like her usual self against Calvary Chapel, helping Estancia (16-5, 3-1 in league) remain in second place in league.
Her performance, which included 13 digs and three blocks, was a remarkable turnaround from the first meeting against Calvary Chapel.
She was one of three seniors who sat at Estancia High on Oct. 4 for four hours before rushing to San Juan Hills High in the afternoon to compete against Calvary Chapel in the Capistrano Valley Tournament.
“Our brains were just fried,” Tomasek said.
She entered Tuesday’s match with a clear mind.
It was obvious how crucial this match was for Estancia. Beat Calvary Chapel (16-11, 2-2) and Estancia ends the first round of league action all alone in second behind defending champion Laguna Beach.
It wasn’t so easy.
The nerves set in immediately for Tomasek and her teammates. They looked rattled as Calvary Chapel jumped out to a 10-1 lead in Game 1.
Coach Jim Huffman tried to calm Estancia, calling a timeout during the run.
It worked. The lead never grew past nine points.
The two schools are nicknamed the Eagles. Estancia’s soared back when it seemed Calvary Chapel was far and above Estancia with a 21-12 advantage.
But Estancia scored 14 of the next 17 points to execute what Huffman called the team’s biggest comeback this season.
During the run, Huffman saw the three seniors in Tomasek, Maddie Stack and Taryn Patton taking the SAT earlier contribute to the success.
Tomasek fired five kills.
Stack, a middle blocker, recorded one of her seven kills.
Patton, an opposite, dropped one of her three service aces.
Amy Hartwell closed it out for Estancia with seven straight serves. Calvary Chapel had game point during the first four serves.
“It affected the confidence of some of the players,” Calvary Chapel Coach Paul Woo said of seeing Estancia roar back. “That tripped them up.”
Tomasek hammering cross-court shots did as well.
Setter Shona Lamb finished with 41 assists, many of those coming in the third and fourth games.
Estancia grabbed early leads and never allowed Calvary Chapel to gain momentum. Hartwell and libero Amanda Watson dug out 18 balls each, limiting Calvary Chapel outside hitter Maddie Baird to 10 kills.
“They just kind of got down and we kept going,” said Tomasek, adding that UC Santa Barbara and San Diego State are interested in her. “We kind of knew what they would do, how they hit, where they would go. [Our] lineup was right this game.
“We knew they would come out a little bit cocky. We knew we had to pick it up.”
With no SAT scores to agonize over, Tomasek could just focus on improving Estancia’s on the court.
All the latest on Orange County from Orange County.
Get our free TimesOC newsletter.
You may occasionally receive promotional content from the Daily Pilot.