Playing in front of a raucous Monte Vista crowd in Danville affected the Los Gatos High girls volleyball team—for the better. The Wildcats fed off the home fans’ energy en route to a thrilling five-set win in a CIF NorCal Division I quarterfinal on Thursday.
Game scores were 18-25, 25-20, 25-20, 21-25, 15-13.
“Their student body was very loud and energetic, and honestly, it was fun for our team to match that energy, overcome that and not let it get us down,” Wildcats libero Emily Gouldrup said. “During that fifth set, we came out with a lot of energy and stayed as consistent as possible. Toward the end, we were reaching this peak which allowed us to push over and win.”
The No. 13 seed Wildcats (27-8) play a NorCal regional semifinal at top-seed Oak Ridge of El Dorado Hills (33-5) on Saturday at 6pm in a contest that could very well go the distance. Oak Ridge needed five sets to beat No. 9 seed Foothill of Pleasanton, which won the EBAL with a 16-2 record, followed by Monte Vista at 15-3.
The Wildcats are an amazing 6-1 in five-set matches this season, with its only defeat coming at the hands of St. Ignatius in the opening round of the Central Coast Section Open Division playoffs. That defeat turned out to be just what the doctor ordered for Los Gatos.
“The loss ended up being a good thing,” Gouldrup said. “Obviously, it sucked to lose in the first round, but in the end it allowed us to adjust how we ran our system and it clearly turned out better in the long run for us.”
Gouldrup said the team plays loose and free in fifth setters, and complements that with a fierce attitude.
“In the fifth set, we feel like there’s this moment of this is it and we have to put in all we’ve got,” she said. “It’s a sign of how strong of a team we are. Even players on the bench are contributing to the energy we have going into each fifth set. And it’s really important the team manages to remain calm while also taking an attitude of wanting to win really badly.”
As usual, solid all-around play from several players were key to victory, Gouldrup said. For starters, Siena Adams was on point with her sets and decision-making.
“Siena was setting the right people at the right time and making really smart decisions,” Gouldrup said.
Los Gatos also unleashed a powerful service game that got Monte Vista out of system which set up the Wildcats in a good position to win, Gouldrup said. Natalie Anthony and Hannah Slover were effective on their swings and had several kills. Anthony, Slover and Allison Black put up a strong block, and back row players like Gouldrup were busy passing and coming up with impressive digs.
“It’s always a fun game when you’re facing really tall players across the net because you know you’ll have to work that much harder to dig balls,” Gouldrup said.
Sports editor Emanuel Lee can be reached at el**@we*****.com and (831) 886-0471, ext. 3958.
