The girls varsity volleyball team this fall has had some hot streaks and some cold, but with play halfway through the North Bay – Redwood season, the team plans to keep clawing its way though the games, sets and matches.
After winning two league matches recently—on Sept. 24 against Santa Rosa (3 sets to 2) and on Sept. 29 going 3-0 against Elsie Allen—the Greyhound girls faced stiffer competition last weekend. League leader Analy met the Lady Hounds at the home court in Healdsburg, and while the hosts gave them a challenging match, winning the third set 25-22 to force an extra game, the Lady Trojans prevailed, 3-1.
The girls then coasted winless though a weekend non-league tournament before returning to action in Healdsburg against St. Vincent de Paul, which also has a league edge on the Hounds. But the Greyhound girls beat them last year, so anything is possible.
“We’re getting down to the end of the season, with the second half of league play starting at Piner,” wrote Jonathan Nuttal, the varsity coach before Tuesday nights’ game.
“League itself has been very tight, and there is a very real possibility for some chaos to jumble up the standings in these last five matches,” he continued. “Analy might be 5-0 at the top, but we took a set from them at their house so we’ve proven we can make them bleed. And while we did fall to St. Vincent in 3, we had the lead for the majority of the first two sets and came back from a deficit to tie the third 21-21 before falling.”
To this point in the season the team leaders continue to include senior Hannah Levine-Smith with 2.5 kills per set and a .220 hitting percentage. She is ranked fourth in both categories in the NCS Division 4 players. Sophomore Chiara Mork ranks second with 1.5 kills per set, followed by fellow sophomore Isabella Marguglio with 1 per set, second in hitting percentage at .171.
Other standout sophomores include Maebel Evans and Harper Kiff, senior Elizabeth Aleman ruling the libero slot with 28 serving aces, (0.7 per set), 194 digs overall and 4.5 digs per set. Juniors Hannah Jenkins and Emma Azevedo round out the team leaders.
From Tuesday on, the Lady Greys will be meeting each team in the league for a second time: Piner, Santa Rosa, Elsie Allen, Analy and again against St. Vincent, on Nov. 22. Only the Oct. 20 game against Analy will take place in Frost Hall.
“All this to say that things are hopeful in the gym right now,” said Nuttall. “There is excitement and energy around changing the narrative and pushing into the top half of league for the first time in a while. Playoffs are still on the table.
“It’s been a long season, and the late nights can start to catch up to us here when things really matter. But we’ve been keeping practices a little lighter, isolating small pieces we can improve on while keeping the gears greased,” the coach said.
“For me, I’m just trying to focus on enjoying these final matches, wherever the scores land.”
