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Season opener ends in 2-0 loss
(by Darius Amos - September 16, 2008)
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Staff Photo By Roy Caratozzolo
Emerson girls’ varsity volleyball faced off against Bogota High School, suffering a loss in their opening game of the season.
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Following a near perfect season in which the Bogota volleyball team captured a State sectional championship, the 2008 campaign didn’t start exactly the way head coach Brad DiRupo wanted. The team bus to Emerson High School was late, delaying the season opener for both schools.
If a half-hour wait is the only glitch to another banner year, the Lady Bucs will gladly take it. When Bogota finally entered the building, it quickly picked up where it left off last year, disposing of an undersized and overmatched Cavos team 25-9, 25-6.
“The first win is always important,” DiRupo said after the match. “You put in a long preseason and get the first win under your belt - it sets us up nicely for the weekend tournament and the rest of the season.”
Though heavily favored against their BCSL Olympic rival, the Bucs didn’t take Emerson for granted. In fact, Bogota’s fearsome front line actually looked rusty in the early going, leaving the door open for the Cavos to capitalize.
Inconsistency plagued Emerson’s attack, which was marred by missed hits and communication breakdowns. The Bogota defense also played a factor – sophomore Taylor Woegens altered several Emerson shots, while first-year libero Jackie Del Cid and senior Allison Bal dug up any balls hit their way.
“[Jackie] is doing well,” DiRupo said of Del Cid, a sophomore, who moved from her rover position last season to the middle of the back row this year.
“We take a lot of pride in our libero position, and sometimes she gets down on herself. She’s only a sophomore and sometimes she looks to her right and sees Janet [Snell] and to her left she sees Allison. Then she’ll think ‘do I belong here?”
“Of course she does,” DiRupo continued. “She’s our quarterback in the back row, and we’ve discussed that with her. She’s starting to feel more and more comfortable.”
Behind Del Cid’s play in the backcourt, Bogota jumped out to an 11-1 lead in the first game and a 17-2 advantage before Emerson attempted a comeback. After a sideout, Cavos’ senior Laura Wall aced Bogota with her serve and added two more service points to trim the deficit to 6-17.
The game turned into an exchange of sideouts. Emerson’s Jill Stanton and Jen Wang provided offense for the Cavos, while Woegens and Chelsea Buttner generated firepower for the Bucs, which closed out the first game on an ace by Bal.
Bogota went for the jugular to start the second game and took advantage of Emerson’s miscues. Low ceilings and light played to the Bucs’ favor as well, particularly when Cavos’ digs deflected off the lights and strayed off the court.
DiRupo said teams, not only his, can’t let those factors interfere with play.
“We always say never let the ball drop. You have to follow it all the way and play the ball no matter where it goes,” he said.
If the ceiling wasn’t enough, Emerson had to contend with Bogota’s powerful serving game, particularly Buttner’s left-handed offerings.
“Chelsea had a big game serving,” DiRupo said of the senior southpaw outside hitter. Buttner finished the game with five aces and eight service points on top of her six kills. “She really earned her stripes with her serving tonight.”
The Bucs scored eight consecutive points on Buttner’s serve before Emerson finally got a sideout at 10-2. But Bogota’s Bal-Janet Snell tandem quickly took over and closed out the game at 25-6.
“Janet’s the star, but Allison is also an all star. She’s the glue that keeps it together,” DiRupo said.
Snell led all offensive players with 10 kills, while Bal was tops in passing with 20 assists.
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