Long Beach Wilson had their work cut out for them on Thursday at home against Palos Verdes in the second round of the CIF Southern Section Playoffs. The Sea Kings (or Queens) gave the Bruins all they could handle in four sets, but Wilson’s ability to play at the opponents’ pace proved vital in the 25-15, 20-25, 26-24, 25-22 victory.
Deveney Pula led the team with 14 kills while Kellie and Kellie filled out the stat box. Culbertson had 13 kills, 3 blocks, and a team-high 19 digs. Woolever added 11 kills, 18 digs, and 24 assists.
The beginning of the first set was a sign of trends to come as Palos Verdes jumped out to a 6-3 lead behind strong play at the net from middle blocker Caroline Daly. Pula then went to work with a block and a kill back-to-back to cap a 7-0 Wilson run, making it 10-6. After that, the Bruins didn’t look back, and Palos Verdes service errors and double hits helped the Wilson cause for the first set victory, 25-15.
The start to the second set mirrored the first, and PV opened up a 4-0, then 6-1 lead.
“I think after the first set we got a little complacent,” said Wilson coach Susan Pescar. “It was everyone… I’ve never seen us play like that. I mean, I’ve seen us be a little off, but not like that.”
“Like that” was a bevy of over passes and a nasty habit of allowing Palos Verdes setter Madison Smith to dump passes into Wilson’s defensive holes. Smith stymied a late Bruin charge with a dump pass to close the set for the Sea Kings (or Queens) 25-20.
Go ahead and guess how the third set started. If you guessed Palos Verdes opened with a 4-0 lead, you’re wrong. It was an 8-0 lead in the vital third set before Pescar was forced to call a timeout.
“(Palos Verdes) played a fantastic game,” said Pescar. “We needed to play at their pace… we needed to get off our heels and stop letting those tips and roll shots drop.”
Pescar called Culbertson over and told her to start playing “beach ball.”
“Then I told the whole team. We had to play like (Palos Verdes). We needed to play like we were on the beach with the movement and rolls shots… we had to make them chase us.”
But it was the Bruins who did the chasing in the third set. Down 7-12, it was Woolever’s crafty lefty shot and Culberson’s change ups (as opposed to the fastballs she was hitting earlier) that helped the Bruins get back in the set. Then it was Pula’s chance to shine as she peppered the Palos Verdes back line for three late kills to make it 24 all.
That would set up Woolever to make the play call of the game.
The play is called “X” and it hadn’t been called all night. During a long rally on set point, Woolever tugged at Kimberly Marshall’s jersey to get her attention and signal “X.” With all three players on the right, the pass came to Woolever. She then set the ball to the left over middle blocker Amanda Pacheco’s head, where it dropped perfectly for Marshall. On the run, Marshall pounded the ball to the gym floor for the set victory, 26-24.
“It’s sort of our emergency play,” said Woolever modestly after the match. “And it worked.”
The Bruins bucked the earlier trend and used the momentum to grab a 5-1 lead in the fourth set. But, like they did all night, the Sea Kings (or Queens) fought back behind great play from Smith, Daly, and opposite hitter Kelly Johnson.
In a beautiful act of symmetry, the fourth set ended as it began, with Pacheco and Rebecca Strehlow taking it to another level at the net. The set opened with a block by the senior and freshman (respectively) and then with the score tied at 21, the two turned back a Johnson attack to take the lead for good. They got their hands on the very next Palos Verdes attack, and Strehlow ended the short rally with her sixth kill on the night. Pacheco ended the night with a kill of her own, which was immediately followed by the entire Wilson gym letting out a mighty exhale.
“That was way past nervous,” said Pescar. “That was total heart failure. We’re not used to adjusting our game to what the other team is doing, but we had to tonight.”
Now headed into the third round of CIF Playoffs, the Wilson path to a ring has another obstacle.
“The world was up there filming us,” said Pescar, referring to the half-dozen rolling hand cameras in the upper balcony. “We showed a weakness tonight. We were just off.”
“Off” isn’t going to cut it as the Bruins get deeper into the bracket, and teams like Mira Costa get closer. A weakness was revealed, for sure, but Wilson showcased an ability to adjust on the fly, even though it wasn’t the smoothest of rides. Either way, the war path is now set out before them.
Wilson will take on Newport Harbor on Saturday at 7p.m. The site is yet to be determined.
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I would be remiss not to mention the stellar Wilson student section, self dubbed “Athos.” The crew, mostly male students in what looked like girls’ shorts (no offense, fellas) was a loud force to be reckoned with from opening serve to Pacheco’s winning kill. Here are a few tidbits from inside the mayhem that is Athos:
– When the Sea Kings (or Queens) came to the near side to serve, the boys started barking and meowing at the server. A teacher came over to kindly remind the students that this was a CIF event, and that kind of heckling is not permitted. Athos obliged, and when Palos Verdes went to serve again, the crew turned their backs to the server, and barked at the Wilson side of the net. The teacher didn’t like that one bit, and returned to confront the leaders of the pack. One student explained himself, “It’s, like, by the transitive property. Don’t worry about it. I’m in Algebra 2.”
– In the break between set two and three, Athos went high tech, and one member brought up the Palos Verdes roster on his cell phone. You can imagine what followed: “Hey, what’s up Caroline Daly?” “Madison, you’re a cutie.” “What’s your MySpace?”
– After the third set, Athos coaxed Wilson Principal Lewis Kerns into doing the “Go Big Red” chant/dance. It was priceless.
– After a very questionable call at the end of the fourth set, Athos let the judge hear their displeasure. The teacher returned the scold the boys, to which one member pleaded, “Okay, that one wasn’t our fault. That was seriously a horrible call. Seriously. Did you see it?”
A job well done, Athos. You are, hands down, the best cheering section in the Moore League. Thanks for the story title guys, and keep it up.
