Benicia High’s varsity volleyball team clinched the Solano County Athletic Conference championship Tuesday night in Fairfield, but it didn’t come easy.
The Lady Panthers were pushed to the limit by host Vanden but ultimately prevailed, 25-21, 25-20, 22-25, 17-25, 15-10. It was the 54th straight SCAC victory for the Lady Panthers (24-1, 13-0 SCAC) and their fourth straight league championship.
Even more sweet was the fact the title was clinched on Vanden’s home court. The Lady Vikings (10-3 SCAC) were the last team other than Benicia to win the SCAC title.
“I’ve never lost to Vanden and I didn’t want to lose to them now,” said senior Megan Osterholt, who led the Lady Panthers with 20 kills and 18 digs. “It was my last time playing them and it feels really good to win.”
“They really, really wanted to beat us and we had to muster everything we had,” said Benicia head coach Jamie Hadenfeldt. “It got loud in here and we didn’t get rattled. We managed the stress and the pressure against a team that was so hungry to beat us.”
Benicia appeared ready to sweep Vanden after easily winning the first two sets. But tied 22-22 in the third set, Benicia made a few unforced errors and Vanden’s Mia Pau tipped home a point to extend the match.
Benicia, which hadn’t lost consecutive sets all year, jumped out to an early 4-1 lead in the fourth set and again felt in control. But Vanden wouldn’t give up. Several times Benicia thought it got a ball down, only to realize the Lady Vikings made a miraculous dig to keep the ball alive. Pau and teammate Kamra Jackson started finding holes in Benicia’s defense, and the Lady Panthers suddenly found themselves in their first fifth-set situation.
“It was stressful,” said Benicia senior Kellie Sluga. “They were working hard for all the balls and we had a hard time getting used to that. But we learned. I’m so glad we came through.”
“We knew our coach wouldn’t be happy if we lost so we got more pumped,” Osterholt said.
Benicia actually trailed 5-2 in that decisive fifth set before rolling off 10 of the next 12 points to finally take command.
“It was a tough match and we stepped it up and stayed focused,” Hadenfeldt said. “We did what we had to do with our backs against the wall.”
Cassidy Jannson added 20 kills and 16 digs for the Lady Panthers. Eden Fukushima had 59 assists, Sluga added 10 kills, Charlotte Cannizzaro had eight kills and five blocks, and Ramona Glatzel had 17 digs.
Benicia hosts Bethel n Thursday. The Lady Jaguars are the last team to beat Benicia in SCAC play (Sept. 13, 2011).
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