LJ g VB: Ky

By Ed Piper

In La Jolla's second match of the young season, freshman Ky Vaickus didn't see action in the first couple of games at Point Loma.

Maybe helping her get her feet wet slowly, letting her acclimate to the speed of varsity volleyball, La Jolla coach Kelly Drobeck waited to insert the outside hitter against the Pointers, a strong opponent.

After the Vikings came back from a first-game loss to knot the best-of-five match at 1-1, Vaickus broke the plane of the net and the referees awarded the point for host Point Loma, now leading 6-2.

An attack try by Ky was blocked two serves later. 7-3. 

But then, as her team tried to battle back from a deficit in the third game that reached 11-4, the wiry newcomer served an ace. La Jolla trailed 11-8.

In the warm PLHS gym, with a good-sized late afternoon crowd present for the 5 p.m. non-league match, Vaickus went up with senior teammate Monaghan Cromeans for a block at the net at 16-16. Block successful, the Vikings in the lead for the first time since the initial point of the game. La Jolla ended up winning the decisive game 25-22 to take a 2-1 lead in the match.

It was from there that Ky, playing alongside older, more experienced teammates, including Leyla Blackwell, and junior newcomer Maya Lightfoot, settled in and looked more and more comfortable.

In the fourth game, which the Vikings took 25-19 to close out the match, Vaickus overcame an earlier attack error to record a kill at the left outside position at the net. Her smash tied the game at 8-8. Two points later, Ky scored another kill, this time from the right side. 10-9.

Drobeck stayed with her freshman in crunch time. She served the next point, which La Jolla won again.

"She was doing her job, so I left her in," said the coach later.

It had to be further confidence-building for the ninth-grader, who had yet to begin classes in high school, when Vaickus drilled a spike from the left outside position for the point and a 20-15 lead.

The Vikings sailed to their clinching win nine serves later. Seeing the freshman's rising comfort level and effectiveness had to be gratifying for her coach, another step in maturation as Ky develops into a regular member of the LJHS rotation.