Lady Bulldogs into state semis

Stepping to the line in Game 5 after the Bulldogs took an 8-7 on a Rachel Bullard kill, Walsworth closed out the match with an epic 7-point service run to inspire the surprising celebration in the middle of the court.

“I was just so proud that we all came together,” Walsworth said. “Just looking at everyone’s faces, what everyone was doing, was just so beautiful to me because we put in so much work. … We had to put everything in, and we just redeemed ourselves.”

Walsworth was an unlikely heroine. The sophomore has served tough all season, ranking fourth on the team in aces, but she had never led off a set for the Bulldogs this season. That changed heading into Game 4, with the Bulldogs on their heels trailing 2 sets to 1 and looking to counter Moorpark’s tough defense on CSM’s leading hitter Naomie Cremoux.

Acting head coach Nicole Rathman suggested a new lineup to coach Katie Goldhahn during Game 2 when CSM seemed to be spiraling out of control. The Bulldogs let a late lead slip away to drop Game 1 then were trailing late in the second set. After CSM’s late comeback in Game 2, Rathman and Goldhahn shelved the lineup change.

After dropping Game 3, however, the Bulldogs moved Walsworth to the top of the service rotation in an effort to line up Cremoux against one of Moorpark’s less effective blockers.

“I turned to Katie and said: ‘We have nothing to lose at this point,’ and we decided to go for it,” Rathman said.

The move paid off. Walsworth’s stay at the service line to open Game 4 was brief, but Cremoux followed to lead CSM on a 6-0 run. With CSM keeping the rotation intact through Game 5, Walsworth was money at her turn in the service rotation.

“It definitely came at the right time,” Goldhahn said.

Cremoux led the attack with a match-high 23 kills. Freshman outside hitter Tui Saluni added 15 kills and sophomore middle blocker Valerie Bruk had 12. Moorpark freshman Cashe Olswang led the Pirates with 14 kills.

The win was quite an uphill climb. After squandering a 19-15 lead in Game 1, the Bulldogs flipped the script in Game 2. Moorpark (18-5) doubled up on CSM early 12-6 and earned two set points on a Ryann Gaglio kill, giving the Pirates a 24-22 lead. But after Moorpark faulted from the service line, CSM tied it at 24 when Saluni exacted the sideline with a fade off the left side. Moorpark was then called into the net to give the Bulldogs the advantage. Cremoux then caught the backline for a service ace to tie the match at 1 set apiece.

While the first four sets saw big swings on the scoreboard, Game 5 was a back-and-forth, point-for-point battle. The race to 15 was tied at five different junctures before the teams switched sides with CSM’s 8-7 lead. After retaking the court, however, the only way Moorpark could slow Walsworth and the Bulldogs was to call a timeout at 10-7.

During the timeout, assistant coach Chris Balistreri, who calls CSM’s serving signals, knew Walsworth was in the zone.

“I went right for her with a hand up in the air and she was so pumped to get that high-five, and I knew at that point she was just so locked in,” Balistreri said.

Walsworth, who scored just one ace on the 7-point run, wasn’t so sure.

“Usually when we get hyped, I get pretty antsy, and I usually freak out,” Walsworth said. “So, I just told myself: ‘Be calm, just get it in, it doesn’t have to be an ace.’”

CSM saw five players with double-digit digs in the remarkably fluid defensive match, led by freshman libero Ashley Chacon’s 22. Moorpark countered with four double-digit dig performances, led by freshman Larissa Dakoske with 21.

With the win, CSM advances to the Final Four of the single-elimination tournament. The Bulldogs face Feather River, Nor Cal’s No. 2 seed, Saturday at 2 p.m. The two teams met twice in the opening weeks of the regular season, with the Golden Eagles sweeping both times. The last meeting was Sept. 10 in the Delta Classic.

”We are a completely different team than we were back in September,” Rathman said. “So, I’m really excited to see the type of volleyball that is going to be played [Saturday].”

The winner of Saturday’s semifinal will play for the CCCAA Volleyball State Championship, Sunday at 2 p.m.