It was a game well played by La Cañada, with the Spartans taking charge of each set despite San Marino keeping it close early.
“We know we can turn it on; we’ve done it in the past,” Turner added. “In practice, we work a lot on defense, on what we call ‘scramble defense.’ I get on them about that, and sometimes you take the momentum of winning that one point.”
Senior Courtney McCutchan, who finished the game with 16 kills, did her part in maintaining a victorious momentum for the Spartans, particularly in the second set, where she had five aces, including four consecutively, during an eight-point service run that gave La Cañada a 23-8 lead before finishing the game with a 25-11 victory.
“She kind of takes over when she needs to,” Turner said of McCutchan. “She always brings her A-game.”
In addition to McCutchan’s service run in game two, Tara Rallis (13 digs) and Catherine Horner combined for a 12-1 service run in the third set to give the Spartans a 15-5 lead after trailing earlier in the frame for the first time all afternoon.
Katie Pierce, who added 10 kills for LCHS, had a six-service run of her own in the first set, which gave the Spartans a 17-5 lead en route to a 25-12 opening set victory.
With the loss, San Marino dropped to 6-7 overall, including 1-1 in league play. Both teams meet again on Oct. 29 at San Marino. The Spartans, who are 4-0 at home this season, will travel to Temple City for their next game on Oct. 15.
La Cañada has won 11 of its last 12 matches after losing out in the Gahr Tournament/Molten Classic earlier this season.
The Spartans return home on Oct. 20 to face South Pasadena in the “Dig for the Cure” game, a match dedicated to the cure and increased awareness of breast cancer.
