Lathrop has come a long way since the start of the season.
Its 25-16, 25-23, 25-10 sweep of Sierra on Thursday is proof.
Spartans coach Toa Fa’ali’i admitted he had concerns coming into this non-league match-up of Manteca Unified rivals, because his team dropped a truncated best-of-three to the Timberwolves (11-7) in their preseason Foundation Game two months ago.
The rematch not only served as a measuring stick for Lathrop (18-5); it was also an important tuneup for its Western Athletic Conference showdown at Beyer.
“It’s good to see the growth from the beginning of the season to now,” Fa’ali’i said. “I didn’t know how this could go, because this team always gives us a hard time, but I’m glad the boys came through. All the (credit) goes to the senior leaders stepping up and kind of taking a stand.”
Sierra had no answer for fourth-year starting outside hitter Gabriel Fa’ali’i, who amassed a match-high 19 kills to go with two solo blocks. Fellow seniors Marc Llorin (three kills, two blocks, four assists) and Jorge Reyes (27 assists, three kills, five digs).
Junior middle Gurmukh Singh added10 service points, four aces and two blocks. Underclassmen Jayden White (four kills, two aces, two digs), Lorenzo Palomares (three kills block) and Andreis Ricaldi (three digs) also pitched in. They’ve had to contribute more than originally expected, with some significant players missing the season to ineligibility. Coach Fa’ali’i said their emergence has been key for this season and provides a glimpse into a promising future.
“They’ve earned that experience in every game they play,” Fa’ali’i said. “With some of our guys not being able to play this year, the ones we have just had to realize that this is our team. There’s no one else coming. They’ve had to step up and carry their own weight, and I hope this momentum can carry into tomorrow.”
Lathrop faces Beyer today, and they’re both in contention for the top seed in the Sac-Joaquin Section Division III playoffs.
Sierra was sixth in the MaxPreps SJS Division III rankings coming into the match, and it doesn’t have long to bounce back from what was an uncharacteristically listless effort.
The Timberwolves got off to slow starts in every set and never led at any point in the match. They did show signs of life in game 2 after Reyes started on an eight-point serving streak.
Sierra rallied back and tied it on three occasions at 14-14, 15-15 and 16-16.
Lathrop countered with three unanswered points, including an ace from Singh that prompted Sierra coach Danielle Deerinck to call a timeout. Fa’ali’i eventually put it away with his eighth kill of the set, and the Spartans went on to dominate the third.
Ole Schmidt paced the T’wolves attack with six kills, while Ayden Bryant had five. Setter Toan Do racked up three kills and 18 assists. Libero Manolo Asuncion led the back line with eight digs.
The T’wolves were coming off a busy three-match week that included a split of five-set finishes — one of them a heartbreaking loss to rival Manteca.
“I think what happens with us this season, is that when we have big losses, it just kind of carries over and it affects their play,” Deerinck said. “I think they may have also underestimated (Lathrop) because we did well in the Foundation Game with them.
“I hope that they realize that even though we’ve beaten a team before, we can’t get comfortable playing anybody, at this point of the year. They need to have that fire and intensity against every team, and I don’t think that they had that today. Hopefully they’ll bring it to the rest of league and the playoffs.”
Sierra has another non-league match tonight at Weston Ranch before hosting Valley Oak League leader Mountain House next Monday.
