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Tigers fall in second round Division II clash with powerful Garces Memorial High
On Tuesday, Nov. 8, Garces will play Sanger in the semi-final while Redwood will faced Exeter to get into the title game.
On Nov. 1, Lemoore’s talented volleyballers survived a thrilling five-set match against Tehachapi in the Lemoore High School Event Center, but the road ahead didn't get any smoother as the Tigers hopped on a bus Thursday for the long trip to Garces Memorial where they ended up on the wrong end of a three-set score.
The No. 8 Tigers will face the No. 1 Rams to determine who advances to the semifinal where one of the two will face the winner of the Sanger and Monache showdown. While the Rams were ranked the top team in Division II, they finished just fourth in the Southwest Yosemite League division with a 5-5 record.
Garces easily got past No. 16 Ridgeview in its opener, winning in three straight sets 25-10, 25-7, 25-8.
Tiger Coach Rachel Taylor was more than pleased with her team’s effort Tuesday night. “I was thrilled with the way the girls played,” she said. “They obviously played hard and played together as a team.”
Taylor said Tuesday night’s match may be an indicator of what’s to come. “We are looking forward to playing the number one team. If we play like we did last night, we have a chance. All I ask from them tomorrow night is to leave it all on the court.”
The Tigers took a 7-5 West Yosemite League mark and an overall record of 18-10 into Thursday’s big game.
On Tuesday, the Tigers needed all five sets to beat Tehachapi, winning 25-16, 14-25, 25-18, 20-25, and 15-12 in the tiebreaker. Tehachapi blitzed the South Yosemite League, winning all 10 league contests before entering the Division II title chase.
Leading the Tiger assault on Tuesday was the always dependable Shelby Saporetti with 12 kills and three aces for Lemoore. Jalesa Poindexter had several blocks while Leah Rodrigues continued her solid play with 18 digs. Savannah Hill had 20 assists in the match.
