Pallotti got a taste of Archbishop Spalding volleyball Tuesday night, and it wasn't pleasant. Spalding produced 25-19, 19-25, 25-14, 25-21 victory over the Panthers in Laurel in an Interscholastic Athletic Association of Maryland A Conference match.
Pallotti coach Scott Fifield is 0-6 against the Cavaliers since taking over as head coach in 2009.
The closest match came last year when Pallotti took Spalding to five sets. The Panthers' performance Tuesday left Fifield frustrated.
"We were inconsistent," he said. "In the set we won, we controlled it from the beginning. In that third set, we were awful. I have been trying to get across to them: All those little routine things we mess up occasionally in the A division you get beat on those."
Still, Pallotti (3-4 overall, 1-2 league) received solid performances from Valen Johnson (13 kills, 6 digs), Io Chaney (9 kills, 6 blocks), Paige Smith (24 assists, 4 aces), Abby Awosanya (9 digs) and Tiffany Reveyoso (9 digs).
Jacqueline Doerr (18-for-18 serving, 9 kills), McKenzie (14 kills, 21 digs) and Alyssa Berke (20 assists) led Spalding.
Pallotti had 9-7 and 15-11 leads in the first set, but Spalding fought back. The Cavaliers used a 9-0 run to go ahead for good thanks to the serving of Doerr.
In the second set, Pallotti outscored the Cavaliers 15-8 to take control after a 3-3 tie.
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The third set deflated the Panthers and lifted Spalding. The Cavaliers jumped out to a 10-1 lead thanks to the serving of Doerr and net play of Berke.
After a 7-7 tie in the fourth set, Spalding (3-4, 1-2) was on its way to finishing off Pallotti with an 11-4 spurt.
"We played smart," Spalding coach Scott Rombach said. "When we play together, we play good defense. I think they are starting to jell as a team. I think they helping each other and learning each other."