Granite Bay takes down Davis in three

Last year's Sac-Joaquin Section Division II volleyball champs, the Granite Bay Grizzlies are back and are looking forward to defending their title. The Grizzlies lost four players off of last year's team, including three key starters, but are off to a solid 10-4 start to this season. Wednesday night they defeated Davis in three straight sets to improve to 1-1 in the Sierra Foothill League after Monday's loss to Oak Ridge. Granite Bay won the match 25-17, 25-19, and 25-21. Outside hitter Abigayle Gotwals led way in kills with some help from Alli Powell in the middle and Maya Mishchuk on the outside. Haddy Samba and Kate Bousfield also chipped in with a few kills. Setters Livy Hickey and Alana Black played well, as did libero Sofie Urosevic. "I thought we played pretty well," Granite Bay coach Prima Glorioso said. "We definitely were consistent in the first two sets. We had a let up in the third, but found a way to finish. I thought Alli Powell played exceptional tonight. She really made an impact at the net." Along with Monday's loss to Oak Ridge, Granite Bay has already lost to Vacaville twice, as well as to Vista del Lago. The Grizzlies have a pretty young team returning to defend its section title. "We lost four girls and three starters from last year, but Livy is back and our other setter, Alana, and our libero, Sofie, are freshmen. Everyone else is juniors so we're pretty young." Given the team's youth, the fact that they're off to a 10-4 start is encouraging to Glorioso. "I'm very confident about this season," Glorioso said. "We're in a good starting spot. I think we're playing more cohesive than last year. Last year we came on hot at the end of the season. I feel we're more consistent so far this season. We've got a tough road ahead, but we're ready for it." In the Sierra Foothill League, where teams like Oak Ridge, Rocklin and Folsom reside, there's a tough opponent every night so if nothing else, the Grizzlies will certainly be battle-tested by the time the postseason comes around. Next up for the Grizzlies is a road game at St. Francis on Monday followed by a home match against Folsom on Wednesday.