Imani Fairman gets ready to set the volleyball during Lehman’s district-opening win against Lockhart. It was the eighth straight home victory for the Lady Lobos. (Photo by Eric Guerrero)
by MARK CAUL
The odds of the Lehman volleyball team securing their school-record eighth straight home win were looking a bit bleak as their best player sat helplessly watching from the sidelines with an injury after upset-minded Lockhart captured the opening game.
But to their credit, the Lady Lobos dug deep and as a result, were able to rebound and dispatch the Lady Lions in four games (23-25, 25-20, 25-20, 25-23) in the district opener for both teams.
It was an historic win on two fronts for Lehman because the 12th win of the season is the most the Lady Lobos have ever had in six years of play at the varsity level.
Lehman is now 12-12 on the season and 1-0 in District 27-4A play. The Lady Lobos are a perfect 8-0 at home this year.
“I can’t say enough about what a great job my kids and coaches have done so far this season,” Lehman head coach Gloria Sandoval said. “It means a great deal to this program and we want to keep building on what we’ve already accomplished.”
What was expected to be a relatively easy district opening-match for the Lady Lobos turned out to be a lot more competitive due partly to the absence of senior outside hitter Mariana Filipi, who leads the team in kills this season and was out with an injury, but mostly because of Lockhart’s inspired play.
The Lions reeled off the first five points of game three before Imani Fairman and Ariana Gallegos blasted kills down the middle to pull Lehman within 5-3.
After a Lockhart hitting error, Alex Smith served a pair of aces and then Gallegos slammed a thunderous kill past a pair of Lady Lions defenders as Lehman took their first lead of the set at 7-5.
From there, only a point separated the two teams until the Lady Lobos secured the pivotal points of the set with Gallegos and Lauren Ayala blasting kills to complete a narrow Lehman win.
Sandoval praised the play of Gallegos, a 5-10 sophomore who was elevated to the varsity upon Filipi’s injury.
Filipi will be out of game action for up to two weeks.
“Ariana stepped up and did a great job tonight.” Sandoval said. “She was aggressive at net and had a couple of key blocks for us when we needed them.”
Gallegos finished with nine kills and five blocks in her first varsity start.
None of her blocks were bigger than the pair she had toward the end of the final game as she stuffed Lockhart’s Alexandria Carter twice at the net to give the Lady Lobos a 23-20 lead and then again for match point as Carter attempted an attack from the right side.
Lehman next hosts Smithson Valley before traveling to Clemens Friday night.
“Both of those teams will be extremely big challenges for us.” said Sandoval. “But I know the girls are looking forward to it.”
