Folsom blanks Rocklin, 3-0

When Folsom High's varsity girls' volleyball team met Rocklin earlier in the season on Sept. 15, they lost in three competitive games, 25-22. Perhaps more importantly was when that game was played, four days before the Bulldogs traveled to Las Vegas to play in the Durango Fall Classic. Folsom won two matches in that tournament and lost four, playing against some of the top teams in the nation. The Bulldogs learned a lot in that tournament and have not been the same team they were before they played in it. "We realized we were playing with the wrong mindset," Folsom High sophomore outside hitter Jazmin Ojo said. "We were there just to play in the tournament and gain some experience and not to win. Since then we've realized we are a good team and we can win these games and we're playing to win them." On Wednesday night at Folsom High, the Bulldogs played to win and returned the favor to the Thunder, beating certainly one of the best teams in Northern California in three straight games, 25-17, 25-19, 25-23. Entering the match, the Thunder (9-1 in league, 21-4 overall) had only dropped one game to a team in the Sacramento area, Oak Ridge. The team's loss to Folsom was their first to a Sacramento area opponent. "We're a different team than we were a month ago," Folsom High coach Devin Elmore said. "We had a lot of things we had to work on. We knew we'd be good, but we were coasting on what we could be versus going out and accomplishing it. The game isn't played on paper; it's played on the hardwood. "We played some top teams in the nation at that Las Vegas tournament and we were competitive in some games and got our butts beat in others, but I think it was all great lessons learned and that when we're playing our best we can go out and get a fantastic win against a great Rocklin team." "That Las Vegas tournament exposed a lot of weaknesses and there were not some pretty moments for the girls. They had to battle and understand what we're trying to accomplish. I think chemistry wise the girls got a lot closer at that tournament. That's where they all saw that we can compete with these teams and now we have to take the next step and go out and do it." Folsom (9-1 in league, 22-8 overall) started in game one with a dominant performance, winning 25-17. Ojo led the way with seven kills in the game and 17 on the night, many of which she hit the ball high above the net with great power. In the 25-19 win in the second set, Addie Smith led the way with five kills. She was a consistent threat through all three games, as she had 13 kills with four coming in the first and third games. Avery Masters also had a big second game with four kills and finished with three in the third game to end the night with eight. "Addie did great," Ojo said. "It was her birthday the other day and she turned 17 and had 17 kills. Having her as a teammate is one of the best things ever." Rocklin's outside hitter Addy Scheitlin led the Thunder with 11 kills, while middle Rylee Heinz had seven of her eight kills in the third set. Another middle, Sidney Jones, added six kills. "They passed better in this match and we didn't serve as good as we should have," Rocklin coach Bret Almazan-Cezar said. "The message to the team after the game is to get better. That's always the message. Whether we win in three or lose in three, the message is always get better." Added Elmore, "I talked to the team all week about controlling the controllables. There will be bad calls, errors by both teams, but I told the girls to just control the controllables. Control what you can control; the serving, the ball control, the body language, the attitude, the effort. Tonight, we served and passed a lot better than we did last time."