El Capitan overcomes nerves in volleyball playoff win over Manteca

Nerves were the biggest opponent facing the El Capitan High School volleyball team Tuesday night in the first round of the Sac-Joaquin Section Division III playoffs.

The Gauchos have a tendency to come out tight in big matches, and they almost dropped the first two sets against Manteca.

However, once the sixth-seeded Gauchos calmed down, they got into a rhythm and defeated No. 11 Manteca 20-25, 29-27, 25-10, 25-15.

The Gauchos (19-7) face No. 3 Vista del Lago in the quarterfinals at 7 p.m. Thursday in Folsom.

“I think we were all really kind of nervous,” said sophomore middle Makenzie Webber, who had eight kills and four blocks. “We need to find that balance. We were all so hyped we were using more muscle than brain.”

The Buffaloes (15-9) put a scare into the Gauchos early, coming back from a 17-11 deficit in the first set by closing with a 14-3 run.

Manteca again had El Capitan on the ropes in a tight second set in which neither team led by more than two. It was so back and forth El Capitan was down to one substitution with the score tied 26-26.

The Gauchos committed five service errors down the stretch to keep the Buffaloes in the game. Oddly enough, El Capitan won on an ace by Dayanna Torres.

“We actually practiced serving because I know the teams coming up are going to be very tough,” El Capitan coach Maycol Fernandez said. “We tried to put the ball where we wanted (Tuesday night). It just didn’t work out.”

Winning the second game seemed to calm Fernandez’s players, as they dominated the rest of the way.

Adyn Walton-Allen delivered some big swings from the left side and finished with a career-high 14 kills. Ariana Johnson was big in the middle with nine kills and five blocks to go with four aces. Torres had 37 assists as she moved the ball around to different hitters.

“It was tough, but we pushed through,” Johnson said. “We fell apart, but we came back together. That’s the most important thing. I think we were stressed out.”

The Gauchos jumped on Manteca early in the third set, sprinting to a 17-6 lead.

The fourth set was competitive early, but El Capitan scored 11 of the final 13 points to put away the Buffaloes.

“It’s so exciting,” Johnson said. “It’s one of our goals, but it’s not the main goal. We want to go as far as we can.”

Whitney 3, Golden Valley 0 in Rocklin – The 12th-seeded Cougars committed 49 errors in a 25-21, 25-6, 25-14 loss to the No. 5 Wildcats in Division II. Abbee Croninger led Golden Valley with six kills and three blocks.

Elk Grove 3, Buhach Colony 0 in Elk Grove – The No. 13 Thunder played the No. 4 Thundering Herd tough at times in a 25-21, 25-12, 25-21 loss in Division II.

Dos Palos 3, Kerman 1 in Dos Palos – Makenna Pierce racked up 25 kills as the Broncos (20-8-1) opened the Central Section Division IV playoffs with a 25-12, 25-19, 23-25, 25-15 win over Kerman.

This story was originally published November 11, 2015 at 12:26 AM with the headline "El Capitan overcomes nerves in volleyball playoff win over Manteca."