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The Grizzlies and Panthers battled through three games, the panthers coming out on top, sweeping the Grizzlies 25-16, 25-19, 25-16.

Within the first 20 minutes of the game, it was clear that the Grizzlies were going to have to fight for victory.

“Porterville was a different team from when we last played them,” said Granite coach, Brianne Yorba. “Their hitters were pounding us from the moment they got on that court.”

The Grizzlies were not expecting such an overwhelming amount of aggressive hits. Lupita Flores and Wendy Camargo helped the Grizzlies defense, both contributing nine digs.

Flores led the team with five kills. Debra Rodriguez, Hannah Vehrs, Carina Felix, and Jody Georgianna each had one ace. Rodriguez contributed to assist Granite’s offense and keep it going.

With Porterville’s nonstop hitting, the Grizzlies struggled to keep up.

“We got down on ourselves too early,” said Vehrs.

Granite is not known for its lively crowd like Porterville is. That was one of the reasons the Grizzlies’ spirits were not coming back up.

“Some parents are so disrespectful,” said Janie Felix, a Grizzly mom. “We are not yelling at the other team hoping they will choke. We encourage our team and don’t comment on the other team if we don’t have anything nice to say.”

The second the Grizzlies tried to come back, the game ended with merely six points behind Porterville.

“We shut down,” said Mariella Tapia, a senior Granite volleyball player, “and as hard as we tried we couldn’t come back.”

Yorba explained that Granite does not have all the resources that other schools have. Most teams Granite competes with has their volleyball teams playing on club teams year-round. Granite is fortunate to have players that have any prior experience playing volleyball.

“Most teams we play have that advantage,” said Yorba. “Their players are primarily focused on volleyball. They play 9 months out of the year.”

The Grizzlies are ready for next time they play the Panthers, even though some seniors will be gone. Everyone is ready to redeem themselves and fight to the finish.

“We just have to be mentally prepared,” said Yorba. “Next time we will be ready and pumped up.”