Westridge Overpowers Mayfield in Four Sets

Martinez (Right, #1) goes for the kill. – Photo by Christian Romo

By Christian Romo

Westridge junior Allison Martinez (#1) started slowly, but by the end of the match she showed why she is one of the best hitters in California.

Behind Martinez’s 26 kills, the visiting Westridge Tigers (12-1, 5-1 in conference) defeated their rival Mayfield Cubs (7-5-1, 3-2) in four sets (31-29, 23-25, 25-18, 25-16) Monday night in Pasadena.

Four of Martinez’s first five attacks flew beyond the baseline, but she soon regained her form and led her team to their fourth league victory.

“I just felt a little out of rhythm,” Martinez said of her first set. “I realized I should do more placement shots and be a smarter hitter, and then I started to build more confidence and take bigger swings.”

Despite Martinez’s initial struggles, the Tigers won a wild first set with the help of junior Eryn Boken (#7), who catalyzed an early seven-point run in which she recorded three of her set-leading five kills.

“I try to get it started in the beginning of the game because I think our team definitely thrives off of energy,” Boken said. The Tigers needed all the motivation they could get to survive the 60-point set, by far their highest-scoring frame of the year.

After losing early, the Cubs rallied and took the second set from the Tigers. Mayfield Coach Stephen Bernabe said that rather than sensing disappointment, he saw a positive attitude from his team following the set: “The girls had lots of energy and instead of speaking to them in the huddle, I let the girls run it.”

Eaves (Left, #5) attempts to block Martinez’s tip. – Photo by Christian Romo

“I think we just snapped into focus, and the chance of energy on the court really contributed to it,” said Mayfield senior Andrea Raymundo (#14) of her team’s second set.

Thanks to effective setting from Raymundo and sophomore Ellie Watkins (#3), Mayfield first-year Hayley Eaves (#5) continued her emergence as a reliable outside hitter.

Eaves dropped a team-high 10 kills on the Tigers, helping the Cubs keep up with one of the best teams in the area.

“The growth is there,” says Bernabe of his young team, “I couldn’t be more proud of the girls.”

Though the Cubs fought, they couldn’t stop the Tiger’s outside hitters in the final two sets. Junior Makana Meyer (#13) recorded nine kills overall, while Martinez tallied nine of her 26 kills in the third set alone.

With the win, the Tigers took sole possession of second place in the Prep League, while the Cubs fell to fourth.

The Cubs will head to Arizona this weekend to play in the Nike Tournament of Champions.

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