Notre Dame-Belmont Tigers claw way to victory in Nor Cal volleyball opener

Ai was forced to crash the net when a backrow pass flew tight, but Ai balled her fist and punched at it with enough English to roll it over the net. The ball fell, Ai earned her first of two match kills, and the No. 6-seed Tigers (18-11) went on to a thrilling five-set victory 23-25, 25-22, 21-25, 27-25, 15-11.

“I saw the ball going tight and I was praying that it went over,” Ai said. “I know that my hand was low, so I was like: ‘Oh, please go over.’ And when it went over, I was so surprised.”

What a back-and-forth battle it was, though.

No. 11 Central Catholic-Modesto (19-10) simply would not go away. Of the two sets the Raiders won, NDB led late in both. In Game 1, a 20-14 advantage for the Tigers dissipated when Central senior Cora Grover scored six of her 11 match kills in the set. In Game 3, the Tigers led 18-13, but Central sophomore Sophia Castillon stepped to the line at 19-15 to navigate a 9-point service run.

“We were feeling good with that lead,” NDB junior Ciara Mangan said. “I think we got a little too comfortable and we really didn’t push hard enough, and we definitely could have stayed in the mindset of pushing harder.”

NDB head coach Jen Agresti, however, recognized the peril that no lead seemed to be safe.

“I haven’t felt comfortable all year,” Agresti said. “This team, they do a lot of great things. We go up, we go down; we go up, we go down. So, tonight, we landed on the up. I’ll take it. I’m proud of them.”

But after the Game 4 turnaround, it was the Tigers who proved the comeback kids.

NDB went on to win the fourth set in extra-points, staving off a second match point on a left-side fade by Mangan to tie it at 25. Mangan then tooled the block off the left pin to give the Tigers a 26-25 lead before sophomore Julia Breckenridge fired a kill from the right to send the match to a fifth set.

The race to 15 didn’t start well for the Tigers. The Raiders jumped out to a fast 3-1 lead, but an ace by Breckenridge flipped the scoreboard for a 5-4 NDB advantage. Two amazing defensive digs by freshman libero Adrianna Agresti and Mangan helped maintain the lead at 8-6. Then with a 13-11 lead, the Tigers forced match point with a kill from Breckinridge before Ai scored her second kill of the night to win it.

“I didn’t think that after losing nine seniors that making it to the second round of Nor Cals would even be anywhere in the realm of happening,” Agresti said. “So, the fact that they came out and got it done, I’m super excited for them.”

NDB has just two seniors on roster this season, making it a bona fide rebuilding year. But this is what a rebuilding year looks like at a volleyball powerhouse like NDB — a run into the second round of the Nor Cal playoffs.

Both of NDB’s seniors — Alexis Curry and Hayley Stuart — were playing middle Tuesday. This is a new development, though, as the 5-8 Curry has been playing opposite hitter most of the year. She only moved to middle blocker two matches ago in the Central Coast Section Division IV semifinal loss to Mercy-Burlingame.

Curry stepped up big time against Central Catholic, though. Her play in Game 3, and early in Game 4 gave the Tigers’ attack an extra dimension. The senior totaled 10 kills while hitting .348 from the field, and was one of four NDB players to tab double-digit kills.

“She has totally stepped up and just done a phenomenal job,” Agresti said. “Especially changing her position from a right side to a middle.”

Central’s defense kept the NDB’s attackers in fits most of the night. Despite Mangan going for a match-high 16 kills, she swung just .214 from the field. Breckenridge added 15. And Bordin, who went for a double-double with 13 kills and 10 digs, recorded just a .149 hitting percentage.

“Hustle plays and fighting for touches is something our program has always prided ourselves on,” Central Catholic head coach Michelle Springmeyer said.

NDB junior libero Isabella Alvaro turned in some clutch defense as well, totaling 13 digs. Mangan added 11 digs to also record a double-double.

Sophomore Shelby Jackson led Central with 13 kills, senior McKinley King totaled 10, and Grover went for six blocks.

There was a warm moment in the postgame celebration as the Tigers ran onto the court, with Agresti walking over to Ai and giving her a pat on the back of the head following the sophomore’s game-winning kill. Although Ai is in her second year at the varsity level, last year’s truncated season hardly counts, as NDB played just three matches in the COVID-shortened season.

“It meant a lot, to be honest,” Ai said. “This is my second year playing setter, and I feel like Coach Jen, she’s been a wonderful coach. She’s taught me everything I need to know. When she patted me on the head, it was like I passed through. I passed my mission and went on to the next level.”

The Tigers advance to Thursday’s second round and will again play host thanks to No. 14 Tamalpais upsetting No. 3 Balboa-SF in four sets. Thursday’s second-round match at Moore Pavilion is scheduled for a 6 p.m. start.