Trinity Johnson came away proud of the effort displayed Thursday by her Sierra High volleyball squad.

She pointed out the numerous times her Timberwolves fended off rallies by visiting Lathrop only to take the Valley Oak League match in three games, 25-22, 25-17, 25-20.

“They showed that they were able to fight back even when they were down,” said Johnson.

Despite the loss, Spartans coach Nicole Unrein was pleased with her team.

“Today, our girls stepped it up,” she said. “They came in here and showed that they can compete.”

Lathrop (0-3), for example, jumped out to a 7-0 lead in the second game thanks in part to four service aces delivered by Janel Butler.

The Spartans also led early in the opening game and went down fighting in the decisive third game.

“There are still some things we need to work on,” Unrein said. “It’s still early in the season – we’re staying positive.”

Sierra (1-2) trailed 15-10 in the first game, with Lathrop benefiting from aces served up by Butler – she was credited with five aces and five assists – Eliana Young, Vania Zamora, Cherubine Consol and Marissa Elliot.

Erica Sanchez helped out with some cross-court hits. Zamora chipped in with four kills in the loss.

The Timberwolves struck back behind the serving of Gabby Olmo, Allison Walljasper, Stephanie Davis and Jessica Lopez.

A spike by Walljasper finally put Sierra ahead.

The Spartans, however, kept it close on Young’s ace and Elliot’s kill shot.

Playing from behind in the second game, Sierra rallied from the 7-0 deficit, forging ahead, 14-10, on Walljasper’s four aces and a block. Lathrop was hurt by some miscues.

Ahead 2-0 in the best-of-five-game match, Jessica Lopez helped set the tempo for the Timberwolves in the third game, delivering on a pair of aces. Nicole Moreno also chipped in with two kills.

Sierra led 16-10 when the Spartans struck back. Young came through with a block and Anselma Rodriguez had a kill. Zamora, Sanchez and Monica Brambila scored on service aces.

Tied at 20-20, the Timberwolves took advantage of a passing error by the Spartans. Emily Doran then scored on a spike and the decisive point came as a result of an out-of-bound shot by Lathrop.

“I was really proud of the way our girls came together,” Johnson said.

Sophomore

Sierra 2, Lathrop 1

The T’Wolves (1-2) came through at the end following two well-contested games (24-26, 25-18, 15-5).

Kristen Maestretti had 12 assists and Kayla Honeycutt added nine. Claudia Hunter was the go-to threat on offense, finishing with 10 kills and seven aces.

Freshman

Lathrop 2, Sierra 0

Lathrop (1-2) captured the freshman match in two games, 25-18, 25-17, with Perla Vargas and Aaliya Rodriguez pacing the Spartans.

Monique Angel contributed five digs for Sierra, and Lucia Santos recorded two aces.