During a Millikan timeout, Wilson girls volleyball coach Gerald Aquiningoc pulled senior Jaedyn Gonzalez aside and asked her how she wanted to serve for the upcoming match point.
“We wanted to win it and be aggressive,” Aquiningoc said.
The first-year coach said the plan was to hit it short and get the Rams out of their system and it was exactly what Gonzalez did.
The Rams tried to counter with a Danielle Paulson kill but Bruins senior Meredith Bond saved her 10th and final block for last as an energetic crowd celebrated after Wilson won in five sets, 25-17, 25-23, 23-25, 19-25, 15-12.
“We are growing as a team,” Aquiningoc said. “We are getting the big-game experience and maturing.”
The win snapped a two-game losing streak for the Bruins (4-2, 10-7) and moved them into sole possession of third place in the Moore League while Millikan (3-2, 6-4) dropped to fourth.
Aquiningoc said the Bruins served well in the first two sets and were able to keep the Rams away from their game plan and Bond and sophomore outside hitter Chloe Pravednikov paved the way during a dominant first set.
Bond had 16 kills while Pravednikov had 14.
Millikan led for much of the second set before the Bruins rallied from a 17-12 deficit to go up two sets.
The Rams brought more energy in the third and fourth sets as Paulson and sophomore Elle Lundahl lead the charge, each with double digit kills while junior Brittany Mendoza had a stretch of four straight aces during a dominant fourth set. Millikan led 10-4 and 19-10 before winning, 25-19 to knot the match up at two.
Millikan led 9-7 in the fifth and the match was tied at 12 before Wilson pulled away.
“It was a big win,” Aquiningoc said. “We are working hard and they are learning a new system.”
Gonzalez had 42 assists and 12 digs.
Wilson hosts Jordan on Thursday while Millikan hosts Compton.
