By DICK SPARRER
One bad night.
That's all that spoiled Homestead's otherwise perfect record in the El Camino Division of the Santa Clara Valley Athletic League--an early season loss to Cupertino.
And the Mustangs weren't about to let it happen again.
So the second time the Mustangs went up against the Pioneers, they lost the first game, but they battled back to sweep three straight to get a little revenge over Cupertino.
Homestead beat the Pioneers 8-15, 15-6, 15-9, 15-8 to clinch the win, then came back to edge Wilcox 11-15, 12-15, 15-4, 15-13, 15-4 to finish a championship season with a 13-1 division record.
The Mustangs, 26-9 for the year, will now advance to the Central Coast Section Division I playoffs Nov. 16. Homestead will collide with Live Oak (22-6) in a 1 p.m. match at Mitty.
Cupertino, meanwhile, will move on to the CCS Division III playoffs on Nov. 13. The Pioneers will take their 21-9 season record up against Palo Alto (16-12) in a 7 p.m. match at Paly.
The Pioneers finished the El Camino Division season with an impressive 12-15, 15-4, 15-8, 15-8 win over second-place Gunn to wrap up the year in third place in the division. And it was a superb effort by senior Stacey Zuccaro that sparked 'Tino to the win.
Zuccaro nailed 25-of-28 serves to finish with 18 service points. She had 15 kills, 22 assists, 10 digs and 11 blocks.
"That was the best game of her career, and it came at a great time," Marty Redman said. "She was simply awesome."
Erica Boss came though with 17 digs for the Pioneers and Gina Paradiso added 12. Amelie Williams finished with 12 kills.
Earlier in the week, the Pioneers lost in four to Homestead despite 11 kills and 16 assists from Zuccaro. Lisa Dibbell hit on 20- of- 21 serves for 14 points.
Boss came throught with 14 digs and Paradiso and Margaret Le added nine apiece.
Homestead, though, was just a little better. "We won the first game 15-8, and we were rolling pretty good," Redman said. "But then they turned it up a notch. They're a really good team, and we couldn't stay with them."
Despite the loss, Redman was pleased with his club's effort. Cupertino had beaten Homestead three straight on the first trip through the league schedule, then opened with a win last week.
Homestead, though, had already clinched the league title with a 15-5, 11-15, 15-9, 15-11 win over Gunn a week earlier.
"I'm so pleased with the way we played against Gunn," Homestead coach Chris Crader said. "They made a lot of mistakes in the first game, but came back to play very well."
Norcia led the Mustangs with 19 assists, three aces and six digs, and Shelly Mellberg finished with four kills and seven digs. Senior Melissa Coombes finished with six kills and Amy Wellersdick had six kills, five digs, four aces and four blocks.
Coombes had come through with a career-high 22 kills in a 15-2, 15-2, 15-7 win over Santa Clara earlier that week. Coombes also had 10 digs and three aces.
Donna Tripiano added 12 kills four blocks and Wellersdick finished with nine kills, nine blocks and five aces.
Yvonne Chen supported with eight kills and 15 digs, Kasia Lesiak had eight kills and five blocks and Caryn Liniak came through with six digs.
Norcia set things up with a career-high 49 assists and she also had eight blocks.
This article appeared in the Sunnyvale Sun, November 13, 1996.
©1996 Metro Publishing, Inc. All rights reserved.