Pioneers still unbeaten after victory

In a match that was as inconsistent and ugly as often as it was

dramatic, visiting Providence High remained undefeated, while

Crescenta Valley remained erratic.

“I thought it was ugly all the way through. Whoever just made two

good plays in a row, they were gonna win,” said Pioneers girls’

volleyball Coach James Jimenez after his team’s 30-28, 15-25, 25-20,

25-16 nonleague win Tuesday afternoon at Crescenta Valley High.

From the onset, the play on both sides of the net was lackluster

until a late Crescenta Valley rally that turned the opening game into

a nail-biter.

Only the third game would come close to equaling the opener’s

theatrics, throughout the duration of the game.

“We need to work on being consistent,” said Falcons’ Coach

Jennifer Kunz Ryan, whose team dropped to 0-3 (3-5 including

tournament play), losing its second straight match at home as it

flashed borderline brilliance as often as it floundered on Tuesday.

Providence, meanwhile, improved to 3-0 (9-0 including tournament

play) with the victory, just days removed from winning the Brethren

Christian Tournament.

Pioneer Heather Hansen, who was the tournament’s most valuable

player, paced Providence with a team-high eight kills. For the most

part, Providence got production all over the court, though. Lauren

Suedkamp, Kelly Rosales, Vanessa Amran and Fio Sotomayor each had

five kills, with Amran notching 20 assists and Sotomayor tallying

eight blocks, as did twin sister Galia.

Crescenta Valley countered with a match-high 11 kills from Laura

Boyd. Myra Nishizaki added six, while Jennifer Kwon and Briana Hill

combined for 19 assists.

Still, the Falcons were lackluster at the beginning.

After playing in the Pomona Tournament over the weekend, Kunz Ryan

said she anticipated it.

“We played five matches in the tournament. I kind of expected us

to be a little tired today,” she said. “It was just mental and we had

to push through. I didn’t happen today.”

It did happen in the end of the first game and throughout the

second, though.

After the majority of the first game saw as many points come from

balls that touched the net as those that touched the floor, the end

of the opener became a nail-biter, with Providence getting the upper

hand.

Momentum certainly didn’t carry over, though, as the Falcons ran

away with game two, highlighted by four Boyd kills.

“I think we just came out flat, we basically gave that game away,”

Jimenez said. “I was happy with how we came back.”

In fact, Providence came back from an early deficit in the third

game. It was a constant throughout all four games, though, as neither

team could sustain a lead for long.

The biggest run of the day came in the final game as Providence

scored eight straight, including 10 of the last 12 to seal the match.

But, as Jimenez was quick to point out, it’s early and there’s a

lot of work still ahead.

“Obviously you’re always going to be happy when you’re winning,”

Jimenez said, “but it’s still the beginning of the season, there’s

always room for improvement.”

Likely an assessment Crescenta Valley would agree with, too.

The Pioneers -- who won the Brethren tournament for the second

straight year -- return to action Saturday with a 1 p.m. nonleague match against host Burroughs.