By Tommy Fellner //
The Acalanes Womens Volleyball team (9-4, 5-1 DFAL) needed four sets to defeat league opponent Dougherty Valley. The Lady Dons defeated the Wildcats by scores of 25-22, 25-20, 23-25 and 25-15.
Both teams came out with intensity in the first set of the match and neither team was able to get more than a 1 point lead until the final 5 points of the set.
Senior Maddie Graham and junior Parker Jones provided for a lot of offense for the Lady Dons and senior Carly Porep stepped up with some clutch aces and the Lady Dons prevailed 25-22.
In the second set, the Wildcats came out with more resolve and the Lady Dons matched their intensity and it was a 1 point set again up until 19-19.
Sophomore Maddie Kalil served up an ace that forced Dougherty Valley to call a timeout. Out of the timeout, Kalil served another ace to put Acalanes up 21-19.
On her third attempt the Wildcats returned it but Jones smashed a kill to give Acalanes a 22-19 lead. The Lady Dons got one more resounding kill from Jones and closed out the second set 25-20.
The Wildcats came out strong in the third set and got an early 6-2 lead on the Lady Dons. Acalanes rallied and evened the score at 12.
Dougherty Valley then put on a 5 point run to give themselves a 19-16 lead. The two teams kept going back and forth until the score was 21-18.
Acalanes then went on another run, sparked by a Jones kill that prompted another Dougherty Valley timeout. Out of the timeout Acalanes put together three straight points capped off by another Porep ace to go up 22-21.
But Dougherty Valley won 4 out of the next 5 points to take the third set by the narrowest of margins, 25-23.
In the fourth set the Lady Dons’ defense took control and dominated the net. As a result, Acalanes got out to a 5-1 lead. Dougherty Valley attempted to mount a comeback but the Lady Dons held them back and built upon their early lead to increase the margin to 8.
Acalanes dominated the rest of the set to win by their largest margin 25-15.
Acalanes’ next game is against league rival Campolindo. The Lady Dons will seek to avenge their only DFAL loss, at the hands of Campolindo.