Tologs falter in road defeat

LA CAÑADA FLINTRIDGE — First impressions being everything, it was the Flintridge Sacred Heart Academy volleyball team’s slow start that stood out most in its nonleague meeting with La Cañada High on Wednesday.

But, really, the span in which the Tologs fell quickly behind by 13 points in the opening game was one of just several notable lapses in a match where they played unevenly throughout and were ultimately swept by the host Spartans, 25-17, 25-15, 25-16.

“We just missed key serves at key moments of the game,” said Tologs Coach Shelli Orlandini, whose team suffered its first defeat at the hands of La Cañada, the defending CIF Southern Section Division II-A champion, since 2003. “There were some epic rallies during this match in every game and then we would go back and make an unforced error. When you get momentum on your side, you’ve got to take it and run with it, but we didn’t do that.”

Any chance to seize some momentum was a welcome opportunity for Sacred Heart (11-4-1) after never getting closer than 23-17 in the first game, in which it fell into a 16-3 hole right off the bat.

The Tologs looked better to start the second game, staying close and pulling to within 13-10, but a 5-1 run by the Spartans (9-3) widened a gap that the Tologs again couldn’t bridge, as La Cañada, which is ranked No. 1 in Division II-A, closed out the game on a 12-5 run.

Sacred Heart, which reached the final of the Royal Tournament over the weekend, led early in the third game, but couldn’t hold off a momentum switch that saw La Cañada pull ahead, 17-10.

Five Sacred Heart service errors in the third game were costly, particularly in that they often came after the Tologs had just fought hard for a sideout.

“We’ve been running a 6-2 [formation], we just started running a 5-1 and we’re just trying to figure out where we can get the most production out of the players we have,” Orlandini said. “We’re just trying to figure things out.”

Camille Coffey had a team high 11 kills and eight digs, but was one of several Tologs starters who struggled at times. Alessandra Orlandini finished with 25 assists.

La Cañada outside hitter and 2008 All-Area Player of the Year Courtney McCutchan, who ended the match with a kill, led all players with 13 kills.