Girls volleyball: Tam tops Terra Linda in section quarterfinal

Tam High coach Ray Karter congratulated his volleyball players on their playoff victory, then sent them home for the Halloween weekend. After a few tricks, it was time for some treats for the Hawks.

Fourth-seed Tam (25-11) held off No. 5 Terra Linda in four games in the second round of the North Coast Section Division III playoffs on Saturday. Tam cut short a Trojans rally in the 25-19, 25-15, 21-25, 25-14 win.

“Both teams are at about the same level, and have been for years until it starts to feel like a rivalry,” Karter said. “So it’s really fun and the girls get fired up for this… I know the girls were really looking forward to this game and they actually enjoy the rivalry because they know the other players in a way that’s fun, but that makes it more intense for everybody.”

The Red-tailed Hawks will see another MCAL foe in the semifinals when they challenge top-seeded Branson at 7 p.m. on wednesday at College of Marin. Branson was a 3-0 winner over No. 8 Novato on Saturday.

Branson swept Tam in their only regular season meeting in September, so the Hawks will be looking to avenge that loss. Knocking off a two-time defending NCS champion — Div. III in 2019 and Div. IV in 2018 — won’t be easy, however, for a Hawks team seeking its first NCS crown.

Karter has watched this Tam team come together despite the challenges of the COVID era, as the players developed their own skills and personalities.

“I was saying on senior night how every year you think you’re never going to be able to live up to the amazing team that came before,” Karter said. “But then you get to know the individual personality quirks, and they all blend together because everyone has the same mission to be here. Their individual personality quirks meld when they’re working together. I really love how this team is silly some of the time and then intense some of the time. I love how they are both playful and serious. … It makes it enjoyable to come to the gym every day.”

The road so far hasn’t been smooth sailing for the Hawks, who have had to fight back from early deficits to defeat both Alhambra and Terra Linda in the first two rounds.

Tam had to dig its way out of an early hole in a difficult first game, but the momentum from winning the first game seemed to carry over into the second frame.

“Early on, I was frustrated because I thought we were outplaying them, but the score was really close,” Karter said. “Then I thought Terra Linda got frustrated because maybe they thought they were outplaying us but the score was close. That’s just volleyball. It’s a big game of momentum, and you’ve got to stick with it and you’ve got to keep fighting. We managed to do that to the end of the game and that made a big difference.”

The momentum swung in the Trojans’ favor in the third game after a series of short rallies gave them a 19-12 lead. The Hawks fought back to keep the game competitive, but Terra Linda senior Olivia Quinby shut the door with an emphatic ace to win the game.

Suddenly, the Hawks were in danger of losing control of what once seemed like a contest they had well in hand.

“You always have to respect your opponent and expect them to come out strong,” Karter said. “And credit Terra Linda, they didn’t give up. They came out stronger than we did and kept it up all the way through the game. I don’t think we did a good job matching their intensity. Maybe we took them for granted after the first two games. That’s a lesson to learn for the next round.”

The Hawks’ seniors were solid all night, but the younger players showed the program has a bright future as they came up with some key plays in the decisive fourth game. Sophomores Lauren Widdifield and Malia Parsons were ferocious in their attack, while junior setter Wesley Slavin was solid.

“Slavin was really good and she made it easy for our hitters to take some big swings,” Karter said. “That gave us a real light, especially toward the end of the game. But I don’t think people notice all the way through the match how important that position is. It’s really a big deal when you’re as accurate as she is. She really helps her teammates make better decisions in tough situations.”