East Union High came ready to play against Valley Oak League leader and crosstown rival Manteca High on Monday.
After winning a hard-fought first game, the Lancers stumbled soon after at Winters Gym.
The Buffaloes (4-0 VOL, 12-0) were the beneficiaries here, claiming the best-of-five-game match, 22-25, 25-14, 25-15, 25-19.
“We started out hot,” said East Union coach Chelsea Herrera, who saw her team tire out, in turn, resulting in mental mistakes.
“For us, it was not a good start,” Manteca coach Kevin Bolding added. “We got a little better.
“But (the Lancers) played well – they came out ready from the start.”
East Union (1-2 VOL, 3-7) jumped out to a 7-2 lead in Game 1. Anthony Byrd and Al Anacieto scored off spikes early on, and Parmbir Khattra was there to set up the plays.
The Lancers chipped away at the lead and tied the game up on five different occasions.
Jonathan Castenada put East Union ahead for good with a kill, with Byrd coming up with the game-clinching spike.
The Buffaloes surged ahead early on to kick-off Game 2. Cameron Reis helped out with a pair of kills and Jonathan Borres also added one.
East Union tied things up twice thanks to an ace by Agustin Castenada and a kill by Grant Silva.
But steady serving by Kyle Reis and Jonathan Borres coupled with a pair of kill shots by Noah Gonzales and Kylan Chandler propelled Manteca to a 21-13 advantage.
The Lancers also experienced their woes along the way, delivering several out-of-bound returns and twice miscommunicating on passes.
Jonathan Borres’ misdirected volley tied the match at 1-1.
Game 3 was a close battle early on. It wasn’t until Manteca, behind the steady serving of Joseph Borres and Kyle Reis, coupled with unforced errors by East Union, tacked on seven unanswered points to forge a 17-10 lead.
From there, the Buffaloes held on for the 25-15 victory – freshman Nick Bell delivered the game-winning kill – while claiming a 2-1 lead.
They put their stamp on the fourth game, with Chandler, Bell and Cameron Reis delivering on some heavy hitting.
A pair of kills by East Union’s Emmanuel Knight closed the gap at the end.
“We’re still learning how to play,” said Herrera of her Lancers.
Jonathan Castenada led East Union with 11 kills and Khattra had 36 assists.
Jester Ramirez chipped in with 16 digs while Silva came up with six blocks.
Chandler and Cameron Reis led Manteca with 13 and eight kills, respectively. Libero Joseph Borres, who steadily kept the ball in play, had 25 digs in the four games.
Jonathan Borres did likewise, managing 13 digs to go with his 19 assists.
Bell added three blocks.
