SALINAS \u2014 Another practice means another match, which translates to another first for Palma. While most gyms are being occupied with basketball practices, one school in the county is still putting up volleyball nets.<\/p>\n
Bigger challenges await. The vibe after Tuesday\u2019s sweep of Oakland Tech, though, was one of confidence as the Chieftains opened the CIF State Northern California Division V tournament with a 25-12, 25-18, 25-14 win.<\/p>\n
\u201cWe handled our business,\u201d Palma coach Ivan Garcia said. \u201cWe played our game. We executed. We didn\u2019t mess around. Now it\u2019s on to Hilmar.\u201d<\/p>\n
Runner-ups in the Central Coast Section, the No. 7 seeded Chieftains (14-13) will travel to face No. 2 Hilmar, who swept Encinal to improve to 23-16 overall.<\/p>\n
The Yellowjackets, who fell in the Sac Joaquin Section Division V semifinals to NorCal DV top seed Sutter in five sets, were 5-7 in the Trans Valley League.<\/p>\n
\u201cI\u2019ve been told it\u2019s a hostel environment over there,\u201d Garcia said. \u201cI will look at film and come up with a game plan for practice and try and get us as prepared as possible.\u201d<\/p>\n
Hilmar has five players with over 200 kills on the season, including Alyssa Colston, who has recorded 312 on the season. There is some size at the net, with three players standing over 6-feet-1, all with over 200 kills, with Reese Ahlem recording 92 blocks.<\/p>\n
In addition, 6-4 freshman Johanna Lawler has begun to find a role at the net with 128 kills. As a team, the Yellowjackets have 1,068 kills over 39 matches.<\/p>\n
The two schools are familiar with each other from other sports, as the Chieftains beat Hilmar 48-28 in Week 2 of this past football season. The two schools used to face each other on the hardwood each year in the Breaker Classic.<\/p>\n
The Chieftains, who are in their second year of having girls sports, reached a new pinnacle last week when they played for their first CCS title in any girls\u2019 sport, falling to Shasta Summit.<\/p>\n
\u201cIt was a learning moment,\u201d said Garcia, in speaking about last Saturday\u2019s four-set loss in the CCS finals. \u201cAfter we won the first set, we didn\u2019t keep our foot on the pedal. It sucked to lose CCS. I reminded them, let\u2019s finish this time.\u201d<\/p>\n
Champions of the Oakland Section, the Bulldogs (21-8) came into the match riding a nine-game winning streak, having run through the Oakland Athletic League during the regular season.<\/p>\n
Freshman Zaniyah Washington controlled the net for Palma, with Reese Amaral and Alena Salas finding their rhythm on the outside.<\/p>\n
\u201cWe were executing,\u201d Garcia said. \u201cWe were covering each other. We had minimal mistakes. We got a little lazy in the second set. So I called a time-out and told them we need to finish this.\u201d<\/p>\n
Washington collected 10 kills and two blocks for Palma, who is 3-1 in the postseason, while Salas and Amaral combined for 12 kills and 10 service aces.<\/p>\n
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