The Anzar girls volleyball team has a way of playing up to their opponent, which is certainly a good start when going up against a powerhouse like Santa Catalina.
The private Monterey school hadn't lost a single game coming into Tuesday night's match with the Hawks in San Juan Bautista, and although the visiting Cougars still managed to triumph in three games (25-18, 26-24, 25-6), Anzar put up a fight in the first two games.
"Usually with a better team, we tend to play up," coach Chris Wardlaw said. "We started to catch their wave. We let that pull us up."
After losing Game 1 25-18, the Hawks sat tied with Santa Catalina at 23-all late in Game 2. But two missed serves eventually supplied the Cougars with the edge, and they went on to narrowly win 26-24.
"And we keep making critical mistakes at the wrong time," Wardlaw added.
Santa Catalina, at 5-0, has not lost a match in the Mission Trail Athletic League and has swept each of their opponents to date, 3-0.
"To come close to being the first one, that was pretty good," Wardlaw said. "But that last game left a bitter taste in our mouth."
After nearly defeating the Cougars in Game 2, Anzar lost convincingly in Game 3, 25-6.
Camille Merz had two kills and four blocks and setter Kerstin Tuning contributed 14 assists. The Hawks fall to 2-3 in the MTAL, 9-8 overall.
Wardlaw said Santa Catalina's height - where their outside hitters are 6-feet or taller - certainly contributed to the team's relentless pressure on offense.
Michelle Briggs led the Cougars with 11 kills and five blocks.
"And they really disrupted our passing with their strong serving," Wardlaw said.
Anzar will return to the court Thursday night at Pacific Grove at 6 p.m.
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The scene from today's shooting