Topper Volleyball Team takes to the court Tuesday evening to play St. Pius Sartans in Griffith Gymnasium. Photo by John McHale/ladailypost.com
Angelina Passalacqua serves the ball to the St. Pius Sartans Tuesday in Griffith Gym. Photo by Nate Limback/ladailypost.com
By MIKE COTE
Sports
Los Alamos Daily Post
In what had to be one of the strangest contests in Los Alamos volleyball history, the Hilltoppers were dropped in five sets by the St. Pius X Sartans Tuesday night at Griffith Gymnasium.
Los Alamos met up with one of its traditional rivals in an important early season contest, one that, despite taking place in August, could have playoff implications.
The Sartans held on in the contest 25-17, 20-25, 25-19, 19-25, 15-9. That was a match broadcast on the Los Alamos Daily Post’s YouTube channel.
St. Pius, which went into the contest winless on the season, grabbed an early lead in set four before Los Alamos rallied to win that set and force the fifth set.
Along the way, there were dozens of protested officials’ calls, many of which were reversed or cancelled already decided points, two odd injuries, the Los Alamos cheering section chastised by school officials for being too boisterous, and the Hilltoppers going back to the locker room to change uniforms not once but twice.
Angelina Passalacqua, a junior captain for the Hilltoppers, cut her elbow early in the contest and bled through her long-sleeve uniform. After a failed attempt to stop the bleeding, Passalacqua went into the locker room, initially to switch uniforms with reserve Cadence Key, but came out wearing a jersey that mis-matched with the rest of her team.
After a lengthy discussion with the officials, the entire Hilltopper team scurried into the locker room and changed jerseys to match Passalacqua’s. Following the end of the set, the team returned to the locker room to put on the uniforms they had previously been wearing, including Passalacqua.
Progressively throughout the duration of the contest, both teams liberally questioned officials’ calls and their questioning was very often rewarded with call changes. By the fifth set, the officials had lost any semblance of control of the match.
The Sartans are traditionally powerful at the net, not to mention usually one of the tallest teams in the state, but showed no signs of those characteristics Tuesday. The Sartan attack was spotty at best Tuesday aside from the team’s impressive-looking freshman outside hitter Alyssa Bendinskas.
Meanwhile, Los Alamos (1-2) could rarely find its rhythm against St. Pius (1-2). Michelle Macias, who led the team with a dozen spike kills in the contest, and Ashley Hammond, who had 10 spike kills were the most consistent hitters Tuesday, but keeping up rallies was a tough task for the team.
Los Alamos was hurt by more than a dozen service errors and nearly as many service-receive errors that helped push the Sartans to the victory.
Passalacqua finished with 33 assists, while Anna Kirkland was credited with 30 digs.
Gianna Benelli digs deep for this ball in the first set. Photo by John McHale/ladailypost.com
Ashley Hammond spike kills the ball over the Sartan defender in the second set. Photo by John McHale/ladailypost.com
Michelle Macias bounces the ball into play. Photo by Nate Limback/ladailypost.com
Callie Goda spikes the ball in the first set. Photo by Nate Limback/ladailypost.com