STORY BY MATT SIMON
For a set and a half, the Long Beach Poly girls volleyball team was pushed to the brink as Millikan won the first set and rolled to a 11-3 lead in the second set.
The Rams (15-9, 5-3) were able to capitalize on Poly’s early miscues led by confident play from Kelli McCombs as Millikan took the first set 25-23.
In the second set, Millikan’s Sydney Roberts served three straights aces as the Rams took a 11-3 lead.
After a timeout, Poly (17-6, 6-1) went on a 9-1 run to tie things up at 12. From there Adonia Faumuina, Rylie McGinest and Kaia Brown led the way as Poly won the second set 25-23 and took the match 23-25, 25-23, 25-12, 25-14 Tuesday afternoon.
“I think in the first set we were a little too overconfident and we didn’t have enough energy,” Faumuina said. “But towards the end of the second set and the beginning of the third set, we started to get that fire.”
The early lapse was something Poly coach Leland McGrath said the team needs to fix.
“We needed to find a way to play, really, once we started going it was fine,” McGrath said. “But, it just took awhile to get going.”
Poly will be back in action when the Jackrabbits host Wilson on Thursday and Millikan will look to bounce back against Lakewood.
