Schools
Secret recipe Pho
The LCA girls battled back from the cliff in an attempt to beat Newbury Park volleyball. The secret to their fight was a girl nicknamed Pho.
By Michael Ashcraft --
The secret is in the Pho.
Namely, Roxy Photenhauer -- or simply "Pho" -- who smacked the volleyball with vengeance to inspire her team, the Lighthouse Christian Academy, to fight until death in their attempt to repeat their season opening win.
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In a thrilling 5-game match that saw Lighthouse teeter on the brink of losing in three close sets, LCA lost to always-tough rivals Newbury Park Adventist Academy in varsity volleyball Thursday. Two days earlier, Lighthouse handily defeated Pilgrim School of Burbank.
In set 3, the Newbury Park crowd erupted in cheers as one of their champion hitters thundered a ball down upon their rivals, only to be silenced by an impossible dig that fired it sneakily over the net unanswered.
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The astonishing response came from sophomore Roxy Photenhauer, the last-born in a chain of same-named athletes and artists who have graced LCA's hallowed halls.
"Roxy dug a ball pretty much as good as an Olympian could do it," remarked Coach Jessica Young. "The other team was cheering for her."
Roxy's digging and serving -- along with some mental toughness from her fellow Saints -- sparked a comeback drive.
After losing the first two sets 21-25 and 24-26, the Lighthouse Saints rallied to squeak through with a 27-25 win in Game 3.
The victory also came when Coach Jessica, seeing Newbury Park's thunderous serves wreak havoc upon Lighthouse, changed the formation of Lighthouse mid-game to better return. Quickly adapting to a new configuration, the Saints staged their comeback.
After stunning Newbury Park with the stolen set, Lighthouse capitalized its momentum. In set 4, the Saints dominated the Gators 25-11 and appeared to complete the robbery.
But in set 5, Newbury serves thundered down on Lighthouse like Niagara Falls, and the Saints couldn't find the answer. They lost 8-15.
"The girls gave pretty much everything they had. Their red faces are sweaty," said Coach Jessica. "They played really hard. They didn't give up even after the first game was very difficult. Their endurance was better than the other team. I do think there were some unfair calls; they didn't call lifts on the other team. However, they had good hitters and we couldn't dig some of the balls or serves."
The good news for Lighthouse is that most of their (star) players are freshmen and sophomores, auguring a bright future for the team. Freshmen Dahlia Gonzalez and Frida Macias were given Coach's nod for stepping up to the plate, as were senior Sarah Montez and sophomore Clara Czer for playing through injury.
Also read other LCA games:
Vs. SFVA Oct. 12.Vs. Westmark School Oct. 7
Vs Summit View Sept. 29
Vs. Ojai Valley School Sept. 28.
Vs. SCVi Sept. 23.
Vs. Newbury Park Adventist Academy Sept. 9
Vs. Hillcrest Christian Sept. 15.
Vs. Gorman Learning Center Sept 16.
Michael Ashcraft teaches journalism at the Lighthouse Christian Academy of Santa Monica.
