Sports
Girls Volleyball: Albany Cruises to 3-0 Win Over Encinal
Cougars turn up the heat in the final two sets.
Albany d. Encinal, 26-24, 25-8, 25-10
Records: Albany 16-4, 10-0 Bay Shore Athletic League, Encinal 0-7, 0-5.
The Star: Kyra Holt recorded 10 assists for the Cougars.
Find out what's happening in Albanywith free, real-time updates from Patch.
The Turning Point: Albany was able to edge out a close first set and used the momentum to pour it on against the Jets.
The Quote: "We just weren't mentally ready, but towards the second and third games we started to pick it up," freshman Amber Erhahon said.
Find out what's happening in Albanywith free, real-time updates from Patch.
Who's Next? The Cougars will host Holy Names on Thursday at 5:30 p.m.
The Bottom Line: Albany looks to keep its 10-game conference win streak alive Thursday to setup a strong push to the North Coast Section playoffs.
——————————
Roger Worsley was bored with his Albany High girls volleyball team Tuesday night after a first set that left him unimpressed. So he gave his girls a pep talk.
It worked wonders.
Worsley's words lit a fire under the Cougars who, after squeaking out the first set against Encinal, went on to dominate the final two in a straight-sets victory 26-24, 25-8, 25-10.
"In between sets I told them 'Listen, there's just no energy on this floor. No excitement, it's pretty flat. It's boring to coach, it's boring to watch. There's just no communication going.' That lit a little bit of a fire for us," he said.
Alana McDonald hit an ace to put the Jets up 18-16 in the first set, but Kyra Holt responded with back-to-back kills to tie the match again. It was a seesaw battle until Encinal tied it at 24. From that point, the Cougars would score the last two to take the set.
Holt finished with 12 kills.
"Kyra is kind of a sleeper at times," Worsley said. "Once her buttons are pushed, she gets frustrated with what happens out there and she takes it up to another level."
Holt's efforts pushed Albany to win the first set, and her continued drive at the net kept the second and third sets well out of the Jets' reach.
Worsley wants to start getting his team ready for the North Coast Section playoffs which start on Nov. 10, and he knows first sets like Tuesday's won't get it done there.
"We need to start now ramping it up now to prepare us for that," he said.
With the Cougars upcoming schedule, they'll have plenty of time to tune up for the postseason.
Albany plays four of its next six games on the road, including the Newark Memorial Tournament this Saturday. The team currently leads the Bay Shore Athletic League with a 10-0 record.
Marin Gibson finished with seven kills. McKenzie Giblin had 24 assists and Sita Wong had 17 service receptions and eight digs. Sachika Yamaguchi added five digs.
——————————
