Chatsworth Serves Up Big Victory Over Taft

WOODLAND HILLS —  Coach Bud Dow, demonstrating he runs more of a democracy than a dictatorship, gave his players at Chatsworth High an option last week.

They could, if they so desired, forgo a signal from Dow that suggests a specific service location.

Less pressure, perhaps. More creative thinking, for sure.

The option, akin to a quarterback calling the plays instead of the coach, was snapped up by Leila Pate, a junior outside hitter.

Pate served where she wanted on Tuesday and Chatsworth got an important victory over Taft in a West Valley League girls’ volleyball match.

Pate had seven aces and became part of a common theme for Chatsworth, which nearly served the Toreadors off the court in a 15-11, 14-16, 15-7, 15-11 victory at Taft.

The Chancellors (7-0, 4-0 in league play), ranked No. 7 in the region by The Times, also displayed the efficient passing skills that have marked them as legitimate City Championship contenders.

“I think we really came alive [Tuesday] and came of age,” Dow said. “It’s almost as if we felt like we haven’t been challenged to play to our potential. [Tuesday] we were.”

It’s likely that upcoming practices at Taft will consist of three things: passing, passing and passing.

“Our serve receivers didn’t know what to do,” Coach Doug Magorien of Taft said. “No other team has served like that. It was a great lesson for our girls.”

If not for Trisha Bratford, who delivered a career-high 28 kills, the Toreadors (6-1, 3-1), ranked No. 9 in the region, would have been swept.

Bratford, a senior outside hitter, was especially effective in the second game, delivering 11 kills as Taft rallied from a 14-7 deficit to win the game.

But Chatsworth returned to its strong serving in the third game--four aces, including two by Pate--and countered with an offensive weapon of its own, sophomore Linda Wang.

Wang, a 6-foot middle blocker, had five kills and two blocks in the third game, easily won by Chatsworth.

Wang, who needed to have a big match with middle blocker Heather Rizzo out because of a sprained ankle, finished with 14 kills and three blocks.

Pate was the story of the fourth game, drilling three aces to help wipe out an 11-8 Taft lead. The Chancellors scored the final seven points of the match.

“I could serve where I was comfortable,” Pate said. “It worked a lot better.”

Whether the Chancellors, off to their best start in years, can match their City Championship feat of 1994 remains to be seen.

If they continue to pass and serve well, traits that are notoriously lacking in several City Section teams, anything can happen.

“It’s a fun start,” Dow said. “It’s been a fun year.”

It might be just beginning.