This post was contributed by a community member. The views expressed here are the author's own.

Sports

Pali High Spikers Fall to Marlborough

The Dolphins show resolve in a four-set loss to the visiting Mustangs.

After opening the season 1-3 at the Archbishop Mitty Invitational in San Jose, the girls volleyball team was back home on Tuesday to face Los Angeles Marlborough of the Southern Section.

The Dolphins fell behind two sets to none but fought back and nearly forced a fifth and deciding set. In the end, however, the visiting Mustangs prevailed, 25-21, 25-20, 17-25, 25-21. 

Palisades took command early in the third set and won it on junior outside hitter Shanna Scott's uncontested spike down the line.

Find out what's happening in Pacific Palisadeswith free, real-time updates from Patch.

"You're playing very well," Coach Chris Forrest said, encouraging his team during a timeout in the fourth set. "You're tired because you're giving it everything you have. Keep it up!"

The teams traded points until 15-15 in the fourth set. The Dolphins forged ahead 19-16 lead before Marlborough responded with a 7-1 run, finally ended on a kill by Jenevieve Norris. The Mustangs closed out their victory two points later.

Find out what's happening in Pacific Palisadeswith free, real-time updates from Patch.

Forrest changed the Dolphins' lineup before the third set.

"I was middle [blocker] the first two [sets] and switched to opposite for the last two," said Norris, a 6-foot senior who plays for the Santa Monica Volleyball Club's 17s team. "When you're opposite you set up the block and when you're middle you close the block. I normally play opposite but I'm tall so sometimes they have me play middle." 

Marlborough plays in the Sunshine League with Marymount and Notre Dame Academy and Shari Sakamoto, who took over the Mustangs' program in May, was impressed with the Dolphins' fight.

"Palisades has a great program and we knew this would be a tough match," Sakamoto said. "I'm don't think we got complacent after the first two [sets], I just think we weren't taking care of the little things. Those are the big things for us." 

Norris and junior outside hitter Molly Kornfeind were Palisades' kill leaders while senior setters Meghan Middleton and Brittany Butts racked up the majority of assists. 

"We didn't vary our attack enough," Norris concluded. "We hit it right to them."

At the Mitty Invitational the Dolphins got swept by Presentation of San Jose, defeated Campolindo in five sets, got swept by Bakersfield Frontier and lost in five sets to Oak Ridge of El Dorado Hills.

"We weren't expected to do well but it was a chance for us to get in some more matches and get out of our section," Norris said. "Those teams were very strong and better than anyone we'll see in City. I'd like to think that'll work in our favor at the end of the season."

Palisades bounced right back from Tuesday's intersectional loss by sweeping Los Angeles Center for Enriched Studies in Wednesday's Western League opener. The Dolphins travel south for the La Jolla Beach City Invitational this weekend. 

JV Wins Venice Tournament

On Saturday, the Pali High junior varsity team took first place at the Venice Invitational, winning 10 sets while dropping only one. Outside hitter Brittany Schoellkopf was named MVP and setter opposite/hitter Katie Winkenhower was named to the All-Tournament team. The sophomore team captains have known each other since kindergarten at Corpus Christi.

"We started a little slow and kept getting better and better as the tournament went along," said Dolphins' first-year coach Giulio Montalto, who grew up in Rome, Italy, played volleyball at Santa  Monica College and also coaches for the Pacific Palisades Volleyball Club. "We have a good group of freshmen and if our program wasn't so successful they'd be on varsity, but we want to get them playing time."

In pool play, the Dolphins swept Sylmar 2-0, swept Eagle Rock 2-0, tied Birmingham 1-1 and swept Van Nuys 2-0. As the No. 1 seed, they earned an automatic berth into the semifinals, where they beat Sylmar again, 25-10. In the championship match, Palisades made short work of Narbonne, 25-9.

Rounding out Palisades' junior varsity are sophomore libero and co-captain Hannah Harpe, sophomore setter and co-captain Lucy Polhill, junior opposite hitter Ariella Adams, sophomore defensive specialist/outside hitter Taymar Cox, freshman middle blockers Sasha Gorelik and Tielar Richards, junior middle blocker Jasmine Reyes, freshman outside hitters Morgan Toland and Dominique Jeffords and sophomore outside hitters Eliza Padden and Evelina Van Norden.

Montalto will coach Palisades' girls soccer program along with former Dolphins goalkeeper Laura Bailey in the winter.

 Set Scores

1

2

3

4

5

Final

Marlborough

25

25

17

25

--

3

Palisades

21

20

25

21

--

1

Be sure to follow Pali Patch on Twitter and "Like" us on Facebook.

We’ve removed the ability to reply as we work to make improvements. Learn more here

The views expressed in this post are the author's own. Want to post on Patch?