Girls Volleyball: Las Lomas Trounces Dougherty Valley

The Las Lomas High girls volleyball team came out strong against Dougherty Valley Tuesday in San Ramon and never let up, taking down the Wildcats in three straight games — 25-10, 25-14, 25-14.

It was freshman Lauren Fitterer's 15th birthday and the Knights (10-8-1, 3-1) made sure there was plenty to celebrate.

Las Lomas led the first game 11-5 when the Wildcats (7-7-0, 0-4), won the longest rally of the match and pulled within five. Dougherty coach Jen Wilson then called a timeout so her players could catch their breath. When play resumed, it was the Knights who rattled off five-straight points, effectively putting game one out of reach.

"We were consistently getting the ball in the court," Las Lomas coach Ashley Peterson said. "We let them make mistakes and we took advantage of them."

The Knights' victory can be attributed to more than fundamentals, with senior Maggie Ridenhour and sophomore Rachel Nieto combining for some early fireworks on the outside. 

With Las Lomas up 18-8 in the first, Ridenhour spiked a spectacular kill that set the tone for the rest of the game. She capped it off by serving five consecutive points, burying a cross-court ace in the corner for the final point.

Sophomore Maddie Borch dominated the match from the middle. Her kills included a stake into the heart of the Wildcats' defense that put the Knights up 16-10 in the second, and a picture-perfect cut shot with Las Lomas in front 5-2 in the third.

Borch served four points of her own, culminating with an ace that put Las Lomas up 12-3 in the third. It took a net fault to put a stop to her end-line domination.

"She has an unbelievable amount of talent," Peterson said. "She's one of our key players right now. Whenever she plays well, our team tends to play well."

Las Lomas will need to play well in order to compete against DFAL powerhouse Campolindo (14-2-0, 4-0) Thursday at home. It's a game that could illustrate how much Las Lomas has improved in its first year with Peterson at the helm.

"Tonight was definitely a confidence booster for our girls," Peterson said. "They can go in (to face Campolindo) knowing that they can play solid defense. We'll give Campo a run for their money."

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