First published in the Sept. 3 print issue of the Glendale News-Press.
Despite a stellar start to the season, the Crescenta Valley High School varsity girls’ volleyball team dropped a nonleague match to visiting Chaminade High of West Hills 25-18, 25-12, 25-15, on Wednesday, Aug. 31.
The Falcons previously lost a very competitive four-set match at powerhouse South Pasadena, 25-20, 25-23, 27-29, 25-21, on Tuesday, Aug. 30. CV and South Pas went head-to-head in a matchup that saw 27 lead changes, including 13 in a persistent third quarter where the Falcons earned a 29-27 victory. CVHS was behind just 14-12 when sophomore Sofia Shin sparked a 6-1 scoring run, eventually tying the match at 15 apiece.
Senior Hyacinth Ang broke the deadlock with a powerful ace that evaded the SPHS defense. Shin collected a team-leading 17 digs with six aces and two assists, while Ang produced six aces with four kills, 24 assists and six digs.
“Hyacinth is really stepping up,” CV head coach Matt Simons said. “She’s got such a high volleyball IQ but she’s never set before. Every game she is getting dramatically better because she’s getting 150 reps, so her progress has grown exponentially. For us to have a really successful year, she’s going to be a key, and she’s done a great job so far.”
After a back-and-forth battle for the lead, a weary South Pasadena squad registered three consecutive errors to hand Crescenta Valley a third-set victory.
The Falcons opened with a strong second set, forcing the Tigers to call an early timeout after jumping to a 7-1 lead with Shin and Ang serving. Despite losing the lead midway through the set, the CV kept the set close by forcing seven lead changes after the score was tied 11 apiece, including a kill by senior Nyra Tatoulian to make it 23-23. She finished the match with a team-leading 13 kills.
“Nyra is a third-year varsity player and she’s a captain this year. This year, she’s really stepped up in being a smart hitter,” Simons said. “She can pound that ball hard but she’s also minimizing her errors. She’s being smarter, she’s swimming harder, and you know, we’re still working on her rhythm and timing with our setter Hyacinth, but when that timing is good it looks good because she can hit that ball as hard as anyone.”
Senior Rory Reedy-Solano recorded six kills and one dig, while sophomore Caden Pinto registered six aces, two kills, four digs and one assist. Senior Jana Coffeen posted four kills and one dig, and sophomore Isabel Haytayan produced three kills. Senior Jenna Patel had one kill, senior Natalie Andrias tallied two aces, and senior Autumn Parrott made three digs.
“We want to compete for a league title and that’s our goal,” Simons said. “Play good teams like South Pasadena — I mean, the goal for the season is not to beat South Pasadena. The goal for the season is to compete for a league title.”
The Falcons previously competed in the two-day Chatsworth Invitational last weekend, finishing ninth out of 21 teams in the competition.
CVHS lost its tournament finale by falling to host Chatsworth, 25-20, 25-20, on Saturday, Aug. 27. Shin collected three aces and 15 digs, while Haytayan posted five kills and three blocks.
The Falcons lost their first tournament after falling to Palisades High of Pacific Palisades, 25-15, 25-17, as Shin notched 14 digs and Tatoulian produced six kills.
CV won its fifth consecutive tourney match after dominating Channel Islands High of Oxnard, 25-3, 25-5, in the second of four contests on Saturday. Senior Aleen Derbarsegian collected five aces and 14 assists, while senior Catalina Clark-Reed and Coffeen each had five kills.
Crescenta Valley swept Birmingham High of Lake Balboa, 25-20, 25-17, to open the second day of tournament play, as Shin tallied four aces and 16 digs. Senior Rory Solano recorded seven kills, Tatoulian finished with six kills and Derbarsegian logged 17 assists.
The Falcons ended Friday’s tournament action with a three-set victory over El Camino Real High of Woodland Hills, 25-19, 20-25, 15-8, on Friday, Aug. 26. Haytayan posted seven kills, Shin accumulated 17 digs and Ang registered 15 assists.
CVHS picked up their second straight tournament sweep by downing Van Nuys, 25-10, 25-10, earlier on Friday. Coffeen produced four aces and four kills, while Tatoulian and Solano each had five kills.
CV opened tournament play with a strong victory over St. Genevieve High of Panorama City, 25-9, 25-13, on Friday. Solano notched four aces and three kills, while Tatoulian finished with four kills.
The Falcons also collected a nonleague sweep at Granada Hills Charter High, 25-20, 25-14, 25-17, on Thursday, Aug. 25, as Tatoulian tallied 15 kills. Solano recorded nine kills, Ang posted 23 assists and Coffeen had seven aces.
CVHS (11-5 overall) will return to action in a nonleague rematch at El Camino Real on Wednesday, Sept. 7, at 3:45 p.m.
GLENDALE
The Nitros recently dropped a four-set match at San Marino, 25-20, 25-17, 20-25, 25-20, on Tuesday, Aug. 30, as sophomore Aleina Manaois collected 22 kills and two aces. Junior Arianna Vargas produced 10 kills and four aces, while sophomore Emmi Whiting tallied 28 assists and one ace.
Glendale previously picked up a dominant sweep over visiting Holy Family, 25-11, 25-4, 25-6, in a nonleague matchup on Monday, Aug. 29, as Manaois registered 12 kills and two aces. Vargas posted five digs and six aces, sophomore Breanna Cuellar finished with four aces and four blocks, and Whiting accumulated 16 assists and two aces.
The Nitros were swept in a competitive nonleague matchup at Rio Hondo Prep in Arcadia, 28-26, 25-19, 25-23, on Thursday, Aug. 25, as Manaois recorded 14 kills, nine digs and three blocks. Vargas notched 10 digs and five kills, while Whiting had 19 assists and a pair of blocks.
Glendale (5-5 overall) will visit Hawthorne in a nonleague match on Tuesday, Sept. 6, at 4:45 p.m.
HOOVER
The Tornados lost their season-opener at Marshall High in Pasadena, 25-11, 25-8, 25-15, on Wednesday, Aug. 31. No individual statistics were reported to the Glendale News-Press.
Hoover (0-1 overall) will begin Pacific League play by visiting Burbank on Thursday, Sept. 7, at 3:30 p.m.
