Published 2010-10-19T15:47:00Z”/>
Dane Stivers
As the young ‘Cats trudged through the past few weeks, they promised it wasn’t talent they were lacking.
This weekend, it proved to be a lack of resiliency that had been the issue, after the Wildcats doubled the total amount of wins they’ve had in the past month with victories over Cal State Dominguez Hills and Cal State L.A.
The Wildcats jumped out to an early 12-8 lead in the first set against the Toros Friday night in Acker Gym. Despite being just 1-16 on the season, the Toros would go on a 4-0 run to notch things up at 12.
But the Toros would take part in their own undoing, failing to capitalize on three straight serves that they sent out of bounds as gifts to the Wildcats.
The ‘Cats would capitalize from there, hanging on for a 25-20 win that didn’t see the advantage for either team reach more than four points until the final Wildcat point.
In the second set, things started poorly for the ‘Cats and didn’t get much better throughout the game.
Though a 1-3 Wildcat start was stomped out by an early 7-6 lead, the Toros would gain momentum from there, turning an initially back-and-forth match into a 25-20 victory.
With the match tied at 1-1, the ‘Cats would need to show some fight if they wanted to hand the Toros their 17th loss in 18 attempts.
However, the ‘Cats showed quite the opposite at the beginning of the third set when a 13-15 deficit ballooned to a 14-21 deficit as the Toros charged at the ‘Cats.
But the ‘Cats didn’t quietly surrender as they had many times this season when facing big deficits.
They would come clawing back, turning the late seven-point deficit into a 24-24 tie, as the home crowd roared with applause.
The pivotal set would be won two points later, and the wild 26-24 win gave the ‘Cats a 2-1 match advantage and growing hopes of ending their six-match skid.
The Toros would have nothing left in the fourth and final set, as the ‘Cats jumped out to an early 7-1 lead and didn’t look back, taking the set, 25-13, and the match, 3-1, for their first victory in October.
The victory has the team feeling good vibes again, said freshman opposite and outside hitter Alex Shurtz, who scored a team-high 17 kills on the night.
“Everyone was smiling and laughing,” Shurtz said. “We really want to make the second half of the season that much better.”
On Saturday night, the Wildcats would face significantly tougher competition against the Cal State L.A. Golden Eagles, who were ranked fourth in the California Collegiate Athletic Association with a 7-6 conference record and a 10-7 record overall.
In the first set, the Wildcats pounced early. A quick 3-0 Golden Eagle start was made a memory after the ‘Cats scored nine of the next 10 points for a 9-4 advantage.
But the Golden Eagles would right the ship, going on a 13-7 run to put them ahead, 17-16.
Despite the ‘Cats knotting the score at 22 after one of freshman outside hitter and defensive specialist Makenzie Fahnestock’s team-leading 16 kills, the Golden Eagles would take it from there, scoring the next three points for the 25-22 victory.
In the second set, the ‘Cats would find themselves in a situation similar to the one they were in Friday night.
After an evenly played match to start, the Golden Eagles cashed in with a flurry of points, flying all over the ‘Cats for a comfortable 21-15 advantage.
But history would repeat itself, as the Wildcats scored 10 of the next 11 points for yet another wild, come-from-behind victory, 25-22.
The third set would also be a tight one as a late Golden Eagle run knotted the score at 24 after the ‘Cats had built a 22-18 lead just moments earlier.
But the ‘Cats again showed resiliency, gutting it out when the stakes were highest for a 27-25 set win and a 2-1 match lead.
The fourth set started off in a dead heat, but the ‘Cats turned a slim 13-12 advantage into a 19-13 lead after head coach Cody Hein called a quick timeout to keep the team relaxed and focused.
The ‘Cats would cruise from there to emerge with a 25-16 win for another 3-1 match victory, erasing memories of their losing streak with the weekend sweep.
This weekend’s two-match inner-conference sweep showed that improved Wildcat play is key to keeping the current wining-streak alive, Hein said.
“Our passing, our tip pursuits are getting better,” Hein said. “This weekend, we were better at keeping our heads together.”
The amount of maturity the team shows will make or break games for the Wildcats, Fahnestock said.
“We have all the talent in the world, that’s not an issue,” Fahnestock said. “We have to keep our confidence.”
Dane Stivers can be reached at
