Kelseyville loses in three sets during North Coast Section quarterfinals road match
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ALAMEDA >> In a season packed with positives, the Kelseyville High School varsity volleyball team bowed out of the North Coast Section Division 3 playoffs Saturday night with a 25-12, 25-14, 25-16 loss to No. 3 seed St. Joseph Notre Dame on the Pilots’ homecourt in Alameda.
The start of the match was delayed by an hour as both teams waited for officials to show up, which is something you don’t often see in the playoffs.
“At 6:30 p.m. there were no refs for the match (which had a 7 p.m. start time),” Kelseyville head coach Donelle McCallister said. “The AD at St. Joseph’s was able to get a phone call out and two referees were pulled from another game in the area. They arrived at 7:40 and the match started around 8 p.m. The two referees that showed up did a great job, but our girls and St. Joseph’s deserved to have a full squad (of officials) for a second-round match.”
St. Joseph (27-6) dominated at the net against Kelseyville (17-7), the No. 6 seed and this year’s North Central League I champion. St. Joseph Notre Dame, the Bay Counties League East runner-up, advances to the semifinals Wednesday against No. 2 seed St. Patrick-St. Vincent of Vallejo.
“St. Joseph was a well-prepared team with strong attackers,” McCallister said. “They hit hard and placed their swings around our defense. Our blocks could not stop the power. No. 5 (junior middle hitter Julia MaCaulay) on St. Joseph’s dominated at the net in the middle, but also hit on the outside, sending the ball down the line hard.”
The Knights did their best to fight back, according to McCallister.
“Kelseyville hung in there and kept their heads up playing each point and not worrying about the game,” McCallister said. “Our team also appreciates all the support for this match from the Kelseyville community. They were there to cheer for the girls just like they have all season.”
Senior Cali Schnabl finished with 14 digs.
“Cali Schnabl worked hard in the back row,” McCallister said. “Her serve receive was really great tonight handling the powerful serves.”
Nyejznika Krohn blocked three shots and Olivia Hommer led the team with five kills. Both are seniors. Freshman Riley Hanson added four kills and four assists while Ashlyn Kline had five assists and one ace. Madeline Borghesani stepped into the setter’s position and picked up two assists and five digs.
“While the team did not win, it was a good night and the girls enjoyed the challenge of playing a top-notch team,” McCallister said.
