Flintridge Prep girls’ volleyball Coach Sean Beattie insists Webb is a better team than its record indicates.
“They’re not bad,” Beattie said. “They’re big, they’re well-coached and they’re very scrappy.”
And for Rebels standout Marin Seifert, one of four Prep seniors honored before the team’s last regular season home match, it didn’t matter what Webb’s record was after Saturday afternoon’s nailbiting dramatics at Flintridge Prep.
“This is so exciting, it’s such a good memory for our last home game — I’ll remember this forever,” said Seifert, who had a team-high 18 kills in the Rebels’ riveting 25-17, 21-25, 25-23, 21-25, 16-14 victory in their Prep League finale against the Gauls.
After a relatively easy win in the opening game, the Rebels appeared piloted for a relatively easy match win. But, like the first time the teams squared off earlier in the season, it went to five games.
“We just battled from start to finish every game,” said Beattie, who received seven kills apiece from Morgan Brown, who added four aces, and Casey Meurer, who also had 41 assists. “We had to.”
With a week remaining before the CIF postseason begins and no matches left for the Rebels (11-8, 6-6 in league) it was also some positive momentum for a team headed to the playoffs for the first time since 2005.
“It feels good to win going into the playoffs,” said Beattie, who also got 23 digs from Tori Glebocki and 21 from Charlotte Kay.
“It feels good to say playoffs.”
Prep had already clinched fourth place in league and an automatic playoff entry before Saturday, but it hardly took any of the drama or intensity from the match.
“It’s really exciting,” said Seifert of making the postseason. “Honestly, it’s really emotional. To actually make the playoffs is a real big deal.”
Seifert had five kills in the opening game and Prep’s offense was off to a roaring start. Things quickly changed, though.
“The second game [Webb] came out ready,” Seifert said.
The second game never saw either team take a significant lead, but a 5-1 run late in the match gave Webb a 22-17 advantage that Prep could cut to no less than two points.
Perhaps the tell-tale sign of the game was that Seifert went without a kill as the offense struggled to get started.
“We just didn’t have the offense,” Beattie said.
Led by five kills from Seifert once more, the Rebels won the third game, building a sizable 16-8 lead before Webb climbed all the way back and led as late as 21-20 before the Rebels scored four straight points, started by a Seifert kill, to pull away.
After Webb staved off a late Prep comeback in the fourth game to even the match, the Gauls jumped out to a 4-1 advantage in the fifth.
Eventually Prep stormed back to lead at 12-11, before Webb regained the advantage with three consecutive points, working to match point.
Down 14-12, Seifert began the comeback with a kill. Then Brown fired an ace that the Webb players argued was out. Then another Siefert kill gave the Rebels the advantage, but it was also argued as the official ruled it was tipped by a Gauls player. After four touches by Webb on the following point, the Rebels celebrated at midcourt.
