Sports
Senioritis
LCA's two seniors, not part of the usual lineup, got kills in the Saints volleyball win over Delphi Academy Thursday
By Michael Ashcraft --
Usually, seniors form the backbone of any high school team.
But Lighthouse Christian Academy's volleyball team features strength among the underclassmen: the setter is a junior, two hitters sophomores, libero a sophomore, one hitter a freshman.
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The two seniors are replacement players.
"I'm bad," admits Keziah Mendez. "I'm not the best."
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Fellow senior Abigail Aguilar also got a chance to play Thursday against Delphi Academy of Los Angeles based in Sylmar. She got one kill. "I felt pretty confident," Abby says.
Keziah got two kills.
They erupted in huge smiles. To be able to contribute successfully to a team's win can cause euphoria in a person who doesn't usually excel in athletics. Lighthouse gives you the chance to play with the Big Girls.
Lighthouse dismissed Delphi 25-7, 25-12, 25-21, retaining its undefeated status in league play.
Lighthouse was losing games in the pre-season until something clicked when league play started.
What clicked? Jillian Jenkins calibrated her timing on hits. In what has been seen the league so far, she's got the most vicious strike and consistently is the difference-maker in games. In one match, Jillian made 24 kills (counting tips, which aren't technically kills). In three games, that's one-third of her team's points.
Jillian is tall and jumps high. Her mother played volleyball and her father football. Her mother is a nurse and assistant volleyball coach. Her father is a Santa Monica Police detective. She's been raised in athleticism, excellence, perseverance and training hard.
She's probably the most feared hitter in the league.
Coach Jessica Young pulled Jillian off the court Thursday. It was the first time all season that Jillian has watched from the sideline while her team battled. However in the last of three games, she was put back on the court when the score was close towards the end.
Jillian achieved the desired result, the efficient finishing off of the game.
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