The Giants cruised into their rivalry matchup against Marin Catholic with six straight wins, dropping only one set in the last four games. Coming off three victories of their own, Marin Catholic entered the Redwood gym with confidence; last year, the Wildcats won both of their matchups (3-1, 3-1).
After the first two sets, it looked like it was going to be a battle. In the opening set, junior hitter Logan Leverte (1) broke a 9-9 tie with a kill, later tallying another as Redwood gained a 16-12 lead. However, after calling a timeout, the Wildcats crawled their way back and matched the Giants at 19 apiece. They carried their momentum into a strong finish, winning the first set 25-20.
The second set could only be described as Redwood domination. Both teams started strong, scoring 10 points each, but the Giants quickly took the edge with a 6-0 run, forcing a Marin Catholic timeout. But all the timeout could do was delay—Redwood extended their lead to 24-14, and senior middle Keira Sisuphan (6) capped off the surge with an exclamation-point block.
The Wildcats responded well in the third set, keeping pace with Redwood for the first half, despite the high energy on the Giants’ side of the court. At 16-16, the Giants began to decline. The third set ended similarly to the first—the Wildcats took advantage of Redwood mistakes, and pulled ahead to a 25-19 victory.
Marin Catholic head coach Nick Honrada attributed the team’s success after their second-set loss to adjustments in serving strategy and mindset.
“We knew they were going to respond to us, so we knew we were going to have to adjust,” Honrada said. “Mentally, we needed to pick up our energy; I think that’s what propelled us in sets three and four. After set two, I gave the same message: ‘Now that we’ve gotten punched back in the mouth, how are we going to respond?’”
By the fourth set, the energy had faded in the Redwood gym. Parents were no longer protesting calls, and the limited number of fans in attendance slowly started making their way out. The Wildcats took an early lead, stretching it to 18-8 and never looking back, winning their final set 25-14.
The Giants’ loss marks their third straight 3-1 loss to Marin Catholic, and moves them to 11-7 on the season (4-1 in league play). They will hope to get revenge in the upcoming Marin County Athletic League (MCAL) playoffs, but will focus first on their Oct. 10 matchup at Novato High School.
