From Staff Reports: If Tuesday’s Prep League showdown between Poly and Mayfield is any indication of what kind of race we have to look forward to, this is going to be an exciting couple of months. The early favorites to chase the league championship are Westridge, Mayfield and Poly, and this was the first match […]
From Staff Reports:
If Tuesday’s Prep League showdown between Poly and Mayfield is any indication of what kind of race we have to look forward to, this is going to be an exciting couple of months.
The early favorites to chase the league championship are Westridge, Mayfield and Poly, and this was the first match between any of the big three.
Mayfield, behind first-year coach Cami Martin got out to a 2-1 lead heading into the fourth game.
But Poly clutched up and earned a 25-16, 19-25, 15-25, 25-15 and 15-13 victory on the road.
Kate Salembier led Poly with 12 kills, and had a block and an assist.
Ella Mao added 11 kills, Alexis Pappachan had 10 kills and Halston Harper finished with 10 kills.
Mayfield got a great effort from Maddie Reed, who had a match-best 15 kills and also had 6 digs.
Annie Evans chipped in with 6 kills and 11 digs, while Aoife Chow had 16 digs and Maeve Davitt added 11 digs.
The Cubs got 4 kills and 6 blocks from Catie Sanchez and Olivia Smith had 3 kills and 4 blocks.
Poly’s Lauren Kidman had 37 assists and Debbie Hong had 7 assists.
The Panthers also got 67 assists, 6 kills, 2 blocks and an ace from Zoey Mao.
Natalie Clark was also big for Poly, with 6 kills, 8 blocks and 2 aces.
Next Match: Poly will travel to Rio Hondo Prep on Thursday at 4:30, and Mayfield will host Chadwick on Thursday at 5:30.
Quotable:
Poly assistant coach Katrina Damasco: “We came out with all the momentum, very excited to face Mayfield on their home court. The momentum quickly shifted when they came out with tougher serves in the second set. We were tested but our tenacity showed through when we stepped up and took back the momentum in the fourth. Once again, they came out serving tough in the fifth set and we fell to a quick 4-8 deficit. But the fight these girls put out on the court was amazing. Mayfield played well making us work hard for every point. But the girls dug deep and took the game one point at a time. It was a very exciting win and a great way to start our league play.”
Poly sophomore Ella Mao: “We really wanted to beat them, because they swept us last year. They fought hard and made us earn every point, but it was a total team effort on our part. This is a great way to start our league season.”
