The Reservoir Gators set high standards for their volleyball program. Tuesday night at Glenelg, the Gators’ Riley Ko and Christina San made sure they lived up to them.
The Gators got behind 7-1 in the first set, then used a strong serve-receive game and domination at the net to charge back into the match and defeat the host Gladiators, 25-14, 25-16, 25-21.
The victory was the fourth in a row for the Gators (8-1 overall and Howard County) since dropping a controversial match at River Hill on September 21st.
“That was the fire that really started our season,” Ko (11 kills in 19 attacks, 2 serving aces) said of the River Hill loss. “We learned to be more disciplined from that and we practiced harder, and that’s what helped us here.”
In the beginning, though, it looked like the Gators weren’t ready at all. Reservoir spotted Glenelg (7-1, 7-1) a 7-1 lead, forcing coach Carole Ferrante to call a time out.
Whatever Ferrante said in the break must have registered, because Reservoir scored 18 of the next 23 points to take a 19-12 lead. The run was keyed by the serving of outside hitter San (nine kills, one serving ace) and Libero Erin Park, who recorded each recorded five service winners in the run. The rest of the set was anticlimactic, as the Gators rolled to a 25-14 win.
Glenelg played better in the second set, but Reservoir started to pull way midway through. The Gators got a service ace and a kill from Ashley Nguyen and a block from Alivia Jackson before a kill by San made the score 10-6. Reservoir continued to widen the lead to 20-13 on an Alivia Jackson kill. Glenelg cut the margin to 22-16 on an Avery Hubbard kill, one of her eight, but the Gladiators got no closer and dropped the set, 25-16.
Glenelg was its most competitive in the third set. The Gladiators set a better block at the net and their serve-receive improved. Glenelg used a service error by San to only trail by three, 18-15, midway through the set. Reservoir was just too much in the end, though, and a San kill finished the match with a 25-21 set-three win.
“We did a good job of communicating with each other, especially at the net,” said San. “I think we just continued to get stronger throughout the night. I think we’re playing better as a team.”
Ferrante says the team is improving and starting to hit the benchmarks she has set.
“Every year you come in and set goals, and you always hope they achieve them,” Ferrante said. “When you see the things you’re trying to teach them come to fruition, and we saw that tonight, it’s just very rewarding.”
Ferrante, however, was disappointed that Gladiators star Isard Bernades missed the match with a leg injury.
“We’re grateful for the win, but it would have been interesting to see what it would have been like with Izzy on the court,” she said. “She a strong competitor and a great player.”
Glenelg’s Hubbard said the Gladiators were their own worst enemies at times, and their errors did them in.
“We got in serve-receive holes and that’s what defined the [match],” Hubbard said. “We just need to focus on playing like a unit the rest of the way.”
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