Eagles set for showdown

Barry Faulkner

Maybe it was the Monday blues or the anticipation of a first-place

showdown two days later. Perhaps the law of averages and, surely,

visiting Saddleback High, had something to do with it.

Whatever the reason, the Estancia boys volleyball team recorded a

less-than-memorable 15-9, 6-15, 15-4, 15-3 Golden West League victory

Monday.

But with defending league champion Ocean View set to invade

Wednesday at approximately 4:30 p.m., purging the memory of Monday’s

triumph may serve the Eagles well.

“This could be a good thing,” Estancia Coach Tracey Heims said of

the uneventful triumph, the first time this season the Eagles (12-2,

5-0 in league) did not sweep a league foe. “I’m sure the guys will be

very serious at [today’s] practice. I think we’ll be focused for

Wednesday.”

Focus was obviously fleeting early in the first two games against

the Roadrunners, who seized a 7-0 advantage in the first and second

game.

After a Heims timeout, the Eagles were able to rally in the

opening game, scoring the last 11 points to, apparently shake

whatever doldrums they possessed.

But there was no timeout after falling behind, 7-0, in the second

game and there wasn’t much of a comeback, either. The Eagles did

manage to get within 9-6, but the Roadrunners (3-7, 2-4), whom

Estancia had handled, 15-8, 15-8, 15-6, in their first league meeting

March 20, scored the final six points to even the match and end

Estancia’s streak of 16 straight Golden West League game victories,

since coming over from the Pacific Coast League.

“This is a team that fights back,” Heims said of her Eagles. “I’ve

seen us come back many times, so it was only a matter of us getting

into a groove.”

The Eagles’ flow was also affected, Heims said, by the absence of

senior middle blocker Jess Hellmich, who rolled his ankle playing

soccer over the weekend and was unavailable Monday.

Heims said 6-foot-4 freshman middle blocker Dallas Kopp was able

to gain more valuable experience with Hellmich sitting this one out,

but she would obviously prefer to have one of the team’s two seniors

back in action Wednesday. Heims was, however, unsure whether Hellmich

could recover in time to compete against Ocean View.

If there was anyone who picked up the slack Monday, it was

Estancia’s 6-2 junior outside hitter Kris Hartwell, who amassed a

match-high 21 kills by hammering over Saddleback blockers, working

angles to find holes in the defense, and mixing in a variety of

off-speed shots and tips to carry the Eagles’ offensive load.

Sophomore setter Trevor Holmes also utilized junior opposite Josh

Kornegay (seven kills), junior outside hitter Brad Larsen (seven) and

junior middle blocker Scott Sankey (six) to overcome a much smaller

Saddleback unit.

Holmes added four kills of his own and also had two stuff blocks,

while Sankey led the Eagles with three stuff blocks and Larsen

chipped in a team-high three aces.

Kopp finished with two stuff blocks, while senior Carlos Diaz and

junior Taylor Hankins helped out with passing in the back row.

Heims, having obviously seen many stronger performances by her

team, paused briefly when asked to present the positives from

Monday’s win. She acknowledged Hartwell’s productive offensive

performance, but also did not dodge the assertion that her team came

out flat.

“We try to avoid taking things for granted,” Heims said. “But,

having beaten this team in three games already this year ... maybe we

felt like we had a big advantage [Monday], especially playing at

home.”

The Eagles seized a 3-0 edge in the third game, then, after

Saddleback closed to within one, scored 10 straight points to firmly

establish command.

Hartwell, banging away outside, and Sankey, mixing the quick

attack with an occasional back slide, had five and four kills,

respectively, to help the hosts close out the third game.

Estancia opened a 9-0 cushion in the fourth game, then answered

three straight Roadrunner points with six of its own to close it out

and move on to Wednesday’s anticipated showdown.

Saddleback Coach Sue Gregory, having played both Estancia and

Ocean View this year, said before the match that she viewed them as

being evenly matched.

“It should be a good match Wednesday,” Gregory said.