Aragon volleyball sweep past Sequoia

Now that things are, kind of, back to normal, both are still looking for a rhythm early in the season.

The biggest difference, however, is, well, big. Aragon is a perennial Peninsula Athletic League Bay Division and Central Coast Section contender and is, technically, the defending CCS Division II champion — won during the 2019 season.

Sequoia, on the other hand, is, technically, the defending 2019 PAL Ocean Division champion. So while an always-strong Dons’ squad is simply looking to find its sea legs, the Ravens are having to learn to play together at level not familiar to them.

While the Ravens put up a fight, it was the Dons’ superior skill that carried them a three-game sweep of Sequoia, 25-21, 25-18, 25-22.

“This is our first time in the Bay (since 2016),” said Sequoia head coach Kandace Korver. “We’re a totally new team, totally new [division].”

Regardless if there was a pandemic-shortened 2021 spring season, it doesn’t change the fact that Aragon (2-0 PAL Bay, 4-6 overall) is now two seasons removed from that CCS. Add in the fact that many of this year’s squad chose club volleyball over high school ball in the spring and the Dons are pretty much in the same boat as the Ravens.

“On the whole, we played OK,” said Aragon head coach Nettie Gennaro-Trimble. “We ’re still not gelling. Not playing together.”

The good news for the Dons was that it got a balanced attack as nine players notched at least one kill. Jess Castroviejo and Mabryn Manu each finished with six kills to pace Aragon. Gabbi Oaks might have been the Dons’ most versatile weapon, adding four kills to go along with six service aces. Grace Nai, Rachel Bullard and Jordan Lee each had three kills.

Sequoia’s Allie Caldwell and Sofie Olson each finished with a match-high seven kills, while Aniyah Hall added six.

But in the end, it was Sequoia’s inconsistency that was difference. Time and again, the Ravens got on a roll to answer an Aragon run, only to have an unforced error give the momentum back to the Dons.

“We don’t have any traditionally trained setters and we have others playing at different positions,” Korver said. “We’re a pretty broad mix of age and experience.”

Despite the sweep, each set was decided by only a few points. The teams traded early runs in the opening set. When Hall put down an attack for Sequoia, the Ravens tied the score at 9. The Dons responded by winning eight of the next 11 points as their offense was humming. Of those eight points, four came of Aragon attacks and a fifth was Oaks’ third ace of the game as the Dons opened up a 15-11 lead.

A pair of Aragon errors and an ace from Sequoia’s Maddy Obana pulled the Raven within two points, 15-14, but they just could not get over the hump.

The Ravens had one last gasp in the opening game. With the Dons lead 24-17, Sequoia won four straight points to close to 24-21, but a Manu tip over Sequoia’s Hall provided the game-winning point for the Dons.

Game 2 was more of the same. Each time the Dons threatened to run away with it, Sequoia would go on a run to stay in it. With Aragon leading 5-4, the Dons won six straight points to push their lead to 11-4.

Sequoia responded with a 5-0 run of its own, with back-to-back kills from Ally Garay to close to 12-10.

But back-to-back errors from the Ravens gave the Dons some breathing room. An ace from Manu followed by a kill from Bullard, followed by another Sequoia error, pushed the Dons’ lead to 17-10.

Following a pair of hitting errors from the Dons, Argon responded with a kill from Bullard, a roof block from Megan Grant and an Oaks point off of dig pushed the Dons lead to 20-12. While Sequoia battled to the end, the Ravens could not catch the Dons, who posted the 25-18 Game 2 victory.

In the third set, the Aragon offense got a little sloppy and lost a little bit of its edge as balls that were going down earlier the match were not being dug up and sent back by the Ravens.

Back-to-back Aragon errors midway through the set gave Sequoia one of its few leads, 12-11 and when Caldwell dumped an attack around the Dons’ block, the Ravens led 13-11.

But a Sequoia net serve gave the Dons a sideout and Oaks stepped up with a pair of service aces to give Aragon a 14-13 advantage — one the Dons would not relinquish.

Sequoia got as close as 18-17 following an Aragon hitting error, but a Manu tip, followed by a Lee ace pushed the Dons’ lead to 20-17.

Again, the Ravens made the Dons work to the very end, but back-to-back kills from Aragon’s Izzy Bartlewski ended the match, 25-22, for the Dons.

“[Sequoia] did very well. They hustled and they never gave up. They have some height up front,” Gennaro-Trimble said. “I normally don’t look that far ahead, especially this year, but we want to be one of the top teams [Bay Division] team.

“But the [Bay Division] has some strong teams.”