The California Pintos volleyball team (16-5) was in control throughout its three-set win over North Callaway (2-12) on Oct. 8.
The Pintos won all three sets in the game handily by scores of 25-6, 25-6 and 25-7. It was the fourth win in a row for the Pintos.
Head coach Julie Bailey said she was happy with the team being focused in all of its sets, even when the team was carrying a big lead.
“Because in the past, we have had issues with that and we have not always played in our abilities,” Bailey said. “I felt like we played at our ability all night long and maintained our focus and were able to pull out a good victory.”
In the first set, the set was tied at 2-2 until California jumped out to a 12-2 lead after winning 10 points in a row, capped off by a kill by Isabella Kincaid. California’s lead stayed at double digits as the Pintos won eight of the next 10 points to extend their lead to 20-4. The Pintos finished the set by winning five of the next seven points.
In the first set, the Pintos missed two serves but also had six kills.
The second set went by in a very similar fashion to the first set as it was tied 1-1 very early on, but California pulled away with a 10-point winning streak that made it 11-1, which included an ace by Emma Whitson. California led by as many as 18 points in the second set with the score at 23-5. The team finished the set by winning two of the next three points.
Bailey said the team’s passing was a reason for it getting big leads early on
“We were doing a really great job of passing,” Bailey said. “Passing ignites our offense. We have really strong hitters and when our passing is near-perfect like that, it allows our offense to attack and when our offense attacks it is hard for teams defensively.”
North Callaway had struggles returning the ball back over the net throughout the game. Bailey said the placement of the ball was a reason for that.
“A lot of the time our girls do a good job of placing the ball and finding the holes,” Bailey said.
The final set was similar to the two previous ones as, once again, the Pintos jumped out to a 10-point lead at 11-1. The team again led by over 15 points with the score 21-5. California won the next four out of six points to win the set and seal the game.
The team’s next game is at 5 p.m Oct. 15 at Osage (12-8-1).