By Michael Ashcraft --
This is how she breaks the ice. With a blistering hot cannonball that busts the block and smacks the floor glaringly unreturned.
"It's the best feeling in the world," remarked Dahlia Gonzalez, a fierce hitter for the Lighthouse Christian Academy of Santa Monica.
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It was only the fourth play of the game when Dahlia, a senior, decided to introduce herself. She cracked the hit with deafening power, broke the ice wall of the opponents' block and watched her ice breaker boat sail unstopped to Beacon Hill's side of the floor on Tuesday at Penmar Park.
This must be what's it like when a torturer introduces himself. Hi, I'm Dahlia, I'll be cracking your back on the rack today.
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Confronted by the daunting display of superior firepower, what else could Beacon Hill do but swallow hoarsely and dissimulate the raw terror?
(To their credit, Beacon Hill maintained high spirits and fought to the last.)
But Dahlia -- a 5'7" girl who hovers like a drone in the air with 28 inch vertical jump -- was unrelenting, thundering down a hailstorm, with her partner in crime, her best friend, Allie Scribner, the hammer. Lighthouse dispatched Beacon Hill in three straight sets: 25-16, 25-23, 25-18. Dahlia jackhammered a staggering 18 kills.
As a kid, she strengthened her arm in soft ball. On Tuesday, Dahlia was playing hard ball.
If you buy something on Internet, you can usually return it. Lighthouse, however, exercised a no return policy on their hits.
The referee remarked to Coach Jessica Young after the game that he thought Lighthouse could beat the top area public schools this year, particularly the powerhouses of Venice and Uni High. It was Uni that eliminated Lighthouse in quarterfinal playoffs last year.
In all their sets this year, Lighthouse has lost only one set so far. The winning streak includes two tournaments, which they clinched.
It's looking to be sizzling season.
LCA was dominant Tuesday. In fact, many of the points Beacon Hill made were Saints' sloppy serves. Then there was the moment Lighthouse let off the gas in set #3 to allow Beacon Hill run up the score to 2-9 and give them a false hope.
Liyat Belay got in on the hitting also, sending one to the wood for a point. Karine Keyser nailed a nifty block for a point. Lucy Young was smacking good serve after serve to create problems for Beacon Hill.
Riley Gonzalez did some outstanding digs, and Jillian Jenkins was all around awesome. Shayla Papik retained her title of Thor that balls that shot like hammer throws.
Read more: the Jill Chills (Game 1).
Sharp shooter Shayla (Game 2)
About this reporter: Michael Ashcraft teaches journalism at the Lighthouse Christian Academy of Santa Monica
