LJ g VB 2, Valhalla 0 - La Jolla Coastal Classic - Pool play

Freshman outside hitter Ky Vaickus (15), with
her team in the huddle, helped provide a
spark in the second game over Valhalla.
(Photo by Ed Piper)
 

By Ed Piper

The La Jolla Vikings overcame a sluggish start on their home court in their own volleyball tournament and rode a team effort led by sophomore libero Alex Dinofia to a 25-20, 25-17 win over Valhalla Fri., Sept. 21.

The 2-0 win was the first of three straight such wins by Coach Kelly Drobeck's squad in a favorable draw to win their pool and advance to Saturday's second day of competition.

Kylie "Ky" Vaickus was inserted as an outside hitter in the second game Friday and provided a spark that seemed to energize the Vikings a little on their way to the easy second-game clincher.

Of her team's up-and-down play in the first game, junior setter Maya Gessner said, "It was a long school day," in explaining the inconsistent early passing and hitting.

Drobeck, when asked, said, "I think there was a lot going on," gesturing around the gym, indicating the myriad distractions that go with beginning La Jolla's own tournament at home and settling in to focus on volleyball.

In the opening game, the host team (now a healthy 22-4 on the season) fell behind to a lesser Lady Norsemen squad, 7-5 and 12-9, before righting the ship. Going on an 8-1 spurt, the Vikings got a kill and a tap from Monaghan "Mo" Cromeans, and three kills by Leyla Blackwell to lead, 18-14.

Senior Maya Lightfoot had two more kills from her left outside hitter spot, while Mo closed out the game with another well-placed tap from the net.

In the second game, La Jolla jumped out to a 4-0 lead, punctuated by a deadly kill by Vaickus, a high-leaping freshman, and after 7-5, the contest was never close again. Dinofia, whom Drobeck describes as the team's "stabilizer", served eight straight times, with two aces, to move the hosts out to an insurmountable 12-5 lead.

Gessner played a key role in the attack in the second game, with two left-handed kills at 22-14 and 23-14. Amaya McMillan, like Dinofia a 10th-grader, also was effective from her left outside spot.

After the 3 p.m. win, La Jolla went on to sweep pool 2, recording straight wins over Centennial, 26-24, 25-13, in the 5 p.m. game, then over Strathcona, all the way from Edmonton, Alberta, 25-13, 25-14 in the 8 p.m. game.

On Saturday morning, in day two of the La Jolla Coastal Classic, the Vikings lost to the eventual tournament champ, Dana Hills, 25-7, 25-18 in their first match at 9:30 a.m. That sent them to the Silver Bracket, where La Jolla succumbed to Del Norte, 29-27, 25-17.