Frankie Kim’s back-to-back aces help Bulldogs defeat Pandas in three sets
The Burbank Bulldogs earned a 3-0 victory over the Immaculate Heart Pandas (25-19, 29-27, 25-18), with Frankie Kim’s back-to-back aces helping the Bulldogs complete the sweep. Immaculate Heart entered the match with a 4-0 record after winning the gold medal at the West Maui Wahine Classic. Burbank was looking to rebound from a straight-set loss to Flintridge Prep in its previous match.
The Bulldogs opened the first set with a 4-1 run. Farryn Hall and Emerson Chong sparked the offense with back-to-back kills before Vesta Konstantinavicius answered with a kill that cut Burbank’s lead to two.
The teams remained competitive throughout the opening set before the Bulldogs pulled away. Hall recorded consecutive aces, and a kill by Sam Yosh brought Burbank to set point. An Immaculate Heart error then awarded the final point to the Bulldogs, who took the set 25-19.
The Pandas responded by opening the second set with an 8-2 run behind points from Meghann De Jesus, Scout Striegel and Callie Kultzy. Immaculate Heart eventually built a 10-3 advantage, but the Bulldogs battled back and turned the set into a tight finish.
With the teams trading points late, Chong delivered a set-ending ace to give Burbank a narrow 29-27 victory and a two-set advantage. De Jesus opened the third set with back-to-back kills to give the Pandas a 2-0 lead. The Bulldogs eventually took control behind contributions from Chong and Kim. Kim’s consecutive aces helped Burbank close out the set 25-18 and complete the sweep.
Burbank improved to 2-2, while Immaculate Heart fell to 4-1. The Bulldogs will return to the court for the second match of their home back-to-back against Larchmont, with the opening serve scheduled for 4 p.m. Immaculate Heart will face St. Pius X-St. Matthias Academy on Thursday, August 20, at 6 p.m.
