Jaguars rally to beat AISB 2-1
By Lucia Landivar
Both the SCCS Jaguars and the AISB Phoenix were tired from the hot day, but still had enough energy for an epic volleyball encounter.
The first set started of with a 4 to 4 tie between the Phoenix and the Jaguars. Jaguars soon took the lead 10 to 7, with Camilo Avila's serves going straight to the ground, and Milan Marinkovic's smacks doing the same.
The Phoenix players didn't waste time, however, coming back to match the Jaguars at 12-12. Jaguars started to worry, and there was tension and nervousness evident on both teams. Jaguar Avila threw himself and slid through the court a couple of times to save balls.
After some smacks and serves from both teams, the score was 19-17, with Phoenix in the lead. But then it was the Jaguars' turn to storm back. With Milan Marinkovic's 5 straight strong serves and Jose Abuawad's strong smacks, the Jaguars won the first set 25-20.
The Cougars started the second half with an 10 to 1 lead over theJaguars, and the Jaguars never recovered. Phoenix players kept scoring points, while the Jaguars just got more frustrated, and the score was soon 19-5, in favor of Phoenix. The Jaguars held their own in the last phase, but it was too late, and the second set ended as a 25-10 Phoenix victory.
The third set was full of high tension. The game started with a 2-2 tie. Phoenix then gained some points, and the score was 7-2 in their favor, and the Jaguar adherents were definitely worried. Nevertheless, Jaguar Jose Abuawad and Camilo Avila managed to save many balls and perform wonderful smacks, cutting ASIB's lead to four, 9-5.
Jaguar Milan Marinkovic blocked the ball several times, scoring points for his team, and the Jaguars tied the score at 10-10. The two teams played evenly to 13-13, and the tension became extreme. Jaguar player Camilo Avila continued playing even though he was in pain due to a leg injury, and the Jaguars got the next two points to take the set 15-13, and win the match.
