Steven Falls
Sports Editor
“We’re looking forward to playing them again,” senior outside hitter Amy Kratochvil said weeks ago after a disappointing loss to Cal State Hayward.
Kratochvil and the rest of the University of La Verne volleyball team got their wish and did not disappoint themselves, coming from behind to stun host and No. 1 seed Cal State Hayward, 3-2 (22-30, 30-25, 25-30, 30-20, 15-5) Saturday night at Pioneer Gym in Hayward.
Coming into the match, the Leopards were looking to capture their second straight Western Regional championship, and their third in four years.
The only team standing in their way was their familiar rival from the north, Cal State Hayward.
“Hayward is a huge rival,” Kratochvil said.
The Leopards would have to overcome a hostile home crowd and the fierce front-line trio of Jacqueline Randolph, Nicole Brandt-Young and Jennifer Byron.
The threesome had combined for 862 kills in 33 games (26 per game) for the Pioneers this season.
The first game of the match did not go as planned as the Leopards fell behind, 16-9, early in the match.
The Leopards appeared not to be tense but under the pressure of the home fans.
“I don’t think we were nervous, just excited,” senior opposite Adele Jones said.
Using 19 kills, the Pioneers hit at a .288 clip for the game and coasted to a 30-22 victory.
In the second game, the Leopards were efficient, hitting .312 with 15 kills to record the 30-25 victory to tie the match at one game apiece.
In game three, the Pioneers came out blazing, taking an immediate 8-2 lead behind Randolph’s’ four kills.
The Leopards never recovered and dropped the game, 30-25.
With the Leopards now trailing, 2-1, in the match, the realization that this could be the last game and match of the season for the careers of the seniors did not sit well with the seniors on the team.
“We were not going to allow that to be the last game,” senior middle blocker Tricia Schary said. “It was unacceptable to us.”
The Leopards appeared to be talking the talk, but could they psyche themselves up enough to walk the walk?
Could they come from behind and defeat the No. 1 seed in the tournament on their home floor?
“We just told ourselves to have heart,” senior outside hitter Jennifer Stout said. “We came into their house with nothing to lose.”
Stout was correct. The Leopards had nothing to lose. They were the visiting team, a lower seed and quite frankly were not as athletic as Hayward in the front court.
In the pivotal game four, the Leopards used a 15-6 run to close out the game with a convincing 30-20 victory. The last half of game four was when the tides began to turn. ULV was quicker to dig and seemed to be more prepared and in better condition than its opponent.
“We knew the strategy of their offense, and they eventually broke down,” Stout said. “You could see it in their emotions.”
With Mr. Momentum in the back pocket of the Leopards, the team dominated the deciding game five. ULV scored the first four points of the game and stretched the lead to 11-3, eventually winning the deciding game, 15-5.
“The sacred rule is that first one to eight wins,” Schary said.
The win gave ULV its third Western Regional championship in the last four years and leaves them one match away from reaching the Final Four for the third time in the last four years.
“We have a lot of experience on this team and it really paid off,” Jones said.
ULV was led by Kratochvil (21 kills, 10 digs) and Stout (17 kills, 10 digs). Lauren Friestad and Amanda Thomas rounded out the action with 23 and 14 digs, respectively.
The Leopards’ rumble through the playoffs continues with a quarterfinal match up at 7 p.m. tomorrow against Wittenberg of Ohio in the Supertents.
Wittenberg (35-2), the nation’s second ranked team, advanced to the quarterfinal with a sweep over in-state rival Mt. St. Joseph’s, 3-0 (38-36, 30-28, 30-23).
The winner of tomorrow night’s match moves on to the Final Four next weekend at the Mayo Civic Center in Rochester, Minn.
Ticket prices range from $5 for adults, $3 for students and seniors and $2 for children under the age of 12.
The Associated Student Federation Forum has announced that the first 200 students with valid identification will receive a free ticket to the match.
Steven Falls can be reached at sfalls21@msn.com.
Steven Falls
