FALL SPORTS SHORTS–
(Latest volleyball shorts will be at the top of the section. Scroll down to check out past results. Tournament games do not count toward win/loss record. Visit the Sports Section for volleyball features)

For the 2006 girls’ volleyball SWSL standing and stats, click here on MaxPreps SWSL girls’ volleyball.

VOLLEYBALL–
Volleyball ended the season 15-7 overall and 8-0 in the South West Sierra League as of Nov. 7.

SEASON END

EAGLES LOSE IN QUARTERFINALS, 0-3, on Nov. 7
No. 5 FC played against the No. 4 Mission Prep in the quarterfinals of the CIF Division 5 playoffs on Nov. 7. The Eagles played timid in front Mission’s home crowd during the first game and lost, 8-25.

“I was sad our season ended at Mission Prep,” senior Christina Cabias said, “but looking back on our season I’ve realized how much we’ve accomplished as a team. I will never forget this season.”

In the second game FC played aggressively and fought for every point, but the Royals’ took game two, 25-21.

“I felt this season hasn’t been about wins or losses,” coach Larry Orender said, “but about how people respond to the challenge. When we lost the first game, the way we did, we were presented with a challenge. We chose to fight rather than quit.”

The Eagles’ had less service and return errors in the third game, but Mission played consistently to close out FC, 25-22.

“This season has been one of the most memberable seasons of my entire volleyball career,” senior Jessica Berg said. “The coaches and the team have unified and we’ve created a close bond which has led to our success this season, I enjoyed every minute of it.”

END REGULAR SEASON

EAGLES BEAT HAWKS FOR LEAGUE TITLE, 3-1, on Nov.2
The girls’ volleyball team became the undefeated SWSL champions with the win over Liberty-Madera Ranchos on Nov. 2. FC clinched the victory in four games to celebrate for senior night.

During the first game the team focused on their season rather than the game. The Hawks took advantage of numerous service and hitting errors, along with a lack of execution to win 25-22.

FC hit more aggressively resulting in more kills and better defense. Despite losing a large lead from the beginning, the team came out with a second game victory, 25-20.

The Eagles’ kept their momentum to play a smarter third game. FC placed kills and timely blocks once again resulted in a win, 25-16.

FC started came out with energy, and had numerous aces gave the team the momentum. Quinn Livingston ended the fourth game, 25-17.

?I was happy we went out with a win on our senior night,? senior Christina Cabias said. ?We played as a team, and I will never forget this game.?

Cabias lead the team with 12 kills, senior Jessica Berg had 10 kills, and senior Kelsey Marston had 6 blocks.

?I feel like the team played as a unit and pulled together for one last home game,? Berg said.

FC DEFEATS CARUTHERS, 3-1, on OCT. 31
FC defeated Caruthers in four games on Oct. 31 to win the inaugral season in the South West Sierra League. The Eagles’ came out with energy and played a consistent first game, to win 25-15. The team played aggressivively and consistently made their serves, hits and digs.

In the second game Caruthers challenged FC by digging the Eagles? hits by playing hard defense. FC also handed Caruthers points through service and hitting errors; FC lost 20-25.

The girls’ came back and fought for every point in the third game to win, 25-17. Aces and kills contributed to the win over Caruthers.

In the fourth game coach Larry Orender explained to the girls that this game would determine if they would become the South West Sierra League Champions or not. This motivated the girls’ to play to their potential. Senior Jessica Berg came out with numerous kills. Senior Kelsey Marston ended the game, 25-18, with a block.

?The game against Caruthers was a good victory considering we played without one of our starters (senior Christina Cabias),? Orender said. ?We came together as a team and I was elated that we are now first time South West Sierra League Champions.?

Berg lead the Eagles’ with 21 kills while Kelsey Marston had 9 kills. Sophomore Kally Batesole had 7 digs.

FC BEAT TRANQUILITY, 3-0, on OCT. 26
The Eagles’ shut out Tranquility in three straight games on Oct. 26. The girls came out flat without energy in the first game, which contrasted to their battle against Fowler to win 3-2.

The team played without effort in front of a home crowd, who remained silent to accompany the lifeless game. Numerous service and hitting errors along with lack of focus gave Tranquillity the opportunity to keep the game close, but FC held the Tigers, 25-20.

To start the second game coach Larry Orender gave an inspirational speech. The Eagles’ came out energized and fought for every ball despite a large lead to win, 25-7. FC made fewer errors and more aggressive play resulted in a quick win over the Tigers in the third game, 25-7.

“We had a line-up change before the match,” coach Orender said, “and we allowed that change to take away from our execution. Fortunately we were able to correct that and play to the best of our abilities.

Assistant coach Shaylee Jones believes, junior Brittany Lauber came through with her serve to secure the last 14 points for their win.

?The win over Tranquility was a big stepping stone to achieving our goals of volleyball excellence,? Orender said.

Senior Jessica Berg led the team with 10 kills, junior Melanie Nachtigall added 7 kills to the Eagles’ stats. Freshman Quinn Livingston had 22 assists.

The Eagles’ will next host Caruthers on Halloween and Liberty-Madera Ranchos for senior night on Nov. 2.

FC DEFEATS FOWLER, 3-2, on OCT. 24
The Eagles battled to defeat Fowler in five games on Oct. 24 and coach Larry Orender claims he lost some hair during the last points of the match.

In the first game FC played with caution to avoid errors, but lack of aggressive hits gave Fowler the win, 25-17.

The Eagles changed their game play to finish the second game 25-13. FC took more swings, energy and execution played a large role in the girls’ win. Fowler entered the third game with precision hitting; FC struggled to keep up their momentum and the Eagles lost, 20-25.

Under pressure for a fifth game, FC placed their serves, swings, passes and blocks with intensity. Senior Jessica Berg ended with fourth game, 25-16, with a kill.

In the start of the fifth game Fowler was ahead 3-9. Coach Orender called a time out, and game an inspiring speech. FC altered their strategy; the score was tied 13-13. Fowler gained the next point, but Kelsey Marston tied the score again with a key block. Junior Melanie Nachtigall ended the game with a kill that ended the fight, 16-14.

?Fowler was a skilled team and we had to battle for every point,? coach Orender said. ?It all came down to execution and who wanted to win more.?

Senior Jessica Berg lead the team with 10 kills, Kelsey Marston had 8 blocks and Quinn Livingston had 29 assists.

FC BEATS RIVERDALE, 3-0, on OCT. 19

Despite lack of enthusiasm, FC shut out Riverdale in three games on Oct. 19. The Eagles’ began the first game with energy, but Riverdale handed FC a majority of points through service errors and missed hits to finish 25-10.

Riverdale was not aggressive in either offense or defense, resulting in second game win for FC, 25-14.

Although FC had a quick win in the third game, 25-11, the Eagles’ made 7 service errors and numerous hitting errors.

?I am glad we won, but I still felt we came out flat in some spots,? coach Larry Orender said. ?We still need to improve if we are going to beat Fowler on Tuesday.?

Senior Christina Cabias and junior Melanie Nachtigall lead the team with 7 kills each, followed by senior Kelsey Marston with 5. Sophomore Kally Batesole had 5 aces, and freshmen Quinn Livingston had 23 assists.

FC WINS MARATHON MATCH, 3-2, on OCT. 17
Despite dropping their first game (19-25) to the Hawks, FC clawed back into the match by winning the next two (25-20, 25-21) and ultimately besting Liberty-Madera in the deciding fifth game (24-22) on Oct. 17.

“We came out flat,” coach Larry Orender said. “Liberty is a good team and we gave them a chance to battle with us and it turned into a dogfight. We were fortunate to win.”

Jessica Berg again led the team with her serves that proved to be elusive for a Hawk team which adjusted well to the Eagle offense. Berg also finished with 9 kills.

However, it was freshman setter, Quinn Livingston, who stepped into the deciding fifth game.

“Quinn showed tremendous poise and guts to overcome a hostile crowd and delivered timely sets in the fifth game. She put aside some her earlier set backs and set up our offense with confidence. Her teammates responded with a gritty performance.”

Orender also said Melanie Nachtigall’s 4 of her 12 kills in the fifth game paced the Eagles offense and lifted them over the hump and ultimate victory in the match.

While captain senior Christina Cabias added 10 kills in the match, coach Orender said it was her aggressive play which inspired her teammates.

“Christina leads by example,” Orender said. “Her willingness to sacrifice her body to dig and save points typifies what we’re trying to do. She is a fighter; she never gives up and, in turn, neither does this team.

“This team has an opportunity to do something special,” Orender said. “We’re in a new league, so we want to be the first champions of the South West Sierra League. Winning last night was a big step in that direction.”

FC BEAT AVENAL, 3-0, on OCT. 12
The girls? volleyball team shut out Avenal in three games, 25-6, 25-13, 25-15 on Oct. 12.

In the first game, the girls stayed energized and motivated. Numerous kills and service aces contributed to win within 15 minutes.

The team lost momentum in the second game. Although there was one streak in serve-receive with passing errors, the girls regained the energy and execution needed to take the win.

Due to the previous scores, coach Larry Orender decided to give the non-starters a chance to play. Brittany Lauber and Kristen Amerine gained experience by playing through the last game.

?The win over Avenal was a team win and everyone contributed on and off the court,? Orender said. ?We knew we had to keep focused and energized regardless of the score.?

Senior Kelsey Marston led the team with 11 kills.

FC BEAT UNDEFEATED FOWLER, 3-2, on OCT. 10
After waiting for the referee, FC played a long match to defeated Fowler, 3-2, on Oct. 10. The Eagles’ improved communication resulted in more digs, blocks and kills than any game this season and powered them to victory, 25-17. However, according to junior Claire Kister, FC let down and were a little overconfident and the Redcats took advantage and turned the momentum around. The Eagles’ missed passes and serves, added to the unforced errors proved deadly and the Recats won decidedly, 13-25.

In the beginning of the third game, Shaylee Jones, assistant coach, encouraged the Eagles’ during a timeout. The team unified and again gained control over the game with aces and well-placed hits. However, the girls became overconfident in the fourth game, which lead to service and hitting errors. While close, dropped the game by 2 points,23-25.

The fifth game came down to a tiebreaker. Although the Redcats lead the game from the start, senior Jessica Berg serviced the team to victory with a score of 15-8. Her serves bent and swerved their way across the net and the Redcats could not adjust.

Berg had 15 kills and 11 digs. Junior Melanie Nachtigall had 16 kills and 8 digs, while freshman Quinn Livingston had 32 assists.

?Before we warmed up I told the girls, ?no guts no glory?,? coach Larry Orender said. ?We played aggressive defense and offense in the first game and although we lost the 2nd and 4th games, we ended strong and I couldn?t be more pleased.?

FC SHUTS OUT CARUTHERS, 3-0, on OCT. 5
FC won three straight games in their second league match against Caruthers: 25-17, 25-12, 25-16. Strong hitting and serving in combination with consistent defense ensured the win. Senior Jessica Berg led the way with 4 aces, 15 digs, and 7 kills. Senior Kelsey Marston played aggressively at the net with 8 kills and junior Melanie Nachtigall led the team with 13 kills.

“We are working on responding to challenges with improvement,” coach Larry Orender said. “Fowler is next and they are a tough team. Our setting, shot selection and serve receive must get better. Each girl knows where they need to improve and they need to carry over the skills we learn in practice into the coming matches. Our kill to error ratio is struggling; we need to play smarter in order to beat the Redcats.”

Freshman Quinn Livingston had 23 assists and 2 blocks. This team is very different than the one, which lost back-to-back games at the coast last weekend. Senior Aliza Ford played aggressive defense in the back row as she dove for two hard-to-reach hits, ultimately earning two near-impossible points. The large lead in the third game allowed the inexperienced players a chance to play.

FC REBOUNDS, BEATS RIVERDALE, 3-0, on OCT. 3
After dropping their last two games at the coast, the girls’ bounced back to beat Riverdale on the road, 3-0, on Oct. 3. Behind the serving of Jessica Berg who also made 7 kills and 5 digs, the Eagles dominated the Cowgirls who faced a determined FC squad. The Eagles won each game convincingly, 25-14, 25-8, 25-15.

Melanie Nachtigall also pounded the offense with 10 kills and Christina Cabias added 7 more and the Eagles rebounded from two passive performances last week.

MISSION PREP TAKES ADVANTAGE OF FC’S LETDOWN–SEPT. 30
Mission Prep defeated FC in three games, 20-25, 11-25, 14-25, on Sept. 30. Faced with strong defense the team had trouble keeping hits in without being blocked.

Lack of effort playing defense allowed easy balls to drop while mental errors gave the Royals easy points. Though spurts of energy occurred, the team lacked consistent play and passion necessary to play well.

?We desperately need to improve if we are going to hang with teams of the caliber by playoffs,? coach Larry Orender said.

COAST UNION BEATS FC–SEPT. 29
FC lost to Coast Union in three straight games, 15-25, 16-25, 6-25, on Sept. 29.

According to coach Larry Orender, the Eagles lacked the passion necessary to play on a higher level. Points were lost in serve receive due to non-aggressive passing and failure to communicate on the court. Mental errors an inconsistent play gave Coast an easy win.

EAGLES DOWN MENDOTA AFTER SHAKEY START–SEPT. 28
While Mendota surprised FC with a strong opening to game one, Jessica Berg served five straight serves which seemed to confuse the visitors and FC did not look back in straight set wins 25-22, 25-16, 25-18 on Sept. 28.

Berg’s timely serves seemed to bend and dip and the Eagles caught fire and added to their win streak. Melanie Nachtigal had 8 kills while Kally Batesole also served well, adding five aces.

The volleyball team will travel to the coast to take on Coast Union in Cambria on Sept. 29 and Mission Prep in San Luis on Sept. 30.

EAGLES BEAT DOS PALOS IN THREE GAMES–SEPT. 26
The girls’ volleyball team began the first game with energy and a strong defense to win 25-14 against Dos Palos on Sept. 26. Although the Broncos took advantage of FC’s loss in momentum, the Eagles finished the second game 25-17.

In the third game the team seemed overconfident they missed serves, increased hitting errors, and lacked communication. The score was tied 22-22, senior Christina Cabias finished the game in three serves to end the third game, 25-22.

AFTER SCARE, FC DEFEATS FIREBAUGH–SEPT. 21
After blowing out the visiting Eagles, 25-12, in the first game, FC lost focus and squeaked out a 25-22 win in the second game and lost game three, 25-27. Yet, with the home crowd behind them and strong team defense, FC rebounded to win the fourth game, 25-18, and the match, 3-1, on Sept. 21.

FC played nearly error-free volleyball in game one but a lack of communication and mental breakdowns in game two and three showed. Numerous service and hitting errors cost the home Eagles their momentum and they began playing as individuals rather than as a team.

“I’m actually glad we played a team that would not quit,” coach Larry Orender said. “Firebaugh battled with us and we gained a lot of experience and heart from this match. But we will have to do a better job with the ball, especially in serving and attacking.”

Jessica Berg led FC with 12 kills and Christina Cabias had 11 kills; setter Kelsey Marston had 34 assists.

VALLEY CHAMPIONS DEFEAT FC IN PRESEASON MATCH–SEPT. 14

For the first time since bowing out of the Caruthers Tournament, the girls’ volleyball team went into action. The team traveled to Yosemite High, last year’s Division III Valley Champion, and won the first game but the Eagles dropped the next three and lost, 1-3, on Sept. 14.

FC surprised the home squad with an emotional, well-played first game, winning 26-24. And they continued the same emotional play in the second but lost in a heartbreaker, 23-25. The last two matches were all Yosemite, 12-25, 11-25. But the Eagles did not despair on the hour bus ride home.

“I think we took a huge step towards our goals for the preseason,” coach Larry Orender said. “We definitely created more attacks against Yosemite (over 100).”

Junior Melanie Nachtigall had 9 kills and zero hitting errors in 38 attempts. The new setter, senior Kelsey Marston, led the team with 17 assists.

“Marston’s accuracy helped keep us close,” Orender said, ” and Kelsey has already showed marked improvement since practice began.”

Two seniors, Jessica Berg and Christina Cabias, led the Eagles with their emotional play said coach Orender.

“Both Jessica and Christina lifted the team through the first two games,” Orender said. “They called huddles to keep the girls focused, were aggressive and lead by example. Their positive attitude is also infectious.”

FC COMPETES IN CARUTHERS CHAMPIONSHIP BRACKET–SEPT. 9

After winning Pool B in the Caruthers Raisin Harvest Tournament, FC played against Kingsburg to open the championship bracket on Sept.9. The Vikings defeated the Eagles 15-25, 18-25.

FC then lost to Le Grand 17-25, 24-25, and was eliminated from the tournament.

?We digressed as a team,? coach Larry Orender said, ?but I believe it?s a valuable experience when the girls realize how their focus affects the outcome of the game.?

FC won their first two matches in Pool B as they opened the preseason at the Caruthers Tournament on Sept. 6. FC defeated Corcoran High, 25-9, 25-16, and beat Washington Union, 25-9, 25-8. Then as the sun set, the visiting Eagles dropped a pair of games to rival Fowler, 23-25, 19-25.

“This is my favorite part of the preseason,” coach Larry Orender said while on the bus after the match. “While there are areas of improvement, it is exciting to watch the potential out on the floor. I thought we were aggressive and had a lot of positive energy today.”

Fowler beat FC to open last year’s Caruthers Tournament but the Eagles later beat the Redcats and won the West Sierra League title.