Thursday night at Lakewood High School marked the end of regular season and one last chance to see the Moore League’s two most talented volleyball teams. The Wilson Bruins wrapped up the regular season league title on Tuesday night, but Lakewood played like the it was on the line in an emotional encore for both squads, where the Lancers continued to show potential, and the Bruins continued to dominate in a three-set victory, 25-23, 25-16, 25-19.
For Wilson, junior Kellie Culbertson (above) led the way with a match-high 13 kills, 4 blocks, and 13 digs. Senior Deveney Pula added 12 kills, and junior Candace Nicholson held it down on the backline with 37 digs.
On the Lakewood side, junior Jasmine Orozco tallied a team-high 11 kills, while sophomore Tyler Jackson and junior Taylor Hollins worked the outside and grabbed seven kills a piece.
The first set in this Wilson win may have been the Moore League’s best set all season. Bruins senior Amanda Pacheco pounded the Lancers’ middle block and scored four of Wilson’s first six points. Lakewood took a timeout at 6-2, and turned to Orozco, whose three kills in the middle of the set kept the Lancers close. But Wilson pulled away to a seven point lead, 19-12, with strong play from Pula on the outside.
Orozco got good contact on a few free balls, and Lakewood crept closer to 21-18. Then sophomore setter Megan Moenoa and her mighty jump serve took over and knocked Wilson back on their heels, tying it up at 21, and causing Bruin coach Susan Pescar to call a timeout.
“[Lakewood] looked great in that first set,” said Pescar. “I called the timeout to tell my girls, I said ‘They’re baaaack.”
Out of the timeout, a whistle for Wilson on the net gave Lakewood its first lead of the match, capping a 10-2 Lancer run. However, that would be their one and only lead of the night. Culbertson came up huge with a solo block to tie it up, a kill down the line to take the lead, and a thunderous kill in the middle for the set winner, 25-23.
In the second set, Wilson opened play the same way they started the night, with Pacheco pounding the middle and lefty Kellie Woolever solidifying the passing game. The junior played a starring role in the set on her way to 25 assists, seven kills and a solo block. The only difference between the first and second set was that there wasn’t a Lakewood run to answer the disciplined Bruin play, and Wilson ran away with it, 25-16.
In the third stanza, senior Janisa Johnson came in off the bench to open the set with a powerful kill on her way to five kills, three of them in the final five points to close it out for Wilson, 25-19.
Talent wise, these two squads couldn’t be much closer. But that intangible “it” seems to elude the Lancers. If the Bruins are talented, seasoned, and patient, then the Lancers would be talented, young, and, “One big philosophical victory from turning it all around,” said Pescar of Lakewood. “Second place in the Moore League is nothing to be sad about. That’s a great team over there. They are so close.”
Both teams also got a day closer to CIF Southern Section Playoffs, which will announce its seedings on Sunday morning. But if Thursday night was any indication, it should be everyone outside the Moore League who should be worried.