Sports
Depth carries Point Loma to Open Division beach volleyball win over Scripps Ranch – San Diego Union-Tribune
For the third time this year, No. 2 Scripps Ranch and No. 4 Point Loma faced off in beach volleyball — this time in a CIF San Diego Section Open Division playoff elimination game. Ultimately, the Pointers’ depth prevailed, getting wins from their Nos. 3, 4 and 5 pairs to edge out the Falcons in […]
For the third time this year, No. 2 Scripps Ranch and No. 4 Point Loma faced off in beach volleyball — this time in a CIF San Diego Section Open Division playoff elimination game.
Ultimately, the Pointers’ depth prevailed, getting wins from their Nos. 3, 4 and 5 pairs to edge out the Falcons in Tuesday’s quarterfinals, 3-2. Point Loma will face the loser of No. 1 Cathedral Catholic and No. 3 Torrey Pines Thursday with a chance to advance to Saturday’s Open Division final through the losers bracket
“It kind of shows what the sport is, because we’re not just a one team,” Pointers coach Ricci Luyties said. “You have to have all the teams playing well, and you never know where those wins are going to come from.
“That’s where it’s such a team game. It seems like it’s two, but it’s really the full team. It’s so important.”
The Pointers (16-5) got its first point from their No. 3 pairing of Lily Hagopian and Sibby Parry, who won 21-13, 22-20 against Scripps Ranch’s Bailie Bishop and Mila Gehren.
“It started off rough, but then me and Sibby came in stronger after our time out, and it all ended up working out,” Hagopian said of the tight second set.
Hagopian and Parry trailed 20-18 before winning the next four points to take the match.
Simultaneously, Point Loma’s No. 2 team of Grace Passmen and Addie Hughes lost 14-21, 21-16, 7-15 to Scripps Ranch’s Riley McDonald and Ella Fournier.
That meant both teams split the first two matches heading into the final three pairings.
Scripps Ranch, which was down a couple of teams due to injury, went to a junior varsity team of Vivienne Nguyen and Avarie Barstow. Point Loma’s No. 4 pairing of Lili Smith and Lila Schroder bested them in straight sets, 21-14, 21-10.
Point Loma’s No. 5 pairing, Genesie Devers and Becca Aylsworth, won four of the final five points to the second set before winning the third set to earn the clinching point, 15-21, 21-17, 15-6.
“They’ve kind of done that the past three or four tournaments where they’re going three every time, losing the first and then coming back and winning,” Luyties said. “They kept the faith that they were going to do it.”
The final match of the day featured the schools’ top pairing between Point Loma’s Caroline Tadder and Aurora Fernandez versus Scripps Ranch’s Kristen White and Elyse Taschner.
White and Taschner lost the first set, 21-13, before rallying back to win the next two sets, 21-18 and 15-9.
“It’s interesting because I haven’t seen our 1s lose, except to Cathedral,” Luyties said. “It’s kind of surprising because I’ve gotten to expect them to win. It might be a good thing. They didn’t cruise through a game that they’re focused for the next one. So, I’m hoping that that’s how it translates.”
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