Taft girls volleyball stays unbeaten in league with sweep of Granada Hills Charter

WOODLAND HILLS — Taft girls volleyball did just enough to overcome any chance Granada Hills Charter had of winning Monday evening’s West Valley League match.

The Toreadors (26-6 overall) took care of business with a sweep, 25-22, 25-23, 25-17, and now hold a one-match lead over the Highlanders for first place in league.

“The nerves were there for both sides,” said Toreadors head coach Arman Mercado. “We were missing some things and it wasn’t so clean, but once both teams settled down, it was a great game on both sides. My girls always say we will bend but not break. The tough part is seeing that happen, but they made it happen today and I’m very happy and proud.”

Mercado had one thing on his mind: practice. The West Valley League has been a top opportunity for the Toreadors to get all the practice they can get before the playoffs.

The Toreadors are 5-0 in league and have yet to drop a set in league play.

While the nerves were slowly going away, the defensive efforts from both teams kept the game close. It wasn’t until the third set that the hitting started coming along for the Toreadors.

The Toreadors recorded seven blocks in the game to the Highlanders’ two. However, both teams struggled to keep the ball in play with the hitting errors piling up.

The Highlanders recorded 16 hitting errors to the Toreadors’ 11, which would be enough to decide the first two sets.

Granada Hills did all it could to keep it close behind an effort from Veronica Bellodas’ team-leading 10 kills, but there just wasn’t enough to overcome the close sets.

“We’ve got to be a little more hungry,” said Highlanders head coach Cheyenne Bledsoe. “It was a tough match but it’s always a fun match with Taft. We’re going to come back.”

As the third set approached, the Toreadors woke up. Aleiah Carr, who had struggled the first two sets, recorded four of her team-leading eight kills in the third.

Luckily, her setter Francine Baltazar always has her back.

“The first couple of sets I was struggling, but (Baltazar) was always there having my back,” said Carr. “99.9 percent of the time, we love each other. At the end of the day, we can’t do anything without each other.”

Eva Velarde finished with seven kills but it was clear the chemistry between Baltazar and Carr is unmatched. Baltazar finished with 23 assists.

“(Carr) gets me the most kills,” said Baltazar. “Coach says we are the married couple on the team. We just got to keep it going until the end, stay focused on our side, and win the ring.”