Anybody who loves SRVHS is happy they even have a story the way newspaper layoffs have severely cut back stories and reporters from the days of the tri valley herald and Dennis Miller when I was in school haha ;P

First, I have no dog in this hunt in any way, shape or form. Although I enjoy volleyball, I would not call myself a “fan” per se` and I have no allegiance to either Foothill or San Ramon High Schools.

I went back to check out Matt’s story on the Foothill/SRV championship match and in no way did I come away with the feeling that he was dissing SRV or putting Foothill up on a pedestal. It seemed to me to be relatively up front reporting with no leaning one way or another and while I might have chosen to start out the story differently, I understand and can appreciate the “turn around” the lead in ultimately implied. I guess I would ask others their opinions on the matter. Here’s the original story:

The Foothill High girls volleyball team absolutely tore through San Ramon Valley in the first game of Saturday night’s North Coast Section Division I championship game. The Wolves weren’t fazed.

After getting blown out in the first game, San Ramon Valley looked dominant in the next three games, denying the Falcons back-to-back titles and winning its first since 2008 with a 13-25, 25-19, 25-18, 25-17 victory.

“I think the first game was definitely nerves, it was a new experience for us still,” San Ramon Valley co-head coach Brian Fujinaga said. “Once we got that out of our system, we just went out there and played like we know how and it was exciting to watch.”

The Wolves (34-8), considered the team to beat by many throughout the season, survived a late-season swoon, righted the ship and looked dominant throughout the playoffs, dropping only one game.

“They’ve been outstanding and all the hard work is paying off,” Fujinaga said. “We’re playing incredibly well and it’s fun to watch.”

Foothill (29-9) lost the momentum in game two, and could never get it back, suffering its first home loss of the year thanks to 36 kills between senior Erin Sherwood and junior Emily Reder.

“We’re a pretty well rounded team and we have hitters coming from every angle,” Sherwood said. “We have great passing and setting. We’re just a very good team all the way around.”

Due in large part to excellent passing in games two, three and four, the Wolves controlled the game behind setter Sarah Board, whose 42 assists facilitated play and saw to it that San Ramon Valley never trailed after the first game.

“Once we got the momentum we had to keep it,” Sherwood said. “And once we got the lead, we weren’t going to give it back.”