Fountain Valley girls’ volleyball sweeps Ocean View
It’s an open competition for playing time in the girls’ volleyball program at Fountain Valley High.
One look at the warm-up line Tuesday would have been enough to speak to the interest in the program, and the Barons are maintaining that interest level by providing opportunity.
More than a dozen players saw the court in a 25-20, 25-23, 25-19 sweep of visiting Ocean View in a nonleague match.
“When it comes to [Wave] League, it’s a little different,” Fountain Valley coach Rebecca Cheltenham said of her team’s rotation. “It might get a little bit tighter. It might become closer to eight kids, but they all know that. They all understand that. In practices, they’re fighting for a spot, they’re fighting for playing time, and that’s pretty much how we keep them competitive.
“It’s not really a free-for-all. Tonight, it’s showcase what you got, here’s your opportunity, but when we get into league, we’re trying to win, and if you want to be on the court, you’ve got to work for it.”
Junior outside hitter Maylynn Pham had a team-high 12 kills for the Barons, a frequent finisher of her touches from the left pin. Senior outside hitter Joycemary Dang pounded out seven kills, and her two service aces came in succession to close out the contest.
“Most of the time, I’m not really thinking about swinging super hard and getting a kill,” Pham said. “I’m also learning how to play smart and place the ball, adjust to the set because it’s not always perfect.”
Junior setter Dezi-Jae Butler distributed 22 assists to go with a couple of kills for Fountain Valley (7-3). Junior outside hitter Rebecca Staffieri added five kills, and junior libero Katie Dinh dropped in five aces. Middle blockers Gina Ambrosio, a junior, and Avery Medvin, a sophomore, each recorded one block.
“The more adrenaline that we have, I think the better that we play,” Dang said. “The more energy that we have on the court, it really adds on to that.”
A new-look Ocean View (2-5) is now under the tutelage of new head coach Colleen Burke, who previously coached at Edison. Ally Forsberg, who formerly headed the girls’ volleyball program at Pacifica Christian, has also joined the Seahawks’ coaching staff.
“We know we have good mechanics,” Burke said. “We just need to kind of work out the fine details. The girls are really excited. They’ve been working hard ever since the beginning of camp, and it’s been a good thing to see the growth and development.”
The Seahawks found success in starting points by implementing jump serves. Sophomore outside hitter Sara Ligman and sophomore opposite Sam Abascal each had three aces for Ocean View.
Senior outside hitter Jade Auger remains the featured piece of the Seahawks’ offense. She had a match-high 16 kills, including five in a row as Ocean View attempted to dig out of a 13-3 hole in the third set. Senior setter Natalia Christensen had 16 assists to go with three kills.
Ocean View led early in the first and second sets, before Fountain Valley rallied in each to set up the straight-sets victory.
“My biggest push with them is the results are going to come when they do,” Cheltenham said of her goals for the Barons. “We’re going to play teams that are better, and as long as we gave our all and gave our best, then we might get something that is unexpected. We might pick up a win that maybe nobody sees coming.”
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