Emerson Dufloth (3) deposits one of her six kills in a four-set win over Carson Thursday night.
Photo by Ron Harpin.
Douglas High volleyball made it eight straight wins over its rival Thursday evening with a four-set win over Carson 18-25, 25-20, 25-18, 25-21.
After Carson won the opening set in emphatic fashion, the Tigers were able to close out the next three sets to pick up another victory.
“The girls are the ones who brought it up,” said Douglas head coach Suzi Townsell of the streak. “We definitely were aware of it. … I, of course, made them even more aware of it.”
Late in the second set, Douglas’ Zoey Quinn put away one of her nine kills on the evening to give the Tigers a 21-19 lead.
At 22-20, it was senior captain Riley Mello who put away one of her team-high 10 kills to give Douglas a three-point lead.
Fellow captain Marin Collins ended the set with a kill to take the second, 25-20.
Carson led 8-5 in the third before Collins went on a serving run that changed the course of the set.
On her 17th birthday, Collins aced the Senators on five of six serves to give Douglas an 11-8 lead.
“It’s nice she’s clicking back again. She’s got lots of experience,” said Townsell of Collins. “Those kind of points are huge for a team and their confidence.”
From there the Tigers were able to extend the deficit behind consistent attacking play, including three kills from Emerson Dufloth over an eight-point span.
Douglas was able to take the third set by its largest margin of the night, despite allowing the Senators to hang around.
Tiger injury
Junior hitter Sofia Kolbe dislocated her left shoulder in the opening set and exited the contest for the rest of the night.
Townsell said its an injury Kolbe has sustained before, but wasn’t sure of a timetable for her hitter’s return.
“I hope it’s not too bad because her body is used to it,” said Townsell. “She’s been trying to rehab it, but it has been kind of a constant.”
Though Kolbe was missed on the floor, Douglas’ hitting didn’t disappoint over the final three sets.
“I think we got ahead of ourselves because we were so amped,” said Townsell. “Relax, relax, relax.”
Senators competitive in defeat
Carson was without its head coach on the sideline, Brittany Witter, as she dealt with a family illness.
The Senators’ energy was much higher than in previous games this season and that showed to the coaches on the bench.
“We came out ready to play. I think we caught them a little of guard,” said assistant coach Kristalei Wolfe. “I think we played well. I think this is the best I’ve seen our team play defense.”
The Senators took an 11-9 lead in the opening set and continued to hold an edge of a few points over the remainder of the set.
Gabi Green crushed a kill to give Carson a 19-15 lead before Anna Turner pounded a kill to the floor of her own.
An ace from Sarah Miller gave the Senators set point, which they promptly finished off.
Carson remained competitive in the final three sets, pushing Douglas to work through mistakes.
The Senators led 4-0 in the third before Collins’ serving run and led 5-1 to start the fourth set.
Shannen von Duering, who returned from a concussion, put away a kill to keep Carson within reach before Faith Bowman made it a two-point contest with a tip kill.
Carson and Douglas were tied 21-all in the fourth set, but the Tigers were able to take the next four points to close the contest.
“Our blocking is there, were just not quite executing the block,” said Wolfe. “Other than that, this is the best I’ve seen our girls play consistently throughout the whole four games.”
UP NEXT: Douglas (9-4, 5-3) has won its last four straight and will head to Reno (10-3, 8-0) Tuesday in hopes of keeping that streak alive.
Carson (1-8, 1-6) will also be on the road Tuesday against Bishop Manogue (7-5, 7-1).
