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Varsity volleyball girls win thriller over Lancers
Volley 0 10-16
Oakdale battled it out with East Union in a five-set marathon match Thursday night, Oct. 11 and junior Jaedyn Riley, going up at the net here, was one of the Lady Mustangs that helped nail down the thrilling 3-2 OHS victory. Jeff Kettering/The Leader

Thursday night, Oct. 10 Oakdale hosted East Union in Valley Oak League varsity volleyball action and the fans on hand were treated to an intense five-set match. By the end of the night, it was the Lady Mustangs celebrating on their home floor.

Set one belonged to the visitors, though, as East Union won 25-22. Oakdale started strong with Bryson Vargas getting a dig that helped Oakdale gain so momentum after being down early. Vargas also helped her team with a pair of serves that resulted in two points to tie the set at 13. An Avery Gleason serve landed just fair to give Oakdale a 15-14 advantage. Later, down 21-19, Oakdale called time out. Taylor Krum hit the ball over and a Lancer missed it to make it a 21-20 contest. Then with the score tied at 22, East Union ended the set on a 3-0 run to win.

Oakdale shook off the loss and countered with a 25-22 win in the second set. Jaedyn Riley tapped the ball over between a pair of Lancers to give Oakdale the early 3-0 lead. Down 5-0 East Union had to call time out to regroup. Following the time out, East Union went on a 7-2 run to tie the game at 7-7.

As the set wore on, Vargas once again showed her aggressive side with another dig that resulted in a point to give Oakdale a 10-8 lead. Later, Lauren Ghiglia served three straight to give Oakdale a 15-11 lead. After trading points, Riley tapped the ball over the net to extend the Mustang lead to 22-15. Krum eventually hit the game winner to end the match.

Set three saw Oakdale with a commanding 25-16 victory. Early on, Jaelyn Ghiglia hit the ball over for an 8-3 Mustang lead. Moments later Samantha Blanc gave them a 9-3 lead and East Union called time out. Oakdale built up a 20-7 advantage when Krum blasted the ball past a pair of Lancers.

The fourth set saw East Union in survival mode and they defeated Oakdale 27-25 to force the fifth set.

The decisive fifth set saw Oakdale start off fast and furious when they went up 11-1. However, East Union would go on a 6-0 run to make it 11-7. Riley ended the scoring drought for Oakdale when she scored three straight for the home team. Another point later and with the match tied at 11, Oakdale ended the night on a 4-1 run to win 15-12.

“This was an exciting night, and I am glad to be playing with these girls. There is no quit in our program,” said Riley.

Oakdale took on Sierra on the road on Tuesday, Oct. 15 following The Leader’s press time. Oakdale finishes the regular season with a pair of home games: Thursday night, Oct. 17 against Central Catholic and Tuesday, Oct. 22 against Manteca. Game times are scheduled for 6:15 p.m.