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2007-2008
Antelope Valley Girl's
By GREG WAGNER
Valley Press Staff Writer
That's what the Quartz Hill High School girls volleyball team shouts in its huddles before each game.
And that's exactly what visiting Rancho Alamitos heard all match Tuesday night, in the first-round of the Division III-AA Southern Section playoffs.
The Rebels used a powerful attack and supreme height advantage to easily dispatch the Vaqueros, 25-12, 25-13, 25-18.
"It reminds us to leave everything on the court," Kahli Remy said. "It's CIF and when you walk off the court you don't want to say you could have done anything better."
That certainly was the case in the first couple of games. The No. 8-seeded Rebels (18-1) pounded on the Vaqueros (13-4) play after play, cruising to victory with seven unanswered points at the end of Game 1, and taking control of Game 2 with an 11-0 spurt.
That type of dominant offensive display is exactly what Quartz Hill needs to attain its goal of reaching the section finals, which is now three victories away.
"We were on fire," said middle blocker Khaliah Burnley, who had seven kills and three stuff blocks. "We were hitting great and if we stay consistent, we're going to dominate."
At 6-foot-3, Burnley towered over the entire Vaqueros lineup. She remained a force in the middle the entire match and picked up three kills during the Rebels' Game 2-clinching run that essentially sealed the match.
She is just one of the intimidating weapons Quartz Hill has in its arsenal, but even before the match begins, her stature is able to force opponents into those first visions of doubt.
"She's a big advantage," Rebels coach Larry Vocke said. "Most teams try to hit cross-court on us, but she is there to block any shots."
Rebels' players put Rancho Alamitos in the same class as Quartz Hill's Golden League opponents. And, in the same way the Rebels rolled through league play at an unprecedented 14-0, they mostly did just what they wanted against the Vaqueros. Still, the Rebels know it's only going to get harder from here.
"They haven't really been pushed all year long," Vocke said. "They have the capability of going all the way, but the competition is going to get tougher."
And beginning with Thursday's second-round match against Victor Valley, the Rebels want to rid themselves of the defensive lapses and mishits that allowed Rancho Alamitos to remain close in Game 3.
Several free balls dropped in the middle of the Rebels' formation in the midst of hitting errors that weren't evident in the first two games, as the team's "Boom" mentality might have faded with such a commanding lead.
"We need to step it up," Kara Sherrard said. "Everything could be better."
Much of the letdown in Game 3 was contributed to the ease with which the Rebels took the first two games. It all came to a head in the final moments of the game, in which poor defense and an error made Quartz Hill wait five serves following game point to clinch the match.
As the postseason progresses, letdowns like that will prove costly.
But with the ever-increasing level of competition approaching, Vocke -whose team has not lost a regulation match since Sept. 14 - knows his team is ready for the challenge.
"They have the tendency to play tough when the competition is tough," he said.
Another key for Quartz Hill will be ball control. In order for the big guns up front to get the chance to hammer home a kill, the Rebels will need crisp passing throughout the rest of the playoffs.
"It's what will win the game or lose (it)," Remy said.
Rancho Alamitos, which finished in a three-way tie for first in the Garden Grove League, never got used to the type of power Quartz Hill unleashed on every swing. The Vaqueros were playing even with the Rebels right from the first serve, until successive hard kills from Kristen Van Dongen and Michelle Carroll shell-shocked them into a state from which they could never recover.
"Their hitters are well accomplished," Vaqueros coach Melissa Overton said. "They have great passers and their attack was really good."
Not even a Vaqueros timeout near the end of Game 2 could stop the Rebels' dominating run. Also mixed into the 11 straight points, were three kills by Remy and two serves from Desiray Yeaw that were too tough for Rancho Alamitos to handle. In Game 1 it was Margaret Austin who picked up three kills in Quartz Hill's 7-0 flourish, with Remy adding two of her own.
Sherrard led the Rebels with 11 kills and picked up three aces, while Remy had 10 kills. Chelsea Hamilton added seven kills and a pair of aces.
Since both Quartz Hill and Victor Valley hosted matches on Tuesday, a coin flip will determine who gets home court in the second round.
