Liberty girls volleyball team advances to CIF semifinals
Liberty High's Lilly Webb dives to save the ball during the Bison's match. (Photo by Action Captures Media Group) By Paige Mendez, C...
By Paige Mendez, Correspondent
The Liberty High School girls volleyball team will be moving to the semifinals of the CIF Division 8 playoffs after a win in five sets Wednesday evening against Lighthouse Christian Academy.
After taking the first two sets 25-18 then 25-21, the Bison started the third set hoping it would be the last. But the Saints fought back and won the third set, 25-23.
The fourth set started out in Liberty’s favor with a 5-0 Bison run to start off. They had the biggest lead up until that point in the night in that set with a 16-11 score. But the Saints had an answer in a 14-0 run that gave them another win and the momentum into set five to boot.
It was then that Liberty head coach Natalie Canales told her team the reality of the set they were going in to.
“It might sound sad, but I had to be real with them,” Canales said. “I had to tell them that they might be playing their last game if they lose, so they had to give it everything they had.”
That seemed to be the perfect advice for this team, which includes some of the first ever graduating seniors from Liberty High School.
They started the set on a 7-3 run. The Saints never came closer than four points for the rest of the night, letting the Bison run away with it all and win, 15-7.
Senior Dakota Jove said her coach’s advice before set five was exactly what she needed to hear.
“I knew how I wanted people to see me play as a senior on this team and that [in the third and fourth set] was not it,” Jove said. “So in my head I thought, ‘Oh please serve it to me. I want to redeem myself and show everyone I can do better.’”
Jove finished the night leading the team in digs with a total of 17.
Other leaders included Kierstynn Vogt, who totaled 13 kills on 46 swings, and Kailee Tracy, who had four aces on 16 serves.
Vogt, who made the game-winning attack, said that her final attack—as well as her 12 others—were all for her older teammates.
“Going into it I knew that I needed to give it my all for our seniors and I just told myself I could do it,” said Vogt. “So when I went out there that’s what I did.”
Vogt and Jove agreed that their sights are set on a championship. The next step toward that goal is a match-up on Saturday at Temecula Prep at 6 p.m.
Lauren Katacha attacks the net with the ball during Wednesday's match. (Action Captures Media Group)
Kaitlyn Toscano leaps to spike the ball for Liberty on Wednesday. (Photo by Action Captures Media Group)
