Highlanders continue historic season
Maika Ting fired the final spike and the Piedmont High School girls volleyball team let out a collective scream and started to celebrate. The Highlanders had just defeated host Justin-Siena-Napa on November 4, 25-23, 15-25, 25-15, 25-16, to advance to the North Coast Section Division 3 championship game.
Piedmont will host San Domenico at 5 p.m. in Binks Gymnasium.
“It’s so rewarding to get that last kill because it’s the culmination of everything we working toward that entire game,” Ting said. “Seeing the joy on everybody’s faces is so fun. It’s so intense because all the emotions are running high.”
Said Lucia Dorsey, “We’re definitely making history, it’s super-exciting for all of us. We can’t wait to see how far we’re going to make it.”
The third-seeded Highlanders had a tall order in the semifinal. Literally. The No. 2 Braves had two outstanding hitters in Alaina Heffernan and Luci Giovannelli. Both are tall and powerful, exactly the kind of players that can dominate a match.
But Piedmont was mostly able to neutralize the duo. After squeaking by in the first set and then dropping the second, the Highlander defense really took over. The front row was able to get their hands on several spike attempts. On several block attempts by Justin-Siena, Piedmont was able to keep the play alive.
“I think we focused on keeping up a strong block and being on time and trying to read the sets early,” Dorsey said. “And also sticking to their strong players when they are on the court. Running rotational and making the whole team is alingned in terms of blocking.
“We have a super-scrappy back row. Honestly, I think a lot of times it’s not an issue for them because everyone is super-committed and we all make sure we get our own job done so everyone else can benefit.”
The third set was key, as it was close early but then the Highlanders started to build up a lead. Dorsey had a block to make it 17-11 with Ting getting a kill for the next point. Izara Dando set the ball over for a point to put Piedmont up 21-12.
The fourth set also started out close. The Braves offense finally got going in the middle. Heffernan put down a spike to give Justin-Siena its first lead of the set, 8-7. Vivian Strode scored on consecutive points with a spike and punch shot to make it 12-9. Heffernan had another spike to make it 13-10.
But that was the high-water mark for the Braves. Olivia Stevens took over the serve for the Highlanders and they went on a six-point run to take control. Ting scored on a punch shot and a spike and Dorsey added another spike.
“It feels really good especially when you have a really strong team backing you up and getting so excited after those big points,” Dorsey said.
Later, Dando scored on a couple of changeups and it was 21-14.
The win clinches a berth in the California Interscholastic Federation tournament that will begin November 10. The top three teams in each NCS division advance.
San Domenico is the fifth-seed and defeated top-seeded Cloverdale in the other semifinal, 25-20, 27-29, 25-14, 25-16.
“It feels …,” Allyson Huynh said before her teammates cut her off with a huge scream. “It feels amazing. I’m so proud of this team. Even though I didn’t personally play my best tonight, my teammates really stepped up for me and I always trusted them. They had my back and they were going to show up and show out.”
This is the second time the Highlanders have made an NCS championship match. They advanced to the finals of the Division 4 bracket in 2008 before losing to Marin Catholic.
Coach Mike Glass said, “To be able to get to a final, have it at home, the girls are excited, parents are excited. It’s just great for the program overall for the girls to have a run like this.”
Did the team put the NCS final on a white board before the season as a goal?
“Oh, no,” Glass said. “Oh, no.”