Sequoia stuns Hillsdale in volleyball sweep

The small, sweltering auxiliary gym may play like a dungeon, but the Sequoia block turned it into a torture chamber for Hillsdale’s attackers. The Knights, in trying to adjust to Sequoia middles Aniyah Hall and Allie Caldwell, recorded an abysmal .011 hitting percentage.

“That is the lowest hitting percentage I’ve seen from this team in the last two years,” Hillsdale head coach Dwight Crump said.

Sequoia’s first-year head coach Katie Wilcox said the auxiliary gym feels like home to her veteran players, especially after the 2020 COVID season during the spring of 2021. Sure, the Ravens only played one official home match that season, but the team called the auxiliary gym its home for daily practices.

“It was really unfortunate but we’re adapting well,” Wilcox said. “It’s definitely a change. It is the gymnasium we used during COVID, so a couple of the girls have had some practice there. … But, once again, it’s just about the mental toughness.”

The Ravens have shown plenty of this mental toughness in recent weeks. After starting the PAL Bay Division schedule on a four-match losing streak, Sequoia is now riding a three-match win streak, a run that started Thursday, Sept. 22 with a dramatic five-set win over Menlo-Atherton.

Thursday’s win turned into a Sequoia block party of sorts, though the team didn’t record many official blocks, but the in-play put-backs wreaked havoc on Hillsdale’s shot attempts. Junior libero Blessing Taimani anchored the back row with 12 digs.

“We kind of had a strategy going into it we were going to try to shut down their top hitters … and I think we did a great job of getting it done,” Wilcox said.

Caldwell totaled three blocks, while adding eight kills and 13 assists. Hall matched the team-high with eight kills. Junior setter Meghan Kadlec turned in 16 assists.

Seniors Vivian Gilbert and Rachel Reed led Hillsdale with five kills apiece.

Sequoia jumped out to leads in each of the three sets, but the runaway third set didn’t diminish the excitement emanating from the purple side of the court. And why wouldn’t it? The Ravens entered play having endured a personal five-match losing streak in head-to-head play with Hillsdale, with Sequoia last defeating the Knights in 2016.

“All leading up to it, every single set we were celebrating, every single point we were celebrating … every single thing we like to celebrate, even the little things,” Wilcox said.

Upon match point being scored — when a Hillsdale middle misfired long — Sequoia stormed the court in celebration. Wilcox said some of her seniors looked as though they might cry.

“It was just like an incredible feeling,” Wilcox said.

With the loss, Hillsdale (5-2, 15-7) falls into a second-place tie with Aragon, one game behind first-place Burlingame in the PAL Bay Division standings. It was the second straight loss for the Knights, who dropped a five-set thriller Tuesday to Aragon, their first loss in league play since 2019.

With the PAL Bay now at the midway point of its league schedule, Crump said Hillsdale is still in a favorable position. The top three finishers in the Bay Division earn automatic bids to the Central Coast Section playoffs.

“Right now, I’m not concerned,” Crump said. “We’re in what you call the recovery mode, and I’m not worried about the recovery mode. Right now, the girls are in a good position. … They’re ready to regroup.”