Vikings split in Salinas to open Crosson era
Coach Sam Crosson addresses his Vikings before their season-opening match in Salinas
The West Valley volleyball team opened the 2023 season with a split at the Hartnell Quad in Salinas Wednesday afternoon. The Vikings (1-1) opened with a 25-12, 25-20, 25-18 sweep of West Hills-Coalinga (0-2) and then dropped the late match 26-24, 25-20, 25-15 to Fresno City (2-0). A pair of sets in each match may define the Vikings under first-year coach Sam Crosson.
After dispatching West Hills with relative ease in the first set of their opener, West Valley found themselves down 15-10 to the Falcons. The teams traded side outs until the Vikings took their first lead at 21-20 and then closed out the set with four straight points. The resilient attitude carried over into the first set against Fresno City.
The Rams took advantage of numerous Viking hitting and defensive errors to jump out to an 8-0 lead. A Crosson time out got West Valley's attention and an 18-7 Viking run put them up 18-15. WVC was up 20-18 and had set point at 24-23, but three straight hitting errors gave the Rams the 26-24 win.
The West Valley stat sheet in the win against the Falcons was dominated by first-year players. Francesca Zanotti handed out a match-high 22 assists, while Sophie Ehret connected on a team-high eight kills and came up with a match-high 13 digs. Sophomores Sydney Pista and Amelie Moya had five kills apiece, and Maggie Carroll served up a match-high four aces.
The Vikings next head to Stockton Sept. 7-9 for the 2023 San Joaquin Delta Classic.