GALT, CA (MPG) - Galt’s volleyball team found the formula it was looking for in the second set against Bradshaw Christian, but a swarming Pride defense sent the Warriors home with a 3-0 loss, 25-17, 25-23, 25-15.

The middle set was the one that got away. Galt traded runs with Bradshaw Christian deep into the frame and pushed the Pride to 23 before the visitors closed it out, a two-point margin that stood in sharp contrast to the eight- and 10-point gaps that bracketed it. For a lineup leaning heavily on a small group of attackers, that stretch offered a glimpse of what the Warriors can be when their passing holds up and their swings find the floor.

Junior outside hitter Zoey Sanchez carried the offense, hammering 12 kills on 40 swings for a .050 hitting percentage and a 30 percent kill rate: by far the heaviest workload on the roster. Senior middle Morgan Jones was the most efficient attacker on the night, converting five kills in 14 attempts for a .143 mark and a team-best 35.7 kill percentage. Freshman Hattie Shillam continued to earn her minutes on the pin with three kills in 15 attempts across all three sets, while seniors Courtney Brouwer and Lily Cathey added two apiece and junior Adelle Werdon chipped in two more. Senior Madi McDonald had a kill in two sets of work.

Galt finished with 27 kills, nine per set, and got contributions from seven different attackers: a sign of how widely the Warriors are willing to distribute the ball. Cathey also got a hand on a Bradshaw Christian swing for the team’s lone block.

Senior setter and libero Maliah Phulmati Mangal ran the offense with 15 assists and was the most dangerous server on the floor, delivering three aces on 14 attempts with only two service errors. Sophomore Emma McDonald added seven assists in two sets as the Warriors moved the ball through a two-setter look, and the team combined for 26 assists and six aces while serving at a tidy 91.1 percent. 

Senior Whitney Ehlers and Sanchez each added aces of their own.

Defensively, Galt dug up 51 balls without a single dig error. Ehlers led the way with 13 digs in just two sets, a 6.5 average, while Brouwer added nine, Mary Kate Miller seven, Sanchez six and Phulmati Mangal five. Brouwer and Sanchez each handled 16 serve receptions cleanly, Werdon took 11 more, and the Warriors passed 65 serves with only four errors.

The result leaves Galt at 1-2 in league play. The Warriors also dropped a 3-0 decision to Union Mine but answered with a 3-0 sweep of Rosemont, proof that the pieces are there when the passing and the hitting line up. 

If the second set against Bradshaw Christian is any indication, the Warriors are closer than the sweep suggests.