Thou Shalt Know the Wrath of Dahlia

By Michael Ashcraft --

One poor Packinghouse player wore the face of shell shock.

Dahlia Gonzalez sledge-hammered a ball down so hard and at such an acute angle that it landed in the first row.

Her opponent, who had no chance to return it, stood in astonishment for a moment as if the gods had decreed by oracle an evil future.

Welcome to Dolly's woods.

There's no other way to say it. Dahlia -- called Dolly by her closest friends -- LEVITATED.

She was on a totally other level Saturday evening at Memorial Park in Santa Monica when Lighthouse Christian Academy sent Packinghouse packing in three straight sets to advance to round 3 of playoffs.

"Dahlia hit her best and served her best ever today," remarks Coach Jessica Young.

LCA, student population 45, who slinked into playoffs on a wildcard win, is now a victory march to (dare we dream?) the unthinkable.

With two losses in its regular season, how can this be happening?

The girls, mostly sophomores and juniors, have been steadily improving throughout the season.

But just at the right moment, in playoffs, everything is coming together. They're playing their best volleyball.

The long balls are no longer long. The inconsistent serving is now a barrage of STARstreak launches. They don't let an ace shame them and they set for spike from a desperate scramble to return. The practice to eliminate mistakes is paying off just on time.

It's as if the whole team stepped through some portal and came out with an elevated game.

Dahlia was driving. He hits were unblockable, unreturnable. Her confoundingly-blistery serves boggled the mind. Her blocks shut down RCA's hitter, depriving them of a key tool. She delivered withering play. And all while nursing an injury in her leg from Thursday's game.

"Dahlia has always been a power hitter," says sophomore setter Allie Scribner. "But it's just today I finally gave her the sets that she needed, and she showed up today. She was incredible. Beast mode. She decided. She jumps so high, she just needed a good set."

LCA won 27-25, 25-17, 25-20.

The Saints showed mental strength. When they trailed in the first game 18-22, they kept fighting and brought the game an extended finale.

This mental strength showed in their first playoff game, when after losing the first set and the third set, the Saints came back to win Game 4 and 5 on Thursday against Eisenhower High School of Rialto.

They kept their cool and their resolve under pressure. They didn't let injuries and sickness hold them down. They played without their center in Round 1 of playoffs and still won.

"It all clicked today," Coach Jessica says.

"I really wanted to win," Dahlia says. "Next season, I'm not going to be able to play with Allie, and I want to play more with her."

Read about LCA's other games:

She Flies like a Butterfly and Stings like a Bee

Should that be illegal, like doping?

She's Pho Real
Poker Face
War of the Battleships
Four more inches, please
God save the Queen!

Is Tuesday the 13th a Thing?
Zeus Showed Up
Michael Ashcraft teaches journalism at the Lighthouse Christian Academy in Santa Monica.