By Ed Piper
La Jolla's girls volleyball team continued its early-season struggles, despite some sparks of solid play, as Coach Kelly Drobeck's squad took a 3-1 drubbing by Santa Fe Christian on its own court Thurs., Aug. 31.
Drobeck and her minions are probably glad to say goodbye to the month of August, taking a fall against four different opponents. The Vikings started the season right off a week ago, inviting powerful La Costa Canyon in for the two teams' opener.
But the veteran coach, who has been through plenty of the volleyball wars as a prep, a collegiate, and a coach at USDHS (the predecessor to Cathedral Catholic), and now La Jolla, probably has a pretty even disposition about her girls' travails so far.
La Costa Canyon, in the season-opening poll, is ranked number three. There's no shame in losing to the powerful and experienced Mavericks.
But the La Jolla staff also wouldn't want their charges to become accustomed to losing 3-1 on a regular basis, which they have now done this week to Scripps Ranch (Aug. 29), as well as the Eagles in their most recent battle.
Starting well against Santa Fe Christian, the Vikings won the initial game 25-17. As she did Tuesday in a game win against the Falcons, Inger Shelton played a key role late in the game with her service effectiveness. The senior defender had an ace for 21-15, and helped close out the game after the Eagles narrowed the gap to four, 19-15.
Hitter Leyla Blackwell continued her consistency with a well-timed block in the middle for 22-15. The 6'3" player, despite only being a sophomore, seems to let the game come to her and stays within her role. Though she didn't play a major part in the first-game win, she maintains an excellent kill percentage on her spikes.
The Vikings possess a lot of resources, and after see-sawing back and forth in the opening game until 10-10, they moved out to take a 18-12 lead. During the early back-and-forth, Monie Cromeans had a kill that skipped off the top of the net at 8-6, and a service ace for a temporary 10-9 advantage.
The six-point lead came on a spurt in which La Jolla outscored its guests 8-2. Paige Kaufman had a kill, and most of the other damage or scoring by the Eagles during the streak came on hits by high-leaping Abby Phillips. The powerful junior had a kill, sandwiched by a misfire long, then out of bounds to the right, followed by a service error.
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