Spikers in Payback Mode

Palisades High Volleyball Ready for Quarterfinal Showdown at Sylmar

Maybe it was the new wrinkles added to the offense. Or maybe it was postseason adrenaline kicking in. Whatever the reason, the Palisades High girls varsity volleyball team is clicking on all cylinders and visiting Cleveland had a front row seat Monday night. “We’re peaking at just the right time,” Assistant Coach Chris Mortimer said. It certainly seems that way. The fifth-seeded Dolphins (14-1) played with startling efficiency, needing only 65 minutes to power past the 12th-seeded Cavaliers 25-15, 25-12, 25-20 and advance to the quarterfinals of the City Section playoffs. Cleveland simply had no answer for the one-two punch of hitters Laura Goldsmith and Alex Lunder, who finished with 12 and nine kills, respectively. Goldsmith ended the match with a service ace down the line. “I’d say they were better than most of the teams in our league,” Lunder said of Cleveland, which managed two brief leads, both early in the third game. “They kept a lot of balls in play.” According to junior libero Rachael Ehrlich, the key to the Dolphins’ success is teamwork. “Earlier in the season we were playing more as individuals,” she said. “Now, we’re playing more as a team. We know our roles much better now.” Ehrlich’s primary role is to provide accurate passing and defense in the back row and she was at the top of her game all night. Ehrlich was a whirling dervish on the court, finishing with 13 digs, five assists and three aces. Her hustle was never more evident than on the final point of the second game when she dove to return a serve inches off the floor, allowing setter Jenna McAllister to feed Jenny Donohue for a well-placed crosscourt kill. Last Thursday, Palisades made short work of 28th-seeded Garfield 25-17, 25-18, 25-16. The Dolphins raced to early leads in each game, allowing Head Coach Matt Shubin to empty his bench. Had Palisades lost its opening match it would have dropped to the City Invitational bracket. “I was a little worried we might overlook Garfield in the first round [last Thursday] but we were in control the whole time and all the girls got a chance to play, which is nice” Shubin said. “And tonight was maybe the cleanest we’ve played the entire season.” If it was difficult “getting up” for severely overmatched opponents in the first two rounds, Palisades was certainly motivated for Wednesday’s quarterfinal match at fourth-seeded Sylmar. After all, the Spartans handed the Dolphins their only loss of the season on September 18. “We’re a better team now than we were then,” Lunder said. “I guess it’s fair that they got the higher seed because they beat us head-to-head, but I definitely think we can beat them if we play like this.” Goldsmith agreed: “We have a different rotation now. Before I was passing most of the time. Now I’m hitting more which is good because I’m a better hitter.” Not only had the Dolphins not hammered out the kinks in their offense the last time they faced Sylmar, they were also without their head coach. Shubin was serving a suspension for missing a mandatory coaches meeting and Mortimer had to take his place. ‘I don’t think the girls will need any added incentive for this one,’ Shubin said with a smile. ‘They haven’t forgotten what happened last time.’ If victorious Wednesday (outcome was unknown at press time), the Dolphins would likely travel to top-seeded and defending City champion San Pedro for a semifinal match next Tuesday night.