ORANGE – The Northern Region took four of five division matches during the 2015 CIF State Volleyball Championships at Santiago Canyon College. Archbishop Mitty (Division II) claimed a record 12th State title, Branson (Division V) recorded their fifth crown and Valley Christian (Division III) and Redondo Union each won their second State Championship.
Division I: Redondo Union def. Menlo-Atherton 25-16, 25-18, 25-16
Redondo Union (36-4) captured their second State crown as they swept Menlo-Atherton (27-8), who was appearing in their first State title game. Megan Rice led the Sea Hawks with 22 kills, while Norene Iosia recorded 36 assists on the night. Jacqueline DiSanto led the Bears with 14 kills in the loss.
Division II: Archbishop Mitty (San Jose) def. Village Christian (Sun Valley) 25-21, 22-25, 25-11, 25-16
The Archbishop Mitty Monarchs (35-5) claimed a State record 12th Championship as they defeated the Village Christian Crusaders (34-8), who were making their first appearance. Nicole Liddle led the Monarchs with 13 kills followed by Julia Chizankos with 10 kills, while Tessie Powers and Lauren Speckman totaled 22 and 17 assists respectively. Kyra Banko (18) and Meghan Lacey (13) combined for 31 of the Crusaders 40 kills.
Division III: Valley Christian (San Jose) def. Olympian (Chula Vista) 25-14, 25-6, 25-18
In their third State appearance Valley Christian (31-8) won their second crown as they swept Olympian (29-11). Ronika Stone led the Warriors with 18 kills, while Tori Dilfer recorded 39 asssists. Lauren Appelman totaled eight kills in the loss for the Eagles.
Division IV: Notre Dame Belmont def. Laguna Blanca (Santa Barbara) 25-14, 25-18, 25-19
Notre Dame Belmont (32-10) claimed their first ever State Championship as they defeated Laugna Blanca (20-8) who was also making their first State title appearance. The trio of Katie Smoot (20), Tammy Byrne (14) and Jessica Beering (10) combined for 44 of the Tigers 52 kills, while Kristine Gese totaled 45 assists. Phoebe Madsen led the Owls with seven kills in the loss.
Division V: Branson (Ross) def. Upland Christian Academy 25-10, 25-3, 25-7
The Branson Bulls (30-9) won their first State title since 2012 (fifth overall) as they defeated the Upland Christian Eagles, who were appearing in their first State Championship. The duo of Grace Robert Burbank (15) and Carrie Wentzel (12) combined for 27 of the Bulls 42 kills, while Gigi Alper served six aces and Maddy Schoenberger recorded 23 assists in the win. Rachel Holmes led Upland Christian with six kills on the day.