By Courtney Hughey
Staff Writer
In a match that was much more intense than the score suggests, Mira Costa girls volleyball took down Peninsula High School Tuesday by a score of 3-1.
Costa maintained a lead over Peninsula during the first game despite long rallies and defensive struggles. The Mustangs won with the help of senior outside hitter Grayce Campbell, who had three kills, and senior setter Corie Bain, who had a total of 10 assists in the first game.
“We slipped back a little bit in the beginning of the match with those long rallies,” Costa coach Lisa Arce-Zimmerman said. “However, we took that first game with great kills that helped us turn the tide of the game.”
The Mustangs fell behind early in the second game with defensive mistakes that gave away easy points. Costa tried to hold onto the game, with important blocks made by senior middle blocker Kylie Taylor and senior outside hitter Lexi Millington.
“Peninsula was rallying more and making key kills that hurt us in the beginning of the match,” Arce-Zimmerman said.
Costa battled back as the second game reached a close, with senior middle blocker Kelsey McIntire recording multiple blocks, but in the end, Peninsula was able to take advantage of Costa’s struggling defense, winning the second game at 25-23.
“I think at the beginning of the second game, we underestimated Peninsula,” senior libero Carly Muller said. “We had a lot of small errors that hurt us.”
The Mustangs jumped ahead early in the third game, setting the tempo with an increased offensive intensity. Peninsula hung on, winning several long rallies, but in the end, Mira Costa was able to narrowly take the third game at 25-23. Muller led the defense with 32 digs throughout the match.
“We realized during the middle of the match that it was not okay to lose that [second] game,” Muller said. “A couple of bad calls was enough to spark a fire in our team and lift the energy up.”
In the final game of the match, Costa established an offensive dominance that hadn’t been present earlier in the match. Effective blocks and multiple point-scoring assists from Bain helped Costa pull away.
“[The girls] made a lot of great kills that helped us come back during the last game,” Arce-Zimmerman said. “Our defense stepped up, but our offense won us the game.”
Millington’s four kills helped the Mustangs expand their lead, and a hot streak led by Campbell and Bain propelled the girls to a strong finish. Costa gained a nine-point lead, and the match ended when a Peninsula outside hitter hit the ball into the net. Costa took the fourth game with a final score of 25-15.
Costa’s next games will be at the Torrey Pines Varsity tournament today and tomorrow. The girls’ overall record is now 10-6.
“This game showed us what we really have to work on and which lineups will work best to help us be successful in our upcoming tournament,” Muller said.
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