No lead Is safe as West Valley sweeps Grossmont in CCCAA Volleyball Quarterfinals

CCCAA State Quarterfinals
Match #2
N2 West Valley d. S3 Grossmont, 25-20, 26-24, 25-22
Grossmont finishes the tourney tied for 5th place

(FRESNO) -- "We won the ugly points, but to find so many ways to come from behind in every set, that was just a great sign," said West Valley head coach Armen Zakarian following his team's rally-time sweep over South #3 seed Grossmont, 25-20, 26-24, 25-22, in the CCCAA Women's Volleyball Championship Quarterfinals on Friday. 

The Vikings (22-4) trailed late in every set, including fighting off two set points at 24-22 in the second game, but managed to do enough to advance to the semifinals. Katie Kishton led the charge with 16 kills while Taylor Tullo notched a double-double on 10 kills and 11 digs (plus three aces). 

In the opening set, Grossmont (19-5) led 9-3, 17-14, and 18-17, but West Valley ran of seven of the final nine points, including three kills by Kishton and a set-winning block by Alina Valenti. 

In the second set, it was the Griffins turn to rally as the Vikings held an 11-6 lead before Grossmont got on fire to take a 21-16 lead. Madison Bogle served a 6-0 run and blocks by Bogle and Alexcis Morris were surrounded by a bevy of WVC errors. The Griffins led 24-22 on a kill by Tatiana Taylor. Facing the prospect of a 1-1 tie, West Valley responded with Tullo and Valenti with set-point saving kills. Kishton then capped the comeback with two more kills and an extra-point set win for WVC.

In the third set, again the Griffins resolved to make it a longer match. Grossmont went ahead 7-2, then 16-11 and held an 18-14 advantage. It was at that point that West Valley played perhaps its most fluid offense of the entire match. The Vikings went on a high-energy 11-4 run as Tullo blasted a backline kill, then served an ace for a 20-19 lead. Kishton then stepped up with back-to-back kills and ultimately scored match point to cap a sweep.

Grossmont was paced by Morris, who totaled 10 kills (hit .381) and three blocks, setter Sydney Frigerio with 21 assists and 12 digs and Brooklyn Anderson on seven kills, four blocks (three solos) and two aces. 

"They tipped and tipped on us all match, and we kept making unforced errors," said Grossmont head coach Brooke Callahan, who is 2-for-2 in directing Griffins team to the state tournament (also as interim HC in 2019). "We played tight. We didn't execute at the times of the match where it mattered most."

Zakarian said, "Part of our game plan certainly was to expose the tip. We needed to neutralize their quick attack because Morris is such a dynamic player for them. Until today, I never saw us play from behind with so much heart. To see Kishton come into her own with big kills late in the match and then Tullo, our All-American, crushing the ball at the end was great to see. I'm just so glad that we can keep going."

Zakarian remarked that there was some redemption for West Valley v. Grossmont that went back to the 2019 beach volleyball pairs state championship. That year, Morris and her Grossmont teammate rallied to win in three sets to knock off West Valley's pair of Kaylin Henderson and Mapu Sekona in the finals. But today, it was the Vikings who walked away the winners. 

West Valley will play American River in the state semifinals on Saturday at 2 p.m.

Release by Robert Lewis, CCCAA/CCCWVCA State Championship SID