The gym seemed to vibrate, with some fans standing without truly knowing it. They were caught in the moment, and the Turlock Christian volleyball players did the same.After submitting in the opening two sets and finally winning one, the Eagles had created a rare opportunity to scare a confident Bradshaw Christian squad in the semifinals of the Sac-Joaquin Section Division V Tournament at Calvary Baptist Gym on Thursday night. But the opposing players from Sacramento were just too powerful.The No. 3 Eagles had to submit, losing in four sets, 25-17, 25-19, 22-25, 25-22, to No. 7 Bradshaw Christian in front of a home crowd that applauded their late-match effort.“We got it going like we can,” TC coach Keith Landmeier said, “but it just took too long to get the momentum going.“We paid the price for not having it in the first game.”The Eagles faced a tall Bradshaw Christian team, one with four players listed above 5-foot-10. That’s something TC didn’t see very much of in the Southern League, where they finished 11-3 in a crowd that included Mariposa High and Ripon Christian — which will face Bradshaw Christian next week in the Section title match.Bradshaw Christian took advantage of its height advantage. Senior outside hitter Patricia Orozco, who stands an inch from 6 feet, was purely dominant the entire night with 22 kills, with most of her spikes coming after her head rose above the net.In the first game, Bradshaw Christian set the tone by racing out to a 9-0 lead and eventually taking it without much of a challenge. “We had a couple big deficits, especially in the first game,” Landmeier said. “But after that, we definitely were in it.”The Eagles overcame an early 7-3 deficit to win the second game, and they made it 23-22 after Molly Farrar (12 assists) sneaked a point into Bradshaw Christian territory. That sent a lightning bolt through the crowd, with the Turlock Christian student cheering section shouting, “It’s not over! It’s not over!”But that scared feeling the Bradshaw Christian had didn’t last long. The Eagles allowed two straight points, and the night was over. Rebekah Muller finished with eight kills and three blocks for Turlock Christian, as Arin Morelli and Cheyenne Perry finished with 13 digs apiece and Kara Gabrielson contributed with four aces.“We could have played better,” Muller said. “But we played with our hearts and we went out there with all we had.”To contact Chhun Sun, e-mail csun@turlockjournal.com or call 634-9141 ext. 2041.
Despite late rally, TC falters to Bradshaw Christian in semis
