Carmichal Tournament a Roller Coaster Ride

The Eagles played in the Carmichael Varsity Volleyball Tournament on Saturday and won 2 times and loss 3 times.  They beat one team that they were expected to beat, Woodland Christian, and one team nobody was expected to beat, Marin Academy.

Molly Z prepares to serve

The girls ended the tournament in the top 8 with a loss to Bear Creek of Stockton.

The big high light of the tournament was when the Lady Eagles beat Marin Academy, 15th ranked in the entire state of California in division five, 2-0.  Marin entered the game having beating 3 opponents in straight sets.  In first game the Eagles took a large lead and never let it go.  In the second game the battle was intense.  The teams traded leads but in the end the Lady Eagles skinned the Marin Wildcats.

The Lady Eagles: The calm before the storm

Outstanding Tournament Performances:

Kills:
Rebekah M. (17), Molly F. (13), Kaisa S. and Kara G. (8), Molly Z. (6) and Stephanie S. (3).

Service Aces:
Rebekah M. and Kaisa S. (10), Molly F. and Tara L. (7), Molly Z. (3) and Cheyenne P (2).

Assists:
Molly F and Rebekah M. (25 each)

Digs:
Rebekah M. (39), Kara G. (38), Molly F. (33), and Molly Z. (21).

Dig % (at least 8):
Molly Z and Cheyenne P (100%), Molly F (92%), Kara G. (90%), Arin M. (89%) and Rebekah M. (85%).

A big game is on the schedule for tonight as the Lady Eagles travel to Ripon Christian for a clash of two of the remaining Southern League undefeated.  Make the trip to Ripon to cheer the girls on.  Most of you will be looking at this after the fact and I hope the stunning defeat of RC is on your mind.  The "Zulkster" has parent teacher conferences tonight (I'm the teacher part of the conference) and can't make the game:-(

Tournament Time: Hurry Up and Wait

The girls are at the Carmichal Tournament this weekend for their annual migration to the greater Sacramento area.  They are playing all day long at the Jackson Sports Academy at 5237 Walnut Ave in Citrus Heights.  Hope to see you there.

What to expect at a volleyball tournament:

Pride for inanimate objects

Stimulating Conversation

Gourmet Dinning

Harmonizing

Peace (see foreground:-)

Rude Return for Gustine

The Gustine Redskins made their 2010 Southern League return after 4 years in the Western Athletic Conference, which include other westside schools Orestimba and Patterson.  The Southern League will be a better fit for the Redskins with a student population of just over 500.  That will place Gustine in the middle of the SL pack with TC (180), RC (280), and Denair (375) smaller and LeGrand (550), Waterford, Delhi and Maripose all around 670 students larger.

The Redskin's introduction to TC volleyball was a negative experience all around as the JV Eaglettes opened the evening with a 3 set win to begin the Southern League season.

The Big Hitters Request Their Sets

(Pretend this picture is vs. Gustine)

The varsity came out swinging as Molly Z. and Kara G pounded the stuffing out of the ball with 8 and 6 kills respectively.  The team as a whole had an impressive 25 kills against the Red & White.  As if the kills were not enough Rebekah M. and Kaisa S. provided 12 of the teams 15 aces, Becca with 7 and Kai with 5.  The visitors never new what hit them.  A third setter arrived on the hardwood with Kara G.  getting 7 assists, many to Molly Z, with very impressive ball handling.  It was a fun game for the girls, fans, and parents as all the players played in at least 2 of the three games.

Tara Pounds the Ball

Tonight the girls improved to 2-0 in the Southern League.  Look for the upcoming blog about that game:-)

Come out and see the girls at home on Thursday night against LeGrand.

Pride take Eagles

The Bradshaw Christian Pride brought their volleyball show to the Eagles nest and showed why they are one of the early favorites to win their 1st section crown this year.  The Pride went to the finals of the Sac-Joaquin D-5 tourny last year, eventually falling to the RC Knights.  The Eagles last preseason match was close throughout the 3 games (27-29, 20-25, 23-25) but the big hitters and TC's lack of big blockers gave the advantage to the much taller Pride.  Throughout the close games the crowd was impressed with some outstanding back row play by Molly Zuhlke and Kara Gabrielson, excellent hustle and dives by Rebekah Muller, and big hits by Rebekah, Molly Z, with the nice shoot, and Kaisa Spycher.

Outstanding Performance:

Kills:  
Rebekah (8), Molly Z (3), Kaisa (3)
Service Points:
Rebekah (11), Molly Farrar (7) and Molly Z (6)
Assists:
Molly F (10), Rebekah (6)
Digs:
Rebekah (20), Kara G (13) and Arin Morelli (11)
Service Receiving:
Molly Z (16), Kara (15) and Stephanie St. pierre (9)

Come out to the game tomorrow as the Eagles welcome the Gustine Redskins back to the Southern League.

Headline: Bulldog Bites Bird

The Lady Bulldogs came into the Calvary gym and took a hard fought victory 3-1 (25-18, 25-19, 18-25, 25-12) from the Lady Eagles. All the games had some really exciting play as the Eagles continued to hustle throughout the match.  Many of the players had some really nice attaches led by Rebekah Muller's 10 kills.  At the service line Kaisa Spycher (14 serves), Molly Zuhlke (10 serves) and Arin Morelli (9 serves) had very strong serving nights with no errors.  Defensively the team had 5 blocks (Kaisa 3 and Molly F 2) and 93% digging effciency, which is pretty good:-), with Paige Ulrich leading the team with 11 digs and Molly F, Cheyenne, and Molly Z with 9 each.   Service receiving was off with 82% efficiency, which is below the "good" average of about 87% and I'm sure the girls are working on that part of the game as I report.

The game was very entertaining and very exciting despite the loss.  I thing a quote from a classic movie which I'm sure all of you have viewed, Galaxy Quest, is appropriate for the Lady Eagles, "Never give up!  Never surrender!"

Looking forward to Thursday's game at Modesto Christian High School with the JV starting at 6 PM.

Eagles Defeat Warriors

The TC Lady Eagles improved to 2 wins and no losses as they came from behind to shock a confident Orestimba Warrior team.  The Eagles flew out to a first game victory and then fell in the next two games, being soundly routed in the second game and then dropping far behind in the third game before seeing a valiant comeback fall short.  After the second game the long time official, Bill Pickle, predicted a 5 game match but when the girls fell behind 1-2 after the 3rd game I had my doubts.  I am happy to say Bill was right on as the girls showed what they were made of in the final two games.  Game four was back and forth and ended in a 27-25 TC victory.  The final game, a 15 point game, was all TC.

Kills:  Rebekah M (11), Kaisa S (8) and Molly F (6)
Service Points:  Molly F (15), Rebekah (14) and Molly Z (12)
Service Aces: Molly F (3), Rebekah (4)
Assists:  Molly F (12), Rebekah (10)
Digs: Arin M (13), Paige U (9), Cheyenne P (9)


JV Plays Well Against Orestimba

The JV continued to impress the fans with a hard fought loss to the Orestimba Warriors.