By Aaron Valdez
If there was any perfect time to peak during a season, now is the time as La Salle girls’ volleyball is doing just that.
Despite experiencing a midseason slump that saw them drop five games in a row, the Lancers have eclipsed their shortcomings with a six-game win streak in the twilight of their 2018 campaign. This includes a great showing a the Gabrielino Tournament over the weekend where La Salle went 5-1 with a 1-0 loss to Duarte but victories over Maywood CES, Garey, Gabrielino, Whittier and Holy Family.
The Lancers currently own a 21-10 overall record and are third in the Del Rey League with a 3-4 record behind champion St. Joseph (4-0) and runner-up Bishop Montgomery (4-2). Fittingly, La Salle’s final regular-season game will be on Thursday against none other than St. Joseph.
This will be the Lancers’ best chance to make their biggest statement of the season as the Jesters have already locked up the Del Rey league title and have only lost one game since Sept. 1. A win for La Salle will also help the team qualify for a spot in the playoffs.
With the way things are panning out, La Salle’s chances at an upset over St. Joseph have been further bolstered by a sweep of Bishop Montgomery on Tuesday.
The Lancers wasted no time against Bishop Montgomery, taking the first set 25-16 and the second set 25-18. However, the Knights would go down fighting as they battled until the bitter end but ultimately lost the set 30-28.
Chloe Howell once again did what she does best, leading La Salle in kills with 25 to go along with three digs. Most notably, Devon Nardoni had herself a big night as she picked up a whopping 41 assists while Vanessa Ramirez recorded 28 digs.
La Salle will take its six-game win streak to Lakewood for its regular-season finale against St. Joseph on Thursday at 6 p.m.
