By Aaron Valdez
On the surface, it seemed Monrovia’s quick sweep of Temple City didn’t hold much significance. To the Wildcats, however, the victory could possibly serve as the turning point in their turbulent season as they fight to remain above .500.
In recent weeks, Monrovia has fallen behind in the Rio Hondo League title race by losing its last couple of games to San Marino and La Canada. Despite the setbacks, a win over Blair last week and Tuesday’s win over the Rams still have the Wildcats in good position to make a final push in the final weeks of the regular season.
“We have to show up consistently and that’s something that we haven’t done,” said Monrovia Head Coach Ashlee Sinic. “But once we start doing that, I think we have everything that it takes to snatch that No.1 seed.”
The Wildcats got down to business against Temple City, setting the tone when they took the first set by a commanding 25-11 margin. It was clear from the beginning that Temple City was no match for Monrovia’s length and raw athleticism.
The second and third sets featured more of the same with the Wildcats dictating the tempo even when committing a couple of miscues here and there. Ultimately, Monrovia cruised to victories of 25-18 and 25-21 in the second and third sets, respectively.
The win keeps Monrovia’s record over .500 (3-2) while dropping Temple City to 1-4. The Wildcats will have a chance to make up a lot of ground when they take on South Pasadena (3-2) on Thursday – a team they already defeated in their league opener – and then compete in the Gabrielino Tournament on Saturday.
“We just have to go in and get ready to play tough,” Sinic said. “It’s really important that we defeat South Pasadena and that we also play well at Gabrielino’s tournament on Saturday and take that into another San Marino-La Canada week.”
