St. Vincent wins battle of volleyball unbeatens

St. Vincent held off a determined challenge by previously undefeated Sonoma Academy, 3-0, in a volleyball match between North Central II contenders in DeCarli Gym last week.

There was never much separation between the two squads, with the Lady Mustangs winning, 25-21, 25-20, 26-24.

The Mustangs improved their NCL II record to 4-0 with the victory, while the Coyotes slipped to 2-1 with their first loss of the season. Both teams are 6-1 overall.

St. Vincent pulled ahead 16-12 in the first set on a well-struck kill by senior Amanda Zeryny that found open floor. Grace Hood also hit some impressive shots during her rotation in the back row.

The Mustang margin didn’t get any bigger, however, as the Coyotes managed to keep some sustained rallies alive with impressive digs and solid returns. A return from the left side of the net by Lyla Thiele narrowed the count to 23-21 before St. Vincent recovered.

Maddy Duffy hit a big cross-court winner for the Mustangs from the left side of the net to help St. Vincent put away the first set. There was plenty of mustard on the hard-hit ball by the 5-foot, 7-inch junior, and a good angle that caught the Coyote defenders leaning in a different direction.

Zeryny continued to pound the ball, with good assists from Alexandra Siasi and Sarah Sarlatte, who turned in a versatile effort with key digs and occasional third hits from the Mustang side of the net.

Sonoma closed the margin to 21-19 on an ace by server Ava Ryan, but that was as close as the Coyotes could come. A long underhand by Zeryny skimmed the net for a point, and the Mustangs grabbed the second set, 25-20.

Sonoma, with only one senior player on its roster, would not go away in the third set, and the Coyotes pulled ahead, 19-17, on an overhead by junior Laura Amaturo.

A rocket serve by Grace Agusto and another kill by Zeryny helped the Mustangs take a one-point advantage at 24-23, but the Coyotes rallied to knot it up.

Steady defensive play by Sarlatte and a couple of good placements by Sophia Skubic helped St. Vincent maintain a slim advantage until the final two points.

Skubic had a very efficient outing during the entire third set.

A couple of well-placed serves by Sarlatte helped the Mustangs close things out at 26-24, but not before some stressful moments created by the young Coyote defenders.

Zeryny and Thiele piled up good offensive numbers for their respective teams, but it was the well-balanced defensive rotation by the Mustangs that made the difference in the match.

Saisi rotated to both sides of the floor, and made well-placed assists that resulted in St. Vincent put backs during longer rallies between the two teams in the third set.

St. Vincent had to rally to win the junior varsity match, 2-1, after the Coyotes won the opening set, 25-14. The Mustangs won the deciding set, 15-12.

Coach Kelsey McIntire of the Mustangs had to retire earlier in the afternoon due to illness. She turned over the St. Vincent fortunes to assistant Jessica Nguyen, who brought the Lady Mustangs home.