By Christian Romo
Monrovia senior Angie Castenada (#21) proved she could do just about anything on a volleyball court, including serving the ball backwards.
Behind stellar performances from Castenada and senior Madison Mayoralgo (#24), the Monrovia Wildcats (7-3) swept Maranatha High School (7-3) (25-18, 25-10, 25-13) Monday night in Pasadena. Though both teams exited the match with identical records, it became clear from the middle of the first set which was the superior team.
“She can play front row, back row, anywhere she wants,” Monrovia Coach Wayne Teng said of Castenada, “all the girls look up to her to show that niche that she has.” Castenada’s niche turned out to be Maranatha’s issue, as the home side struggled all night responding to Monrovia’s back row.
Both Castenada and Mayoralgo, whose defense Teng described as “unbelievable,” supplied Monrovia’s hitters with all the support needed to take down their opponent.
“I think we all worked better as a team today,” Castenada said. “We finally put ourselves together.”
Maranatha, which started off strong with an 11-8 first set lead, soon gave way to mistakes and frustration.
“I think we got a little bit ahead of ourselves,” said Maranatha Coach Eli Cuenca. Maranatha committed eight straight errors at one point, a poor stretch from an otherwise gifted team.
Senior Mikaela Ashworth (#8) accounted for 12 of the team’s 25 total kills, while junior Tiffany Godley (#14) racked up 12 digs of her own, but they weren’t nearly enough to stop Monrovia’s aggressive attack.
“Rather than doing the extra things,” Cuenca said, “we just have to take care of the small stuff.”
Teng emphasizes what he calls an international style of play, insisting that his players play multiple positions whenever needed on the court. The result is a fluid, almost position-less volleyball that’s sure to frustrate opponents throughout the year.
It helps to have talented players like Castenada, who finished the match with not one, but two backwards serves. “It’s something that Coach [Teng] taught me … I wanted to show the crowd,” she said with a smile.
Monrovia hosts Saint Joseph this Friday at 4:45 p.m.
