Oxford vs. Upland Christian Eagles September 24, 2009

The girls came into this game riding the momentum of their two-game winning streak and feeding off of the energy provided to them by their recent success and the Varsity Boys’ Baseball team.

The game opened up with the teams going back and forth with neither team letting the other take control of the game, 3-4. After Upland was able to open up a 3 point lead, Junior Vianca Morales was able to come back with an ace to make it 4-6. The focus of the Eagles’ attack soon became their hard-hitting style as they were able to take advantage of their height and work the attacking game to build up a 5 point lead, 4-9. The Patriots were fighting their hardest and were playing well, but the Eagles’ attack was too strong as they wouldn’t let up, 6-11. The girls rallied back though and narrowed the deficit to 3 as Morales was able to come through with an ace to make it 8-11. The Eagles firepower was proving to be almost too much for the girls to handle, but missed serves kept Oxford in this game. The girls were playing some of their best ball but Upland matched them with a competitive demeanor. The teams continued to exchange points until another kill by Morales and an ace by Sophomore Alyssa Ancheta made it 15-17. Upland went back on the offensive though as they were able to build up a 5 point lead behind their many kills, 18-23. Oxford attempted to rally one last time behind Senior Sophia Lee who narrowed the deficit to 4, but the Eagles were finally able to close it out, 20-25.

The second game opened up similarly to the first with the two teams exchanging points 2-2. The game was exciting and back and forth as Upland was able to slowly build up a lead due to their intense strength in attacking 6-12. Senior Vivian Martin came through with a much needed kill to help the Patriots gain some vital energy and momentum, 7-12. Oxford continued to hang tough with the Eagles as they attempt to somehow get past the tough defense of Upland. It seemed like no matter what Oxford tried to do, Upland had some sort of answer that prevented the girls from scoring. A tip by Alyssa pulls the Patriots back within 9, 10-19. But the referee missed a call on what should have been a back row attack on Upland and pulled the momentum away from the Patriots. Oxford played it tough, but the Eagles’ game was just too polished. The deficit soon proved to be too much as the Eagles were able to win again, 11-25.

The third game began with the two teams fighting for control once again. Upland was able to gain some control as miscommunication as well as the Eagles’ kills proved to be costly, 1-4. But Oxford fought back, as an ace by Senior Alexis Medina pulled the girls within 2 points, 5-7. The girls took the lead 10-8 behind a pair of aces by Junior Celina Vicuna. The girls were able to neutralize the kills of Upland for a short series as they attempted to force this match into going to a fourth game. But Upland could not be held down for long as they retook the lead behind their multiple kills. Oxford came back as a block by Morales gave the Patriots the lead 13-12. The girls built up a 2 point lead after a kill by Vicuna to make it 16-14. Despite the strength of Upland, the girls were able to retain a 1 point lead 17-16. Another ace by Vicuna helped Oxford retake a 2 point lead 20-18. The Eagles though could not be held down as they fought back and retook the lead 20-22. Despite the strong effort by the Patriots, the Eagles closed out the game 20-25 to end it.

Despite losing in three straight games, the girls played tough and strong enough to hang in closely throughout the entire match. The girls might have played some of their best volleyball this game, but the problem was that the Eagles proved to be too much. There will be games like this for Oxford in which the play well, but they will come up short due to the ability of the other teams. The girls’ effort was great as they hung tough for the duration of the game and hopefully plan to continue their magnificent efforts.