After an unbeaten run through the Channel League last season with a team composed entirely of seniors, the San Marcos High girls’ volleyball team is now rebuilding.
The journey began Tuesday night at the Thunderhut as the Royals dropped a non-league contest to Mission Prep of San Luis Obispo, 25-16, 25-8, 20-25, 25-11.
“It’s not going to be easy. We have a lot of juniors and seniors who were on JV for a long time because we had that tremendous group of 15 seniors that did well for a few years,” said San Marcos coach Erica Downing. “They are at this new level, and they are learning. The best part about it is that the growth is going to be huge because it’s so new.”
After a slow start, including a forgettable second set in which they were held to eight points, San Marcos flashed its strengths in the third set as solid defense and strong serving swung the momentum.
The Royals tied the third set at 10-10 with an ace by Simone Blanc. A block by Sloan Schmoller increased the San Marcos lead to 13-11, and Maddie Pallad followed with another ace that put the Royals ahead 14-11.
San Marcos went on to clinch the third set, 25-20, with a kill by Maddie Dodgin.
“The luxury of this team is that if one of the kids isn’t doing the best, we have another person to choose from,” Downing said. “They are all very similar, so it’s just going to be finding the ones that step up.”
Mission Prep jumped out to a 10-2 lead in the fourth set on a kill by Sally Weisenberg to regain momentum.
The visiting Royals clinched the fourth set and the match on an ace by Sophia Graham.
San Marcos will continue non-league play with a road match at Arroyo Grande on Tuesday, Aug. 18.
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