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2007-2008
Antelope Valley Girl's
By ERIC BACA
Valley Press Staff Writer
"We played about as bad as we have all season," Palmdale coach Jarrod Cline said. "We needed to play better and we didn't — that's it."
Even from the opening serve, it was obvious that this game meant more than a league win or preseason bragging rights.
An early 1-0 head-start by Barstow didn't sway the Falcons from their playoff hopes.
The focused Falcons jumped out to a 9-6 advantage, but a strong Barstow return, along with key Palmdale errors, knotted the score at 9-9.
But quick back-to-back points off a Courtney Dickerson ace and a block by teammate Tijera Mathews, ignited Palmdale to a 14-10 lead.
And then, in an imitation of the first match, the Aztecs and Falcons traded points — and the game's momentum — before Palmdale took the match 25-23 off of a failed lob by Barstow.
And then Palmdale reminded the Aztecs why they were fighting for a playoff spot in the first place.
In the third game, the Falcons capitalized on several Barstow errors, battling back from a 7-2 deficit, eventually tying the game at 10 a piece.
With an 18-13 lead, Palmdale seemed poised to take Game 3, but Barstow, on the hands of Katie Beardshear-Gregg, came back and got the match tied at 21-21, before four straight points by Palmdale secured Palmdale the 2-1 lead.
Despite the smiles and high fives from the Falcons coming out of the three-minute intermission before Game 4, the Falcons were unable to close out the game or the match as that fourth match featured 15 separate ties.
"We needed to win the fourth one," Cline said. "We knew if we let them win they would have the momentum going into the fifth one. We really needed it."
And finally, the most important match of Palmdale's season had arrived.
With the score 2-2, the Falcons season began to deteriorate as they fell to 7-2 in the race to 15. A small comeback by Palmdale was thwarted as Barstow rattled off seven straight points to capture the game, the match and the trip to the playoffs tonight.
For first-year coach Cline, the season, although over, has been a successful one.
"It's been great seeing some of these girls come around this season," Cline said. "A lot of these girls aren't afraid to go out there swinging and they do go out there swinging."
Some of the swingers include seniors Quinn Williams and Daniella Robinson. At match's end Williams and Robinson combined for 22 kills and six aces.
"Our captains (Williams and Robinson) have done well for us all year," Cline said.
With the release of the playoff bracket Sunday, Cline didn't know his Palmdale girls volleyball team were even scheduled to play Monday night.
A late Sunday night afternoon phone call alerted Cline that his Falcons would be traveling to Barstow for a one-game wild card showdown to decide who would play No. 1 seed Oaks Christian in the opening round of the playoffs.
"I thought we were playing Tuesday," Cline said. "We didn't have time to practice. But you put yourself in that position when you're the fourth season trying to get in."
Cline admits that while the season has had several ups and downs and that he will graduate the majority of his starting lineup, he is hopeful for a strong turnout next season.
"We have a lot of juniors and JV players coming up that I think will step in next year," Cline said. "It will be a bit of a rebuilding year, but we should do OK."
The Falcons finished the season 7-11 overall.
