Though some of their starts have been slow, it hasn’t hampered the Flintridge Sacred Heart Academy volleyball team in the slightest.
Flintridge Sacred Heart Coach Shelli Orlandini would like for her team to break that habit. For now, there’s no sense in complaining since the Tologs are tied for first in the Mission League nearing the midway point.
Flintridge Sacred Heart recovered from a slow start to post a 23-25, 25-18, 25-15, 25-21 league home win Thursday night against Louisville.
“We start out having a hard time and we do have a young team,” said Orlandini, whose team improved to 14-5 and 4-0 in league with main league rival Harvard-Westlake on deck at 6:30 p.m. Tuesday at Harvard-Westlake. “We have a sophomore libero, right side hitter and setter, so it’s going to take a while to get them into the system and learn what I ask them to do.”
Flintridge Sacred Heart, which finished second in league last season behind Harvard-Westlake, got a team-best 22 kills and 25 digs from Camille Coffey to turn back the improved Royals (11-2, 2-2). The Tologs also received 17 digs, 22 assists and four aces from Alessandra Orlandini.
Coffey, who earned All-Area and all-league first-team honors last season, said the Tologs responded well after nearly completing a late comeback bid in the first game. Louisville owned a 22-16 lead before the Tologs tied the match at 22.
“I think after that [point], we held the momentum for the rest of the match,” Coffey said. “We had to keep that momentum, and we are learning that we can’t keep starting slow.”
The Tologs jumped out to a 4-0 lead in the second game on a kill by Coffey and extended the lead to 16-9 on a kill by Alyssa Walton, who finished with 12 kills. Coffey added a pair of kills late in the second game to even the match.
The strangest moment of the match came in the second game. A Louisville player pounded a line drive over the net that struck Flintridge Sacred Heart’s Taylor Vail on the head. The ball caromed high in the air and barely over the net for a kill.
With the momentum now on their side, Flintridge Sacred Heart raced out to an 8-1 lead in the key third game. That forced Louisville to call a timeout, but the Tologs never looked back.
An ace by Vail gave the Tologs an 11-8 lead in the fourth game. Mary Schroeder clinched the victory with a kill just inside the sideline.
Schroeder registered eight kills. Teammate Jordan Terwilligar chipped in with 14 assists.
Now, the Tologs will get ready to meet Harvard-Westlake (11-6, 4-0).
“I’m excited for that match,” Coffey said. “We have to go in thinking it’s going to be like any other match.
“We are going to go there confident and with a chip on our shoulder.”
