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Baker volleyball team opens season with win (Photo gallery)
BAKER – Defending District 1-2A volleyball champion Baker opened the 2010 season Tuesday night with a new coach, but with the same results, a win.
The Gators gave Tomikko Parks her first win, and a district win to boot, as they held off a tenacious Pensacola Christian Academy team in five sets. The scores were 25-17, 23-25, 24-26, 25-13, 25-12.
Parks was happy with the win, but she would have preferred a little more breathing room.
“I would have liked for it not to have been a nail-biter,” she said, “but it was good for the girls to get that first win under their belts.”
PCA took an early 4-3 in the first game, but the Gators went on a 6-1 run as they took a 9-5 lead. The Warriors were able to narrow the Baker lead to 9-7, but that’s as close as they would get.
The Gators (1-0, 1-0) picked up a point off a PCA serve and continued to push the issue with Carly Barton in serve. Barton delivered two aces during a 10-point run that put Baker up 20-7.
However, as would be the case throughout the night, the Warriors refused to go away as they narrowed the Baker lead to 23-17 before finally running out of points.
Mollie Royal delivered an ace to close out the first set victory.
Things got interesting when PCA won the second and third sets.
Midway through the set a Jennifer Ellis ace put the Gators up 16-10, but the Warriors battled back 10 of the next 11 points to take a 20-17 lead on their way to the second set win.
Set three was nip and tuck with the Gators holding a 17-12 lead before PCA made another charge to climb in front before eventually taking the win.
“I think we took some points off, it was evident,” Parks said. “We scored five points and would give up five.
“We’ve got to learn to play and keep up that intensity. If we give up a serve we’ve got to get the ball right back.”
With their backs to the wall the Gators played with that missing intensity in the fourth set.
Katie Wickery took charge in service as Baker came out and quickly took a 6-0 lead and never looked back.
PCA broke the early Baker run with a point to make the score 6-1, but that was as close as the Warriors got.
Baker took control early in the deciding set and then held off another Warrior run to wrap up the win.
“PCA is scrappy, they are very scrappy,” Parks said. “Our girls are getting to that point. We have to learn to play every point, every time, every second, every minute, so we are working on that.
“I guess it feels good just to get that first one (win). Now we can just keep building.”
Baker 3, PCA 2.
Game scores: 25-17, 23-25, 24-26, 25-13, 15-12.
Baker top performers: Mollie Royal 5 kills, 7 aces, 1 assist; Katie Wickery 4 aces, 9 assists; Molly Woodward 5 aces, 7 assists; Caitlin Holley 4 aces; Laurie Steele 9 kills, 6 blocks, 1 assist; Jennifer Ellis 4 kills, 6 aces, 3 digs.
