You’ve found The Notebook, which seeks to chronicle everything girls volleyball in the Golden State. This last Notebook for the fall high school season contains game stories for all six state championship finals, plus final state stats leaders and college commitments. Enjoy!

STATE CHAMPIONS!
The North and South each captured three of the six state championships this past weekend at Santiago Canyon College in Orange, but the South took home the biggest prize when Mater Dei defeated Archbishop Mitty, 3-1, in the Open Division championship match.

Here are their stories:

Div. V: Crystal Springs Uplands School (27-4) (Central Coast Section) d. Oceanside (24-12) (San Diego Section), 17-25, 25-23, 25-13, 16-26, 15-11, Friday, 4:00 p.m.

There were times Friday afternoon when it appeared that Oceanside’s storybook season would have the ultimate ending. The Pirates, who won only nine matches a year ago, captured the first set of the Div. V match versus Crystal Springs Uplands School.

And the fourth set.

And also led, 2-1, in the fifth and final set between two schools seeking to make history.

It took five, but the Gryphons of Crystal finally got the chance to celebrate a first title

Crystal Springs Uplands School, however, had the X-Factor in this test of wills in libero Bianca Sladewski, and the junior aced the final exam. She served her 10th ace of the match to give the Gryphons the lead for good as part of a 9-0 run in Set 5 that sealed the school’s first-ever volleyball state title.

“Her serving was definitely key for us,” said Crystal coach Chelby Spray. “We talked about location over perfection. Be composed and hit to an aggressive location. She did a great job for us.”

“Serving is one thing you can take control of,” Sladewski explained. “We practice it every day and do pressure serving to be prepared for these big moments.”

Crystal Springs Uplands School was more than prepared. The Hillsborough school served 15 aces for the match, seven more than Oceanside. In a contest where the Gryphons only outscored the Pirates by a total of one point over the five sets, the difference undoubtedly came from behind the end line.

“They did a good job coming at us with their serve,” said Oceanside coach Nathan Fristed. “They put up a lot bigger block than we expected and covered behind it really well.”

***

Oceanside’s block set the tone for the Pirates’ fast start to the match. RS Faye Naotala and Trinity Faasa delivered back-to-back solo stuffs to put Oceanside on top in a set it never trailed. Strong defense for Crystal Springs Uplands School, led by Sladewski and freshman OH Ellie Lee; kept the Gryphons within reach, but a 9-3 closing run, sparked by Oceanside setter Elena Gonzalez-Hughes, helped Oceanside pull away. The senior delivered two kills, two aces, and a block (with Faasa) that turned a slim 16-14 lead into a runaway 25-17 win.

Oceanside used early Crystal errors to lead in Game 2 as well, but the Pirates’ advantage, which grew to as many as four at 11-7, disappeared thanks to a 6-0 Gryphon run, served by Sladewski. Her first ace of the match pulled Crystal Springs Uplands School to within 12-11. Her next ace made it 13-11 Crystal, the team’s first lead of the match!

Oceanside recovered from the run to knot things at 13-13, thanks to successive kills from Naotala, a hard-hitting lefty and the Pirates’ leading hitter; but Crystal responded with a 4-0 run, which included a tip from RS Gaby Tomatis, an ace from setter Erica Lin and her assist to middle Ella Beebe, to grab the lead again, 17-13.

Crystal maintained the lead until a mini-run from Oceanside, which included kills from Naotala and Faasa, off of nifty assists from Gonzalez-Hughes; knotted the game at 20-20. Oceanside could not go ahead, however, as Tomatis was clutch on attack, with two late kills in the 25-23 win.

Crystal Springs Uplands School used the momentum from closing out a tight second set to start quickly in the third on its way to a 25-13 win. The Gryphons flew to a 5-1 lead to open the set, which included aces from Lee and Sladewski; had a 6-0 run midway through and a 10-0 run to finish, which included six more Sladewski aces. Crystal played with more energy, put pressure on the defense with serving, and had the more diversified attack.

Oceanside turned the tables on Crystal in the fourth set. The Pirates started off shaky, making two early errors, but took the lead for good thanks to two kills and a block from Naotala, an ace from Mikayla Poumele Flores, and a scoring tip from Ava Knatz, all part of 5-0 run that also included stellar back row work from libero Kaylee Noa. Crystal got within one on yet another ace serve from Sladewski, but Oceanside was stronger in the middle stages of the set and grew its lead to 17-11, thanks to more great Noa defense and a scoring roll shot from Gonzales-Hughes. Crystal made things interesting by rallying for four straight points out of a time-out, including a block from Tomatis and a scoring tip out of the middle from Petra Hennessey; but Oceanside closed on an 8-1 run, sparked by Naotala, Gonzalez-Hughes, Poumele Flores and Noa, to force a fifth and deciding set.

“We don’t break,” Fristed said. “We weren’t going to let them break us physically or mentally. We were going to make them earn it.”

“We got comfortable with that third set win and, in the fourth, allowed too many errors to happen,” Spray explained. “We needed to execute the plan, yes, but still be ourselves and play with confidence. Essentially we needed to get back to playing our game, making good choices, and use all of our tools on offense because our defense and serve-receive were getting it done and we needed our offense to match that.”

For the players, the approach to Set 5 was simple: “Bodies on the floor; no ball drops; make sure we focus on our side,” said senior setter Alexa Tarnarider.

“We’ve been in a lot of five-set games,” Tomatis added. “I said, ‘We live for this. This is what we do!’”

Poumele Flores opened the ultimate set with a kill for Oceanside. Kathy Zhang, a freshman defensive specialist, matched the kill with one for Crystal, her only kill of the match. An error on each side of the net followed, setting the stage for Sladewski to go behind the service line and make history for the Gryphons. In addition to her 10th ace of the match, Sladewski served seven more points as part of the 9-0 run, which included a Tomatis kill and block from Beebe.

Beebe had nine kills in the match, but her team-high six blocks were difference makers.

“We’re a big momentum team in a momentum sport and blocks are incredibly useful to bring that hype,” she said. “It switches the momentum instantly.”

“One of my biggest goals this game was to not leave early,” Beebe added. “Anticipate but don’t go early. Watch that ball until it leaves the setters hands and then get up. It’s important to think that it’s not about getting that touch every time; it’s also about taking away that lane to allow the defense to set up correctly to get the ball to the setter to set up the attack. You have to give credit where it’s due. My pins did an amazing job setting up that block. It’s much less work when you have that there.”

Down by nine at 11-2 in the set to 15, Oceanside battled like champions and got within 13-10. But the hole was too deep to climb all the way out of. When Lee struck crosscourt, the official signaled Crystal’s 15th point of the fifth set. The Gryphons were state champions!

Naotala had 24 kill and 18 digs for Oceanside, even as Crystal schemed on how to slow her attack. Gonzalez-Hughes had a strong game at setter, with 36 assists and 22 digs. Noa had 16 digs. Poumele Flores scored a double-double, with 11 kills and 11 digs.

“Every team sets that goal to start the season – win league, win CIF (San Diego Section), take it to state,” said Fristed, who took over when the Pirates were in the midst of a 56-match league winless streak six years ago. “You’d like to believe that’s true, but seldom is it an opportunity for each team. We knew we could win CIF (San Diego Section because we’d played and beaten everyone in our division. We swept that and this team then believed it could win state and started to gel together. It was an awesome run.”

“We persevered and pushed through,” Naotala said. “We wanted to go out with a bang. We didn’t win, but we got a trophy.”

“Credit to Crystal,” Fristed said. “They did an outstanding job. There was very little opportunity for us to make error.”

Bianca Sladewski delivered 10 aces for Crystal Springs Uplands School in its Div. V championship victory

Sladewski had a team-high 20 digs for Crystal to go along with her 10 aces, which is second all-time in the state tournament. Lee and Tarnarider also had double-digit digs for the Gryphons.

“The first line of defense isn’t the back row, it’s the block,” Sladewski said. “Without the block, we can’t get our positions set. We have to have faith in them in order for us to do our job.”

Tomatis led the offense from the right with 16 kills. Lee and Beebe combined for 19 more. Tarnarider and Lin had 32 assists between them.

“I’m really proud of you,” Spray told her team afterward. “Seeing you guys execute everything we talked about on the floor was great. I’m so happy for the win but I’m so sad that the season is done because I absolutely loved coaching you guys.”

Div. IV: Glendale (34-6) (Southern Section) d. Marin Academy (23-17) (North Coast Section), 25-17, 25-22, 19-25, 25-19, Saturday, 11:00 a.m.

Glendale completed the journey in Div. IV, raiding a long winning streak to the state title

The date was Sept. 19, and Glendale had just been crushed by Crescenta Valley, 25-20, 25-13, 25-19. The Nitros, who won 24 matches in 2022, were one better than breakeven on the year at 7-6, not at all what everyone associated with the team had envisioned for them this fall.

The coaches and players had a frank discussion about where the team wanted to go and what had to happen for it to get there.

They talked about being more aggressive.

“They needed to give more,” said co-head coach Marji Keyfauver. “I made a commitment as a coach to push them harder.”

Two days after that, Glendale swept Hoover. The Nitros won a Saturday tournament two days later without dropping a set.

They did not lose a match after that.

On Saturday, Glendale extended its winning streak to 27 straight by toppling Marin Academy in four sets for the California Div. IV title. The Nitros capped a historic season with their first Southern Section title and their first state title in their first appearance in a state final.

“This has been a dream since the playoffs started,” Keyfauver said. “It was a faraway dream, one we didn’t think about seriously until we won CIF (Southern Section) and started climbing through the playoffs.”

Glendale won because its outsides, Aleina Manaois and Eileen Herrera, were not afraid to take big swings time and again, even when the sets were not perfect. Their aggression was rewarded with 28 and 17 kills, respectively.

“We had to have the mindset of going for everything and not being afraid,” Manaois said. “If you make a mistake forget about it.”

“I swung freely because I had my team backing me up,” Herrera added.

“We scouted them extensively and didn’t think tips would be as effective,” Keyfauver explained. “The goal was to attack the perimeter. That was the plan.”

Glendale won because its outsides, together with libero Arianna Vargas, exercised pinpoint ball control. The trio passed every serve for the Nitros and combined for 67 of the team’s 82 digs. They were steady as anyone can be in this high-stakes environment.

“Congrats to Glendale,” said Marin Academy head coach Craig Wong. “They played a great game.”

Though Marin Academy came to State with a far inferior record, many thought that the Wildcats would have the edge because of a far superior strength of schedule. But it was the Nitros who came out determined to show everyone what dynamite looked like. With Vargas serving, Glendale rattled off seven straight points early, sparked by three Manaois kills; to claim an 8-2 lead. Any doubt about whether Glendale deserved to be there, and whether it could play with Marin Academy, was now gone. The lead grew to as many as nine, as setter Emmi Whiting dealt the ball with confidence, and middles Breanna Cuellar and Mika Valiente got involved offensively to take the pressure off the pins.

Marin Academy’s defense, led by libero Kirsten Wang and setter Courtney Wang, brought the Wildcats into the set. MA closed to within three several times, the last at 20-17 on Glendale’s third service error. The Nitros, however, were able to close on a 5-0 run, sparked by Vargas’ confident defense and Herrera’s ability to turn challenging sets into gold.

Marin Academy was much better in Game 2, and the result was the closest, most compelling set of the entire match. The teams traded leads six times in the back-and-forth stanza and tie scores resulted 16 times. Wildcat senior OH Kate Lane recorded an astounding 10 kills in the set, the ninth of which knotted the score at 20-20. Glendale went ahead for good on a kill from Manaois, made possible by more terrific Vargas defense. Whiting’s ace serve capped a 3-0 Glendale run and forced Marin Academy into a time-out. Lane scored for the Wildcats out of the break and closed the gap one further on a hitting error, but Marin Academy could not pull even with Glendale. The Nitros won a 50-50 rally on another exclamation point dig from Vargas and Manaois’ eighth kill of the set and took control of the match, two sets to none, when Manaois capped the Game 2 win with an ace serve.

If Glendale thought it was going to sweep to the title, it did not appreciate the resolve of the Marin Academy players. Behind Lane and freshman middle Muriel Harris on offense and breathtaking defensive efforts from both Wangs and Bailey Barmaki, the Wildcats took the lead early in Game 3 and held it throughout, winning 25-19.

“We slowed down the outside attack in Set 3,” Wong said. “They got rattled and made more errors.”

Keyfauver reminded her team after the Game 3 defeat to have the mind of a goldfish, the phrase made popular by Ted Lasso because goldfish, it is said, have only a 10-second memory.

The fourth set started with a Valiente scoring tip for Glendale, tool time for Manaois, and an ace from Herrera. Glendale’s confident response to dropping the third set, however, was disrupted by more inspired play by Marin Academy, which got a libero kill from Kirsten Wang and Ellie Corsello’s nice swing as part of a run to a 6-5 lead. Tied at 9-9, Glendale took control for good on the strength of a 6-0 run, served by Kiana Canales, which included two Herrera kills and one each from Manaois and Valiente. Glendale extended the 15-9 lead to 19-12 as Manaois connected for three kills in a row. Marin Academy could get no closer than five points the rest of the way, as Manaois and Herrera kept the pressure on with big swing after big swing in the 25-19, title-clinching win.

“I had a belief in this team all year when we were down that we always could come back and we always did,” Keyfauver explained. “I think we did a fine job of staying steady.”

“I thought they regained confidence in Set 4,” Wong said.

Lane finished with 17 kills and 15 digs for Marin Academy. Corsello, Harris, and Greta Borland chipped in with 19 more kills. Courtney Wang and Barmaki teamed for 32 assists and Kirsten Wang had a match-high 28 digs.

“We had no idea where we’d end up,” Kirsten Wang said. “We lost key seniors, but everyone stepped into key roles. To make it this far, I’m so proud of the whole team.”

“It’s been an amazing season,” Wong added. “I could not be more proud. From Day 1, we put in the time and the work and improved every week.”

Manaois had 28 kills and 21 digs to lead Glendale. Herrera was as good, with 17 kills and 25 digs, many on hard-driven balls to left back. Vargas had 21 digs and Whiting contributed 49 assists.

“I’m happy, obviously,” said Valiente, a junior. “It’s something we never thought we could achieve and we achieved it. I’m so happy we did this for our seniors.”

“We talked about closing the circle today,” said Keyfauver. “And leaving the very best on the floor. They closed that circle. Tied it in a bow.”

Div. III: Ripon Christian (37-5) (Sac-Joaquin Section) d. Redwood (Visalia) (34-7) (Central Section), 26-24, 25-19, 25-15, Saturday, 1:30 p.m.

Ripon Christian knows that dogpile feeling after winning state last year, but it feels just as good!

Ripon Christian accomplished something Saturday that no other team had during the “straight equity” seeding that the CIF started utilizing for state tournament play seven years ago. The Knights won a second consecutive non-Open Division title, upgrading the Div. IV title last year to a Div. III crown in 2023 with a sweep of Redwood of Visalia.

“We knew we were going to be in playoffs but didn’t know where they were going to put us,” said Ripon Christian head coach Kayla Kootstra. “That was out of our control. To come in and win in a higher division for the second year in a row is honestly amazing.”

The key to the match was prevailing in the back-and-forth first set between teams that appeared to be evenly matched.

“I felt like after they won the first set, they thought, ‘We can do this,’ said Redwood coach Alana Montgomery. “And they turned it on.”

“I feel like we started rocky but to come out with the win in the first set was huge for us and we were able to settle into our game and win in three,” Kootstra said. 

The lead switched hands five times in that first set and there were seven ties. That’s how close the first set was!

Ripon Christian took a two-point lead, 21-19, when Megan Weststyn, the Knights 6-foot-two setter, fed Leah Van Wyngarden on the left side. Van Wyngarden, the team’s starting libero a year ago, put home her sixth kill of the set, which forced Redwood into a time-out.

In the time out, Redwood coach Alana Montgomery was very animated – “I feel like I have to play every point with them,” she said – and the Rangers responded with three straight points, kills by Audrey Hyde, Ashlyn Guenter and Ava Ferguson, to forge ahead.

Ripon Christian called time out, but Redwood kept the pressure on after the break. The Rangers scored two of the next three points and earned two set points after Kennedy Cutler delivered her fourth kill of the frame.

Down two, Weststyn set middle Sydney Hoffman, hoping that she would prolong the set. The senior found the floor for a kill. Jordan Vander Veen, Ripon Christian’s kills leader, followed with a tool shot to tie the score. A Redwood hitting error and Weststyn block completed the 4-0 comeback to put the set in Ripon Christian’s column, 26-24.

“It's always an exhale when you win the first set of a match,” Kootstra said. “It sets the momentum and tone for the rest of the match. To make that four points to end the game took the momentum onto our side.”

The second set showcased two teams playing hard and underscored that both teams were equally capable. One run made the difference in Ripon Christian’s favor. With the score tied at 15-15, the Knights tightened up their defense, got strong serving from libero Allison Brown, and went on a definitive 7-0 run that featured two kills from Van Wyngarden and another from Hoffman, great defense from Brown and Vander Veen and good decision making from Weststyn.

Hyde had three kills and an ace late for Redwood, but the seven-point cushion Ripon Christian build proved insurmountable.

The 25-19 loss in Game 2 appeared to take the wind out of Redwood’s sails, because the Rangers went down 13-4 early in Game 3, as the tandem of Van Wyngarden and Vander Veen, along with 6-2 sophomore middle Brynn Bohn, teed off. Redwood answered Ripon Christian’s hot start with a 4-0 run, which included two Cutler kills and two combo blocks from Hyde and Andee May; to pull within 13-8, but the Knights reasserted their dominance with a 5-0 answering run that grew their advantage to 10 points at 18-8. The margin was also 10, 25-15, when a Redwood hitting error started the “how sweet it is to repeat” celebration.

“It doesn’t stink to win again,” Kootstra said. “I’m really proud of the girls.”

Cutler had 12 kills and 11 digs, Hyde contributed 14 assists, 16 digs, nine kills, and five blocks, and libero Devyn Castaneda had 19 digs and was a rock in serve-receive with 38 of the team’s 67 receptions in the loss for Redwood, which was making its initial appearance in a state championship match.

“We were very proud to get here today,” Montgomery. “We pulled matches out to get here that we didn’t think we could. We put our whole heart into it. The other team was playing low error and putting the ball down. We just made too many errors.”

“I’m disappointed, but getting to this point is amazing,” Hyde said. “It would have been awesome to win but I’m happy to be here and have this experience with my team.”

Van Wyngarden and Vander Veen combined for 26 kills for the victorious Knights and teamed with Brown and Dayna Koolhaas to form an impregnable back row. It is the rare team that has two players with libero skills. Ripon Christian, with Brown and its six-rotation outsides, had three!

“It's huge for us,” Kootstra said. “There’s so much natural court awareness in our back row. They have the mindset of this ball’s not dropping and they just go.”

Kootstra said that the experience of having been here before was a definite contributor to the win.

“The location, the situation…it’s familiar and calms nerves,” she said. “I got the impression that we were way more nervous last year. Knowing you can win was in our minds. We came in with confidence.”

When the team was asked which win felt better, the players immediately said that this one did.

“We had a better team dynamic,” Koolhaas explained. “We were able to put ourselves aside and give glory to God. For us it was F-A-M-I-L-Y – ‘Forget about me; I love you.’”*

*Ripon Christian credits Alabama starting QB Jalen Milroe with starting the phrase.

Div. II: Campbell Hall (36-5) (Southern Section) d. Sacred Heart Cathedral Prep  (24-10) (Central Coast Section), 25-21, 25-17, 25-14, Saturday, 4:00 p.m.

Maggie Lima (17) celebrates a first state championship with her Campbell Hall teammates

When Kat Thyer was hired in April to be the new coach at Campbell Hall, she was aware that the Vikings would be returning a large senior class. She even knew a few of the players.

In the Q&A accompanying the hiring announcement on the school website, Thyer, a two-time All-Conference performer at Loyola Marymount, said this:

“I also know there is a big Senior Class and I am excited to help them finish off with a great season.”

On Saturday, that “great season” elevated to “off the charts,” as Campbell Hall swept past Sacred Heart Cathedral Prep to win the Div. II state championship in its first appearance in the finals.

“I knew we had 11 strong seniors and a team that could go all the way to state,” Thyer said on Saturday. “If they could do it, this was the year. And they took it and did it.”

Campbell Hall finished the season winning 26 of its last 27 matches. It was the loss, however, to state-ranked Beckman in the Southern Section Div. 3 final, that convinced Thyer her team could and would win the state championship. The team was angry after that loss, which snapped a 21-match winning streak, and determined to write a better chapter of its story in the state tournament.

“After Beckman, I had no doubt that they were going to take every match the rest of the way,” Thyer said.

Campbell Hall showed that determination from the jump versus a good Sacred Heart Cathedral team whose resume included two wins over Valley Christian of San Jose, which captured the CIF State Div. I title the evening before. A scoring dip from Katie Scuticchio and two roundhouse swings from outside Sierra Starkman helped stake the Vikings to a fast 5-1 lead in the first set. 

To its credit, Sacred Heart Cathedral, which made the Central Coast Section championship match in Div. III before losing to Burlingame, did not permit Campbell Hall to build its lead. The Fighting Irish, under second-year head coach Symone Mackiewicz, played point-for-point with the Vikings the rest of the set, thanks to offense on the left from Sarah Caulder, fundamental defense from libero Angelynn Gumboc and 10 Sarah Chow assists.

The Irish, however, could not get closer than three points until very late, when Hazel Nelson’s win at the net got the San Francisco side to within 22-20. Campbell Hall proved resilient, however. The two earlier times that Sacred Heart Cathedral had closed to within two, the Vikings responded with kills from Scuticchio or Maggie Lima in the middle or from their superstar hitter, Mila Mijailovic on the outside. It helped that The Hall had the first two contacted buttoned down, with libero Bella Marrero passing and defending and setter Thea Morris making smart sets like the veteran she is.

A great Chow set to Caulder for her fourth kill of the set got the Irish to within two one last time at 23-21. Campbell Hall was equal to the challenge, however, and got Mijailovic’s ninth kill of the set to earn set point, followed by a right-side kill from Ella Del Pero to end it.

Campbell Hall, which hit .267 in the first set, was as good on attack in the second, hitting .256. Sacred Heart Cathedral could not keep pace. The Fighting Irish hit .167 in Set 1 but only .081 in the second, thanks to Marrero’s consistently amazing back row play, complemented by Morris, Starkman, and DS Daniella Marrero. The result was a workmanlike 25-17 Viking win, highlighted by an early 9-1 run featuring the serving of Daniella Marrero and four Starkman kills. Caulder and Rachel Mak on the right side provided consistent offense for Sacred Heart Cathedral, but the Irish could not get enough in-system swings in the set to pose a threat to Campbell Hall’s superiority. 

The third and final set was the best of the match for Campbell Hall, which hit .435; and the worst for Sacred Heart Cathedral Prep, which hit .038. The result was a 25-14 Viking win. Scuticchio and Del Pero set the tone from the get-go with a tandem block for Campbell Hall’s first point. Outstanding setting from Morris and a rocket ace serve from Mijailovic followed, as Thyer’s squad opened a 4-1 advantage. Campbell Hall’s lead grew to eight, at 13-5, thanks to an ace from Starkman and her outstanding defense on the next play, which enabled the Morris to Mijailovic combo for the score. The Viking advantage became 18-7, thanks to a 3-0 run that featured a combo block from Scuticchio and Mijailovic, Mijailovic’s shot into the seam and Morris’ ace; and extended one further to 12, 23-11, thanks to another three-point run, which included a kill from Starkman off the block and Morris’ crafty setter dump.

Needing just two points to finish off a dominating third set, Campbell Hall had to wait to start its state title celebration. Sacred Heart Cathedral Prep got a kill from Nelson, an ace from Gumboc, and took advantage of a Viking hitting error to rattle off three in a row, to get within 23-14. Nine points was as close as the Fighting Irish would get, however, as Starkman, and then Mijailovic, scored on consecutive rallies to complete the sweep.

“We came out very strong and determined,” Thyer said. “With our mindset, it was going to be hard to take us down. I’m very proud with how we played and that we got this title.”

Mijailovic, a Yale recruit, led the way with 21 kills, on .514 hitting, with 12 digs, two aces, and two blocks. Starkman had a double-double, with 10 kills and 11 digs. Bella Marrero led the Vikings in receptions with 19, added 13 digs, many of the spectacular kind; and had five assists and three aces.

Morris, who set SVCV 17 Roxy to the USA Volleyball 17 Open Division Junior National Championship in July, capped a remarkable title double by contributing 39 assists and 13 digs to Campbell Hall’s win.

Del Pero, Lima, and Scuticchio each added five kills to Campbell Hall’s ledger, but the Viking team success extended as well to those who did not even see action. Senior Parker Van Zyl, for example, kept the team continuously amped up by leading the reserves in high-energy cheers.

Caulder had 10 kills and 12 digs to lead Sacred Heart Cathedral. Gumboc added 10 digs, five assists, and two aces.

Mackiewicz said that her team’s height deficit proved detrimental in the match.

“They had a great block up and played great defense,” she explained.

Gumboc added that Morris’ fast sets and Mijailovic’s fast arm were a deadly combination and hard to adjust to.

Mackiewicz said that she didn’t want her players to spend too much time focusing on what happened in the title match.

“Focus on what we did to get here,” she told them. “We had a great postseason. We shocked ourselves and other teams in our postseason run. We had doubters after losing that Central Coast Section championship match. They turned it around after that.”

Div. I: Valley Christian (San Jose) (25-9) (Central Coast Section) d. Palos Verdes (24-12) (Southern Section), 25-20, 23-25, 25-22, 25-23, Friday, 6:30 p.m.

Valley Christian of San Jose captured its third state title all-time, but first since 2015, by winning four close sets versus a Palos Verdes team playing for the Div. I title for the second consecutive season. The Warriors prevailed by playing with aggression and without fear in a match that could as easily have gone the other way.

“It came down to a couple of points,” said PV first-year head coach Lacey Minzlaff. “I thought we played great. There’s nothing I thought we could have done better.”

Many thought that Palos Verdes might have the edge because of the brutal schedule it played. The Sea Kings were 6-8 against the state top 25 coming into the match, versus Valley Christian’s 0-8 mark against the same competition. But the Warriors were game-ready thanks to playing in the brutal West Catholic Athletic League and a NorCal Regional run that included wins over North Coast Section powers San Ramon Valley and Monte Vista and Sac-Joaquin Section Rocklin.

Bella Torkaman digs with confidence in left back for Div. I champion Valley Christian of San Jose

“I’m so proud of my team,” said libero Bella Torkaman. “I never thought we’d be here.  It comes down to, when we all stay calm and do our job, we’re pretty much unstoppable.”

Valley Christian set the tone for the match early by standing toe-to-toe with Palos Verdes, a team with big hitters in outside Kendall Beshear and middle Daniela Rusich, an athletic setter in Mallory Labreche, and a gutsy libero in Molly Labreche. The Warriors matched PV’s best with their own best: Charley Staats and Addison Carbonara on the left, freshman Whitney Fleming on the right, veteran setter Hailey Newell making sound decisions and Torkaman at libero standing in against the best heat the Sea Kings could throw at her.

The first set, a 25-20 Valley Christian win, turned on a 6-0 Warrior run early, which broke a 7-all tie. Carbonara, who stands 5-8, had four kills in the run with determined swings, down the line, off hands, power, finesse…whatever was necessary to get the job done. The run also included a stuff block from Vanessa Whitmill, the coach’s daughter, who did not play every set, but made big contributions when she was in there.

Down by six, Palos Verdes rallied to within two midway through the set, as Beshear showed off her offensive range with a sweet roll shot; and again late in the set, on an ace from Mallory Labreche. But Valley Christian showed resolve when challenged as well as its blocking chops. A huge stuff block from Newell midway through the set and Fleming’s solo shingle on set point demonstrated the Warriors’ commitment to slowing down Beshear and her prolific scoring ability.

Carbonara, Staats, and Fleming combined for 15 kills in Valley Christian’s first set win, most on capable setups from Newell. The Warriors as a whole played largely error-free and with great grit and determination.

Palos Verdes came back, quite literally, in Game 2 to square the match at a set apiece. The Sea Kings yielded a 10-0 run to Valley Christian, fueled by the exceptional play of Fleming, Staats, and Torkaman; to go down by 14-6 before rallying thanks to 10 kills from Beshear, leadership by Mallory Labreche and great work on defense from Ava Hassanein, who served the final two points to bring PV back from down 23-22 with three straight points to finish.

The pivotal third set in the tied match was a back-and-forth affair that featured 11 tie scores and four lead changes. Staats, another 5-8 outside hitter with power and finesse to her game, had eight kills and a block in the set for Valley Christian, including three late kills and the set clincher when the outcome hung in the balance. Rusich, the fast-leaping quick twitch PV middle, had a kill and a couple of blocks in the end game for the Sea Kings after the teams were tied at 19-19, but they were not enough to help Palos Verdes get to the finish line first.

The fourth set was a carbon copy of the third, with 13 tie scores and five lead changes. A 6-0 Palos Verdes run, which included two Kayla Leone aces and Mallory Labreche’s dump, put the Sea Kings in command early, up 9-4. Valley Christian caught PV at 13-13 on a Staats kill and then went ahead, 15-14, as Staats and Belisa Martinez collaborated on a block. Palos Verdes rallied with four straight, including a tandem block between Olivia Hirsch and Mallory Labreche; only to see Valley Christian erase the three-point deficit with a 3-0 run of its own, capped by a block from Martinez and Newell.

This set was super tight down the stretch, with the teams tied at 18, 19, 20, 21, 22 and 23. Whitmill’s massive block at 21-all looked like it might be the right stuff for Valley Christian, but Rusich responded for Palos Verdes to tie matters once more. Knotted at 22-22, Staats broke the tie with her 24th kill of the match, only to see Beshear with kill No. 30 through the block.

Staats, however, had more tools left in her kit. The Valley Christian outside used hands-on successive end-game kills. Then accepted hands – applause – as she dogpiled with her teammates in a championship celebration.

Staats finished with 26 kills, 19 digs, two aces, and two blocks for the victors. Carbonara had 21 kills and 20 digs. Newell contributed 51 assists and 16 digs. Fleming, the freshman with future star written all over her, contributed 12 kills and four blocks. Torkaman had a match-high 25 digs, plus 10 assists (a massive number for a libero) and five aces.

“Our serve and pass game set up everything else,” Torkaman said.

 “They had two good, tough servers and on the outside did a good job of moving through the block and looking for hands,” Minzlaff said.
 
Palos Verdes finishes as runner-up for the second year in a row. The Sea Kings, who went 0-3 in the Southern Section Div. 1 pool play format for the second straight year, regrouped in the Southern California Regional to take out state-ranked Oaks Christian, JSerra, Redondo Union, and La Cañada to make the state final. 

“I’m so proud of this team,” Minzlaff said. “We had a hard road to get here and this was a great match.”

Beshear had 30 kills and 17 digs to lead Palos Verdes. But the senior, who was MVP of the 17 Open division at club Junior Nationals in July when SCVC 17 Roxy unexpectedly won the title, could not finish with another championship.

“Everyone wanted to win,” she said. “My story isn’t perfect. I never thought it was going to be perfect. It sucks right now but I’m going to look back and remember how much I loved working with this team. I’ll remember that more than this feeling right now.”

Indeed, while few expected Palos Verdes to make a repeat appearance in the state final given the team’s personnel and coaching changes, Beshear said that she didn’t doubt it for a minute.

“I’m not surprised at all,” she said. “Like at all. Coming in Day 1, the energy in our gym is something you don’t see.”

Rusich complemented Beshear’s big night with 14 kills and five blocks. Mallory Labreche had 46 assists and 14 digs. Molly Labreche and Hassanein teamed for 32 more digs.

Beshear and Rusich will be gone next year. So, too, will OH Molly Hart, who had six kills, but Minzlaff, a beloved first-year coach, had a bold prediction:
 
“I see us here next year, too,” she said. “Time and again we were told that our defense was unstoppable. We’re coming back.”

Open Division: Mater Dei (42-2) (Southern Section) d. Archbishop Mitty (33-5) (Central Coast Section), 25-18, 23-25, 25-15, 25-21, Saturday, 6:30 p.m.

State and national No. 1 Mater Dei took advantage of 37 hitting errors by Archbishop Mitty to win the battle of the Monarchs, in four sets, clinching its second state title in the seven-year Open Division era and the mythical national title that comes along with it. Mater Dei won by putting up a massive block that troubled Mitty all night and by finding Cymarah Gordon on the right often for critical, match-changing kills.

“Their block was their biggest weapon,” said Mitty coach Jon Wallace. “They made it real hard for us on every swing. We thought our bic [back row pipe attack] would help us out, but we made too many hitting errors on the bic, which did not help with manipulating their block. We took a chance on the match-ups, but #5 [Gordon] nullified any advantage we thought we were going to get by attacking extremely well.”

The match began with a first set that was played to a deadlock until an Isabel Clark kill from the right side and Gordon block, one of six she had in the match; created a two-point Mater Dei advantage at 14-12. Mitty twice closed to within one, on a kill from Isabella Romero to make it 14-13 and again on two slide kills from Amiya Kuchibhotla to make it 16-15, but successive errors and Layli Ostovar’s angle shot were part of a 3-0 Mater Dei run that made the SoCal team’s margin too big to overcome. Makenna Crosson had two late kills to help pull Archbishop Mitty within four points, down 22-18, but Mater Dei finished off the set with a hat trick of points – A kill from Clark, one from Gordon, and Clark’s definitive block off of the Mitty attacker on set point.

Archbishop Mitty recovered by taking the second set, 25-23, the first time in the seven-year history of the Open Division that the championship match would not be won in a sweep. The key to victory for Mitty was errors. In the three sets the team lost, it made 33 errors, an average of 11 each game. In the second set, which it won, Mitty made only four miscues. Setter Maya Baker had 11 assists in the set for Mitty, which got five kills from Romero and four each from Crosson and Kuchibhotla in the win, along with eight digs and two aces from junior libero Nicole Macalintal.
   
“In the second set, their hitters did a good job at attacking the line a little more, which we were expecting from [OH Katelyn] Cook but not from Crosson,” said Mater Dei coach Dan O’Dell.

The Game 2 setback was not unusual for Mater Dei, which lost two sets to Huntington Beach in the Regional Semifinals and another to Cathedral Catholic in the Regional Final. Mater Dei responded like champions by throttling Mitty in Set 3, 25-15, despite hitting just .125 after hitting .333 for the first two sets. Ostovar had five kills and 6-4 freshman middle Emma Kingston, who didn’t have a block through the first two sets, had four to help Mater Dei  Mitty “helped out” with a whopping 14 errors. The win put Mater Dei just one more set win from the state and national championships.

The fourth set was close, but Mitty hurt itself continuously by making 10 more errors. Mater Dei wasn’t error-free in the set either. Its six miscues were the most by far it incurred in any set. Kingston had four more blocks in the set and setter Julia Kakkis facilitated six Gordon kills to put Mater Dei over the top.

The match was a “fun one,” said O’Dell.

“I thought Mitty came out and put a lot of pressure on us with their serve, and they played some excellent defense that extended some rallies. Late in the second and moving forward, our middle backs shifted more to the high line on Crosson and got some good digs on her when she was matched up on Kakkis instead of Gordon. Otherwise, it was a big serve and pass battle and we needed to at least stay even in there. Our passers settled down as we went on, which helped.”

“I thought Mater Dei played pretty steady all night, which made it difficult for us to make any runs at them,” said Wallace.  “I liked our efforts on managing #27 [Clark] and #21 [Ostovar], but the production from [Gordon] hurt us. I give Dan a lot of credit for playing a very high-percentage game. He had his team serving very well and with a lot of randomness that kept our team off balance. We usually pride ourselves with playing better defense as matches go on, but, on this night, I thought Mater Dei was the team that made the plays down the stretch. For my team, I am happy about the level of play that we got to this season and I thought we were pretty close to that in the State Championship, but Mater Dei was too good and too consistent for us to break through to a higher level.”

Crosson finished with 16 kills to lead Mitty offensively, but Kuchibhotla had the best night, collecting 11 kills on 23 swings with just one error. Cook had 16 digs to go along with 10 kills and four blocks. Macalintal recorded 20 digs. Baker had 44 assists and two blocks.

For Mater Dei, Gordon’s 17 kills and six blocks led the way. Clark and Ostovar teamed for 27 kills and 17 digs. Kakkis had 39 assists, 12 digs, three kills, and eight blocks. Libero Malyssa Cawa had 10 digs and a team-high 17 receptions. DS Tessa Hurley added 13 digs. Middles Kingston and Addison Coady only had two kills total (on nine attempts combined) but the duo combined for 14 blocks. Mater Dei had a massive blocks advantage, 17 total blocks to 10, and made 20 fewer hitting errors than Mitty.

The win, for all intents and purposes, sealed Mater Dei’s national championship over 50-1 Texas 6A champion Grand Oaks and undefeated Indiana large-class state champion Hamilton Southeastern. This will mark the third straight year that the California Open Division champion also will be the national champion.

O’Dell said the natty is something his team will appreciate now that it took care of business at the state level.

“I never really talked about this with the team throughout the playoffs,” he said. “We did a good job at staying in the moment and only focusing on each individual match, and executing whatever we needed to do each time on the floor. Taking it one game at a time, the girls were tremendous each match they took the floor. The result of all that is possibly winning a national championship. I couldn’t be more proud of this team and all that they were able to accomplish.”

Writer’s Note: a family emergency necessitated that I leave the championships after the first set of the Open Division final. My apologies for not being able to give it the same treatment as the other five-story recaps.

Stat stars
Here are astounding single-game statistical achievements we’ve become aware of during the 2023 regular season and post-season.

50 assists in a match
67 – Calista Lowery, 5-7 Soph. S, Pacific Ridge – Nov. 3 v. Our Lady of Peace
65 -- Rebecca Woodward, 5-8 Jr. S, Bakersfield Christian – Oct. 12 v. Garces Memorial
62 – Emme Seelenbacher, 5-11 Hr. S, Acalanes – Oct. 19 v. Miramonte
61 -- Katie Salonga, 5-7 Sr. S, Foothill (Pleasanton) – Sept. 19 v. Amador Valley
56 – Althea Morris, 5-10 Sr. S, Campbell Hall – Sept. 7 v. Chaminade
56 – Sophie Mies, 5-8 Jr. S, Palo Alto – Aug. 29 v. Mercy (Burlingame)
55 -- Drue Coberly, 5-5 Sr. S, Newport Harbor – Sept. 15 v. Edison
53 -- Katie Salonga, 5-7 Sr. S, Foothill (Pleasanton) – Nov. 8 v. St. Mary’s (Stockton)
51 – Dani Sparks, 5-6 Sr. S, Huntington Beach – Oct. 18 v. Alemany
51 -- Katie Salonga, 5-7 Sr. S, Foothill (Pleasanton) – Nov. 4 v. Marin Catholic
51 – Sarah Chow, 5-10 Sr. S, Sacred Heart Cathedral Prep – Nov. 14 v. Clovis North
50 -- Lauren Reiter, 5-7 Jr. S, Redlands – Aug. 22 v. Serrano
50 – Sade Ilawole, 5-2 Sr. S, Sierra Canyon – Oct. 5 v. Alemany
50 -- Isabelle Anderson, 5-10 Soph. S, Oakwood – Oct. 16 v. Anzar
50 – Grace Stone, 5-9 Sr. S, Rio Americano – Oct. 26 v. Vacaville

30 kills in a match
41 – Taylor Yu, 6-0 Sr. OH, Temple City – Oct. 21 v. Valencia
41 – Taylor Yu, 6-0 Sr. OH, Temple City – Sept. 26 v. Rio Hondo Prep
40 – Taylor Yu, 6-0 Sr. OH, Temple City – Nov. 3 v. Rancho Christian
40 – Taylor Yu, 6-0 Sr. OH, Temple City – Nov. 11 v. Redwood (Visalia)
39 – Taylor Yu, 6-0 Sr. OH, Temple City – Oct. 19 v. Woodbridge
37 – Izzy Watson, 5-10 Soph. OH, Thomas Downey – Oct. 11 v. Gregori
36 – Taylor Yu, 6-0 Sr. OH, Temple City – Oct. 25 v. Ventura
36 – Chloe Albiez, 5-11 Sr. OH, Trinity – Sept. 23 v. Moduc
36 – Taylor Yu, 6-0 Sr. OH, Temple City – Nov. 7 v. San Pascual
35 – Taylor Yu, 6-0 Sr. OH, Temple City – Aug. 15 v FSHA
35 – Sadie Proctor, 5-11 Jr. OH, Coronado – Sept. 28 v. Mission Bay
34 – Chloe Albiez, 5-11 Sr. OH, Trinity – Oct. 24 v. Durham
34 – Taylor Yu, 6-0 Sr. OH, Temple City – Sept. 21 v. San Marino
34 – Ella Olson, 5-9 Fr. OH, Newport Harbor – Oct. 19 v. Chaminade
33 – Taylor Yu, 6-0 Sr. OH, Temple City – Oct. 28 v. Corona Centennial
33 – Taylor Yu, 6-0 Sr. OH, Temple City – Aug. 23 v. Pasadena
33 -- Keonahi'ilani Solaita, 5-9 Jr. OH, Oak Hills – Aug. 30 v. Barstow
32 – Taylor Yu, 6-0 Sr. OH, Temple City – Sept. 14 v. Monrovia
32 – Chloe Albiez, 5-11 Sr. OH, Trinity – Oct. 10 v. Fall River
32 -- Ashby Zubchevich, 6-0 Jr. OH, La Canada – Nov. 11 v. San Luis Obispo
31 – Finn Krystkowiak, 6-4 Soph. OH, Torrey Pines – Nov. 8 v. Huntington Beach
31 – Taylor Yu, 6-0 Sr. OH, Temple City – Oct. 10 v. San Marino
31 -- Julia Tolstova, 5-11 Sr. OH, Redlands – Aug. 22 v. Serrano
31 – Ella Olson, 5-9 Fr. OH, Newport Harbor – Oct. 25 v. Poly (Long Beach)
31 – Nicole Patton, 6-0 Sr. OH, Pacific Ridge – Nov. 3 v. Our Lady of Peace
30 – Kendall Beshear, 5-11 Sr. OH, Palos Verdes – Nov. 17 v. Valley Christian (San Jose)
30 – Ella Olson, 5-9 Fr. OH, Newport Harbor – Oct. 21 v. Santa Margarita Catholic
30 -- Amiah Cornejo, 5-11 Sr. OH, University Preparatory School (Redding) – Sept. 27 v. Colusa
30 -- Amiah Cornejo, 5-11 Sr. OH, University Preparatory School (Redding) – Oct. 26 v. Colusa
30 – Kendall Beshear, 5-11 Sr. OH, Palos Verdes – Nov. 11 v. Redondo Union
30 -- Amiah Cornejo, 5-11 Sr. OH, University Preparatory School (Redding) – Nov. 7 v. Big Valley Christian
30 – Westley Matavao, 6-0 Fr. OH, Orange Lutheran – Sept. 5 v. Ontario Christian
30 -- Eliana Urzua, 6-2 Jr. OH, Bishop Diego – Sept. 21 v. Foothill Tech
30 -- Amy Herman, 6-1 Sr. OH, Bakersfield Christian – Oct. 12 v. Garces Memorial
30 - Taylor Yu, 6-0 Sr. OH, Temple City – Sept. 6 v. San Gabriel
30 - Taylor Yu, 6-0 Sr. OH, Temple City – Sept. 28 v. South Pasadena

30 digs in a match
56 -- Maddux Rossman, 5-5 Jr. libero, University Preparatory School (Redding) – Sept. 27 v. Colusa
50 – Jade Profilio, 5-3 Sr. libero, Acalanes – Oct. 19 v. Miramonte
37 – Maddux Rossman, 5-5 Jr. libero, University Prep (Redding) – Oct. 5 v. Yreka
36 -- Kendyll Winn, 5-6 Jr., Mountain View – Oct. 10 v. Los Gatos
35 – Mishelle Dominguez, 5-7 Jr. OH, Sultana – Sept. 27 v. Serrano
34 – Annika Ramirez, 5-5 Sr. OH, Bullard – Sept. 21 v. Sanger
33 -- Kendyll Winn, 5-6 Jr., Mountain View – Sept. 11 v. Monta Vista
33 – Jaedyn Houston, 5-7 Jr. libero, Orange Lutheran – Oct. 3 v. Santa Margarita Catholic
33 -- McKenna Giles, 5-4 Soph. libero, Centennial (Corona) – Sept. 5 v. Temescal Canyon
33 -- Rylie Ronk, 5-5 Soph. libero, Bakersfield Christian – Oct. 12 v. Garces Memorial
32 -- McKenna Giles, 5-4 Soph. libero, Centennial (Corona) – Aug. 17 v. Chaparral
32 -- Kassidy Conway, 5-9 Sr. S, University Prep (Redding) – Oct. 5 v. Yreka
32 – Ellie Yeates, 5-7 Jr. libero, Woodcreek – Oct. 10 v. Inderkum
32 -- Maddux Rossman, 5-5 Jr. libero, University Preparatory School (Redding) – Oct. 26 v. Colusa
32 – Stacey Reeves, 5-7 Sr. libero, Beckman – Nov. 4 v. Campbell Hall
31 -- McKenna Giles, 5-4 Soph. libero, Centennial (Corona) – Oct. 2 v. Norco
31 -- Olivia Lorenzana, 5-1 Sr. libero, Otay Ranch – Aug. 29 v. Helix
30 -- Kendyll Winn, 5-6 Jr., Mountain View – Oct. 3 v. Monta Vista
30 – Ella Lamanuzzi, 5-4 Sr. libero – Oct. 27 v. Porterville

8 blocks in a match
11 – Emery Tubbs, 6-1 Jr., Santiago (Corona) – Sept. 20 v. King
10 – Manaia Ogbechie, 6-3 Jr. MB, Oaks Christian – Sept. 28 v. Thousand Oaks
9 -- Zoe Gaa, 6-1 Sr. MB, Newport Harbor – Sept. 23 v. Hart
9 – Daisy Manako, 5-9 Sr. MB, Santa Cruz – Sept. 14 v. Soquel
9 – Emma Kingston, 6-4 Fr. MB, Mater Dei – Nov. 11 v. Huntington Beach
8 – Emma Kingston, 6-4 Fr. MB, Mater Dei – Nov. 19 v. Archbishop Mitty
8 – Andee May, 5-11 Soph. MB, Redwood (Visalia) – Nov. 14 v. Del Norte

10 aces in a match
16 -- Jizelle Castellanos, 5-6 Jr. OH, Indian Springs – Aug. 28 v. Enterprise
16 – Jaden Cardoso, 5-6 Jr. S, Pomona Catholic – Sept. 5 v. San Gabriel Mission
14 – Ella Gutierrez, 5-6 Jr. S, Oakwood – Sept. 19 v. Trinity
14 – Faith Di Mola, 5-11 Sr. OH, Excelsior Charter – Sept. 26 v. Riverside Prep
12 -- Jizelle Castellanos, 5-6 Jr. OH, Indian Springs – Aug. 14 v. Bloomington
12 -- Keely Hummel, 5-10 Sr. S, St. Mary’s (Stockton) – Sept. 26 v. Tokay
12 -- Jizelle Castellanos, 5-6 Jr. OH, Indian Springs – Sept. 14 v. Pacific
12 – Nina Hemsley, 5-11 Jr. OH/MB, Etiwanda – Oct. 12 v. Los Osos
12 – Gwen Hansen, 5-11 Sr. S/OH, Trinity – Sept. 21 v. Hayfork
12 -- Isabelle Anderson, 5-10 Soph. S, Oakwood – Aug. 22 v. Greenfield
12 -- Jizelle Castellanos, 5-6 Jr. OH, Indian Springs – Oct. 19 v. Pacific Lutheran
11 – Sophia Gomes, 5-9 Sr. OH, Oakwood – Sept. 15 v. Kirby
11 – Gwen Hansen, 5-11 Sr. S/OH, Trinity – Sept. 12 v. Mt. Shasta
11 – Alexa Pomeroy, 5-11 Jr. OH, Pomona Catholic – Oct. 11 v. St. Mary’s Academy (Inglewood)
10 -- Jizelle Castellanos, 5-6 Jr. OH, Indian Springs – Aug. 17 v. Public Safety Academy
10 -- Kelsy Garcia, 5-2 Sr. DS, Eagle Rock – Sept. 27 v. Wilson (Los Angeles)
10-- Arielle Arca, 5-3 Jr. DS/OH,  Southlands Christian School – Aug. 24 v. Calvary Baptist   
10 -- Gwen Chenoweth, 5-7 Jr. S, Santa Barbara – Sept. 14 v. Ventura 
10 -- Sofia Yang, 5-2 Sr. libero, Southlands Christian Schoool – Aug. 24 v. Calvary Baptist  
10 - Taylor Yu, 6-0 Sr. OH, Temple City – Aug. 31 v. Alhambra 
10 – Bianca Sladewski, 5-4 Jr. libero, Crystal Springs Uplands School – Nov. 17 v. Oceanside 
10 – Gwen Hansen, 5-11 Sr. S/OH, Trinity – Aug. 15 v. Los Molinos

Season-long stat stars
This is our final update to the season-long list, with the current thresholds stated, based on the most current information supplied to us. Thanks to all the coaches who took the time to help get their players recognized. Players listed with an asterisk (*) have met the threshold, though their stats are not up to date.

Kills (400 or more)
773 – Taylor Yu, 6-0 Sr. OH, Temple City
602 -- Mila Mijailovic, 5-10 Sr. OH, Campbell Hall  
600 – Kendall Beshear, 6-0 Sr. OH, Palos Verdes
587 – Mackenzie Parsons, 6-2 Sr. MB, Poway
582 -- Chloe Albiez, 5-11 Sr. OH, Trinity
579 – Ashby Zubchevich, 6-1 Jr. OH, La Canada
575 – Ximena Cordero, 5-10 Sr. OH, Otay Ranch
546 – Paige Bennett, 6-0 Sr. OH, Foothill (Pleasanton)
539 – Savannah Thomas, 6-0 Jr. OH, Rancho Christian
528 – Sabrina Moore, 5-7 Sr. OH, Salinas
511 – Nicole Patton, 6-0 Sr. OH, Pacific Ridge
503 – Haley Clark, 5-11 Sr. OH, La Canada
502 – Gia Rivera, 6-1 Soph. OH, Notre Dame (Belmont)
498 – Leila Ballard, 5-10 Jr. OH, Saugus
497 – Jordan Vander Veen, 5-9 Sr. OH, Ripon Christian
494 – Westley Matavao, 6-0 Fr. OH, Orange Lutheran
491 – Camden Bolane, 6-2 Sr. OH, Pacific Ridge
484 – Finn Krystkowiak, 6-4 Soph. OH, Torrey Pines
482 -- Madison Triplett, 5-9 Sr. OH, El Capitan (Lakeside)
474 -- Amy Herman, 6-1 Sr. OH, Bakersfield Christian
471 -- Eliana Urzua, 6-2 Jr. OH, Bishop Diego
466 -- Taylor Boyce, 5-11 Sr. OH, Windsor
456 – Cleo Hardin, 6-4 Sr. OH, Menlo School
453 – Kayla Taylor, 5-9 Sr. OH, Sunny Hills
452 – Audrey Flanagan, 6-1 Soph. OH, Mira Costa
443 – Sammie Aaron, 5-11 Soph. OH, Buchanan
434 – Grace Goudy, 5-7 Sr. OH, Buchanan
429 – Annika Ramirez, 5-5 Sr. OH, Bullard
425 – Mckenna McIntosh, 6-1 Fr. OH, St, Mary’s (Stockton)
414 -- Julia Tolstova, 5-11 Sr. OH, Redlands
411 – Andrea Torres, 5-10 Sr. RS, Otay Ranch
409 – Lucy Chertock, 6-2 Jr. OH, San Ramon Valley
403 -- Amiah Cornejo, 5-11 Sr. OH, University Preparatory School (Redding)
402 -- Isabel Clark, 6-0 Sr. OH, Mater Dei
402 -- Haven Rich, 5-8 Sr. OH, Exeter Union

Assists (800 or more)
1,259 -- Thea Morris, 5-10 Sr. S, Campbell Hall  
1,221 – Payton Rowell, 5-6 Sr. S, Pitman
1,203 -- Rebecca Woodward, 5-8 Jr. S, Bakersfield Christian
1,187 -- Morgan Weststeyn, 6-2 Sr. S, Ripon Christian
1,175 – Katie Salonga, 5-7 Sr. S, Foothill (Pleasanton)
1.159 – Tatum Purdy, 5-7 Sr. S, La Canada
1,144 – Calista Lowery, 5-8 Soph. S, Pacific Ridge
1,132 – Jessica Ai, 5-8 Sr. S, Notre Dame (Belmont)
1,103 -- Julia Kakkis, 6-0 Sr. S/RS, Mater Dei
1,046 -- Lily Kautai, 5-9 Jr. S, Menlo School
1,012 – Sade Ilawole, 5-2 Sr. S, Sierra Canyon
977 -- Jocelyn Bennitt, 5-6 Soph. S, Bullard   
973 – Ruby Ennis, 5-9 Sr. S, El Capitan (Lakeside)
946 -- Avery Barber, 5-10 Sr. S, Exeter Union
946 – Keely Hummel, 5-10 Sr. S, St. Mary’s (Stockton)
929 -- Brielle Galli, 5-9 Jr. S, Windsor  
902 – Laela Burgess, 5-7 Jr. S, San Luis Obispo
896 – Hailey Newell, 5-8 Sr. S, Valley Christian (San Jose)
885 – Morgan Guardado, 5-8 jr. S, Saugus
885 – Kiki Remensberger, 5-9 Sr. S, Poway
*883 – Hannah McGuire, 5-10 Sr. S, Saint Francis (Mountain View)
864 -- Madeline Le Francois, 5-9 Sr. S, Mammoth
841 – Grace Ferro, 5-9 Sr. S, Pleasant Valley
*837 – Maya Baker, 5-9 Jr. S, Archbishop Mitty
822 – Emery Gonzales, 5-9 Fr. S, Torrey Pines
811 – Brooklyn Kostoff, 5-7 Sr. S, Santa Margarita Catholic

Digs (400 or more)
708 -- Maddux Rossman, 5-5 Jr. libero, University Preparatory School (Redding)
620 – Julianna Bondoc, 5-4 Sr. libero, James Logan
620 – Havani Embry, 5-4 Soph. libero, Poway  
577 – Devyn Castaneda, 5-6 Sr. libero, Redwood (Visalia)
569 – Payton Mossbarger, 5-7 Sr. libero, JSerra
546 -- Jade Profilio, 5-3 Sr. libero, Acalanes
545 -- Malyssa Cawa, 5-6 Sr. libero, Mater Dei
544 -- Madison Liedecke, 5-5 Sr. libero, El Capitan (Lakeside)
537 – Taylor Deckert, 5-8 Jr. libero, Mira Costa
533 – Kendyll Winn, 5-5 Jr. libero, Mountain View
533 – Sabrina Moore, 5-7 Sr. OH, Salinas
513 – Chloe Nussbaum, 5-9 Sr. libero, La Canada
488 – Sienna Sabotta, 5-3 Sr. libero, Torrey Pines
481 -- Bella Marrero, 5-7 Sr. libero, Campbell Hall  
480 – Molly Labreche, 5-7 Jr. libero, Palos Verdes
470 – Annika Ramirez, 5-5 Sr. OH, Bullard
464 -- McKenna Giles, 5-4 Soph. libero, Centennial (Corona)  
464 -- Megan Hair, 5-7 Jr. OH, Bakersfield Christian
461 – Lauren Lynch, 5-6 Jr. libero, Sierra Canyon
437 – Cooper Piepgrass, 5-6 Soph. libero, Exeter Union
*424 – Sophia Neeley, 5-5 Sr. OH, Yosemite
420 -- Carly Hogg, 5-5 Sr. libero, Stockdale   
420 -- Madison Triplett, 5-9 Sr. OH, El Capitan (Lakeside)
419 – Leah Van Wyngarden, 5-7 Sr. OH, Ripon Christian
419 -- Rebecca Woodward, 5-8 Jr. S, Bakersfield Christian
416 -- Ellie Yeates, 5-7 Jr. libero, Woodcreek  
402 – Ruby Ennis, 5-9 Sr. S, El Capitan (Lakeside)

Blocks (80 or more)
198 – Lillianna Rowe, 6-0 Soph. MB, Orland
157 -- Anaya Thrower, 6-4 Sr. MB, Vanden
125 – Emma Kingston, 6-4 Fr. MB, Mater Dei
123 – Emery Tubbs, 6-1 Jr. MB, Santiago (Corona)
119 – Manaia Ogbechie, 6-3 Jr. MB, Oaks Christian
111 – Maddie Way, 6-2 Sr. MB, Sierra Canyon
108 – Tatum Johnson, 5-11 Sr. MB, JSerra
102 – Bryn Shankle, 6-4 Sr. MB, Mira Costa
101 – Tamia Hardwick, 6-1 Jr. MB, Moreno Valley
94 – Mackenzie Parsons, 6-2 Sr. MB, Poway
93 – Andee May, 5-10 Soph. MB, Redwood (Visalia)
86 -- Naama Green, 6-0 Jr. MB, Palo Alto
84 – Julia Kakkis, 6-0 Sr. S, Mater Dei

Aces (100 or more)
223 – Samantha Donlucas, Soph. S, Lincoln (San Diego)
148 -- Jizelle Castellanos, 5-6 Jr. OH, Indian Springs
148 – Leah Van Wyngarden, 5-8 Sr. OH/libero, Ripon Christian
128 -- Gwen Hansen, 5-11 Sr. S/OH, Trinity
128 -- Faith Di Mola, 5-11 Sr. OH, Excelsior Charter 
120 -- Rebecca Woodward, 5-8 Jr. S, Bakersfield Christian
110 -- Amiah Cornejo, 5-11 Sr. OH, University Preparatory School (Redding)
110 -- Chloe Albiez, 5-11 Sr. OH, Trinity
102 – Kaitlyn Vogel. 5-7 Fr. Libero, Foothill (Pleasanton)
*83 -- Venus Bush, 5-8 Sr. S, Moreno Valley
*81 -- Annika Ramirez, 5-5 Sr. OH, Bullard   

College-Bound!
In this space, we list those players, playing California high school volleyball in the current senior class and younger, who have made a commitment to attend a college or university of their choice and play volleyball. To date, we have 102 such players. Congrats! That’s a big number, but surely there are more! Please email jtawa@cifstate.org to add players to the list, using the format you see below, or to make any corrections.

Tea Abischer, 5-10 Sr. MB, San Luis Obispo – UC Davis (Beach)
Maya Baker, 5-9 Jr. S, Archbishop Mitty – Notre Dame
Jessie Bates, 5-11 Sr. S/RS, JSerra – UC Irvine
Addy Benefield, 6-0 Sr. OH, Redondo Union -- Boise State
Paige Bennett, 6-0 Sr. OH, Foothill (Pleasanton) -- Winthrop
Kendall Beshear, 5-11 Sr. OH, Palos Verdes – Cal Poly SLO
Fallyn Blotzer, 6-1 Jr. OH, Santiago (Corona) – Cincinnati
Camden Bolane, 6-2 Sr. MB/OH, Pacific Ridge – Yale
Monika Brinlee, 5-11 Sr. MB, Lowell (San Francisco) - - University of Chicago 
Reagan Brumfield, 5-5 Sr. libero, Justin Siena – University of Michigan-Dearborn
Laela Burgess, 5-7 Jr. S, San Luis Obispo - UC Davis
Katrina Catalan, 5-8 Sr. S, Vista Murrieta -- UCSB
Malyssa Cawa, 5-6 Sr. libero, Mater Dei -- Stanford
Isabel Clark, 6-0 Sr. OH, Mater Dei -- USD
Madison Clark, 6-0 Sr. MB, Redondo Union – UC Riverside
Madi Collins, 5-9 Sr. S, Redondo Union -- Long Beach State
Addison Collum, 5-11 Sr. OH, Kennedy (La Palma) – Arkansas State
Katelyn Cook, 5-10 Sr. OH, Archbishop Mitty -- Fairfield
Ximena Cordero, 5-10 Sr. OH, Otay Ranch – UC Davis
Dakota Conway, 5-8 Sr. DS, Cathedral Catholic -- FIU
Amiah Cornejo, 5-10 Sr. OH, University Prep (Redding) – Concordia-Irvine
Erin Curtis, 6-0 Sr. OH, Saint Francis (Mountain View) – North Carolina
Tessa de Albergaria, 5-10 Sr. libero/DS, Santa Barbara – George Washington  
Taylor Deckert, 5-9 Sr. libero, Mira Costa -- USC
Gabby Destler, 6-1 Sr. OH, Marymount – Loyola Marymount
Kate Duffey, 6-0 Sr. S, Ventura – UCLA
Niki Egan, 5-8 Sr. DS, Cathedral Catholic – Washington (Beach)
Bella Ehrlich, 6-2, Jr. MB, Carondelet High School- Boston College
Jade Epps, 6-0 Sr. OH, Lakewood – San Jose State
Kate Fagundes, 5-5 Sr. libero, Oak Ridge – Vanguard University
Kyla Firestone, 5-8 Sr. S, Alemany --  Loyola Marymount University
Elena Fisher, 5-11 Jr. OH, Branson – Stanford (Beach)
Helena Foord, 5-10 Sr. OH, South Pasadena -- NYU
Reese Fraser, 5-10 Sr. S, Archie Williams – UC Davis (Beach)
Meghan Freck, 5-7 Sr. S/DS, Huntington Beach – UC Davis (Beach)
Charlie Fuerbringer, 5-11 Sr. S, Mira Costa – Wisconsin
Giselle Gallegos, 5-10 Sr. OH, Redondo Union -- Tulane (Beach)
Jenna Garner, 6-0 Sr. OH, South Pasadena -- Penn
Cymarah Gordon, 6-1 Sr. RS, Mater Dei -- Michigan
Gwen Grigsby, 5-3 Sr. libero, Harbor – Cal State Bakersfield (Beach)
Megan Hair, 5-8 Jr. OH, Bakersfield Christian - University of South Florida (Beach)
Jenna Hanes, 6-3 Sr. MB, Cathedral Catholic -- Michigan
Brooke Hansen, 6-0 Sr. S/RS, Etiwanda – Cal Poly, SLO
Anna Hanson, 5-11 Sr. RS, Justin Siena – St. Mary’s College
Cleo Hardin, 6-3 Sr. RS, Menlo – Yale
Jaden Hendrickson, 5-11, Sr., Redwood High School- Cal Poly, SLO
Victoria Henkel, 6-0 Sr. OH, Redondo Union – LSU (Beach)
Kaia Herweg, 5-8 Sr. S/OH, Los Alamitos – Grand Canyon
Abby Hoybjerg, 6-2 Sr. MB, Oak Ridge – BYU
Mikayla Hsieh, 510 Sr. S/RS, Flintridge Sacred Heart – Pomona-Pitzer
Keely Hummel, 5-10 Sr. S, St. Mary’s (Stockton) – Fresno State
Audrey Hyde, 5-10 Sr. RS/S, Redwood (Visalia) – Westmont College
Chloe Hynes, 6-1 Sr. RS, Mira Costa -- NYU
Kayla Johnson, 5-11 Sr. OH, Pleasant Valley – Utah (Beach)
Madison Johnson, 6-3 Jr. OH, Chaparral -- UCSD
Tatum Johnson, 6-0 Sr. MB, JSerra -- Colorado
Sadie Jeffrey, 6-0 Sr. OH, Santa Cruz – Cal Poly, SLO (Beach)
Julia Kakkis, 6-0 Sr. S/RS, Mater Dei -- Brown
Charlotte Kelly, 6-3 Jr. MB, Amador Valley – Cal Poly, SLO
Sienna Kennedy, 5-11, Sr., Redwood High School- Fordham University
Brooklyn Kostoff, 5-7 Sr. S, Santa Margarita Catholic – Azusa Pacific
Amiya Kuchibhotla, 6-1 Sr. MB, Archbishop Mitty -- NYU
Mallory Labreche, 5-11 Jr. S, Palos Verdes – UCLA (Beach)
Molly Labreche, 5-7 Jr. libero, Palos Verdes – LSU (Beach)
Hayley LaFontaine, 6-0 Sr. OH, Huntington Beach – Cal Poly, SLO (Beach)
Hayden Lin, 5-5 Sr. S, Mira Costa – Claremont McKenna College
Quinn Loper, 6-1 Jr. OH, San Clemente -- USC
Lauren Lynch, 5-6 Jr. libero, Sierra Canyon – San Diego
Isabella Marrero, 5-6 Sr. libero, Campbell Hall - American University
Kate Martin, 5-10 Sr. OH, Marymount -- UCSB
Trixie McMillin, 5-6 Sr. libero, Mira Costa – Cal
Grace Mcqoid, 6-0 Sr. OH, Foothill (Palo Cedro) – Vanguard University
Mila Mijailovic, 5-10 Sr. OH/DS, Campbell Hall – Yale
Mackenzie Miller, 5-11 Sr. OH, Redondo Union -- USC (Beach)
Elon Milroy, 6-0 Sr. MB, Los Alamitos – San Jose State (Beach)
Ayva Moi, 5-11 Jr. RS, Cathedral Catholic – Hawaii (Beach)
Althea Morris, 5-9 Jr. S, Campbell Hall – St. Edward’s University
Sadie Moore, 5-11 Sr. RS, Pleasant Valley – Arizona (Beach)
Noa Nuez, 5-8 Sr. libero, Los Alamitos – Georgia State (Beach)
Manaia Ogbechie, 6-3 Jr. MB Oaks Christian -- Northwestern 
Ayva Ostovar, 5-6 Jr.. S, Mater Dei -- UCSB
Kennedy Osunsanmi, 6-2 Sr. RS, West Ranch – UCLA
Malia Parsons, 5-9 Sr. libero/OH, Tamalpais – St. Olaf College
McKenzie Parsons, 6-2 Sr. MB, Poway -- Cornell
Nicole Patton, 6-0 Sr. OH, Pacific Ridge - Marist College
Summer Pederson, 5-7 Sr. libero, Santa Cruz – Concordia- Irvine
Taylor Ponchak, 6-2 Jr. RS, Huntington Beach – Stanford (Beach)
Faith Rabb-Patterson, 6-2 Sr. MB, Christian Brothers – UC Davis
Danica Rach, 6-2 Sr. OH, Sierra Canyon -- Boston College
Mauriana Rayford, 5-9 Sr. OH, Chaparral – Lamar University
Stacy Reeves, 5-8 Sr. libero, Beckman – TCU (Beach)
Charlotte Reff, 5-11 Sr. S, Buckley School – NYU
Kiki Remensperger, 5-9 Sr. S, Poway – South Carolina (Beach)
Maggie Rhew, 5-8 Jr. S, Oaks Christian - Montana State
Amanda Saeger, 5-11 Sr. S, Cathedral Catholic – DePaul
Tmukisa Sagiao, 5-9 Sr. RS, Helix Charter – Cal State San Bernardino
Katie Salonga, 5-7 Sr. S, Foothill (Pleasanton) – Colorado
Nicole Schuetz, 6-3 Jr. RS/MB, Santa Barbara – Loyola Marymount  
Bryn Shankle, 6-4 Sr. MB, Mira Costa -- TCU
Sarah Shaw, 6-2 Jr. MB, La Reina – Brown  
Reagan Shields, 5-10 Sr. OH, Santa Margarita Catholic – Oregon State
Katelyn Sicklick, 5-11 Sr., MB/RS, Redwood (Larkspur) - Denison University 
Sadie Snipes, 6-0 Sr. OH, Branson – Santa Clara (Beach)
Saniyah Sobers, 5-6 Jr. libero, Redlands – Santa Clara
Dani Sparks, 5-7 Sr. S, Huntington Beach – Cal Poly SLO (Beach)
Birdie Stone, 5-11 Sr. OH, San Juan Hills -- Montana
Cayla Sutton, 5-10 Jr. RS, Clovis North  -- Stetson University (Beach)
Kayla Taylor, 5-9 Sr. OH, Sunny Hills – Dennison University
Zaria Thornton, 6-0 Sr. MB, Lakewood – Oregon State
Anaya Thrower, 6-4 Sr. OH, Vanden -- Oregon
Taylor Treahy, 6-1 Sr. RS, Sierra Canyon -- George Washington
Madison Triplett, 5-9 Sr. OH, El Capitan (Lakeside) -- UCSB
Victoria Turner, 5-7 Sr. S, Beckman -- UCSD
Logan Tusher, 5-11 Sr. S, Branson - Stanford (Beach)
Eliana Urzua, 6-3 Jr. OH, Bishop Diego -- UCLA
Miliani Villareal, 5-9 Sr. libero, Vista Murrieta – Sacred Heart University
Alana Villela, 6-1 Sr. MB, California High School – University of Portland\
Madeline Way, 6-2 Sr. MB, Sierra Canyon -- Hawaii 
Elle Weaver, 5-10 Sr. OH, Oak Ridge -- Brown
Dylan Whisenant, 5-4 Sr. DS, Branson – Tufts University
Sofia Williams, 5-9 Sr. OH, San Clemente -- Yale
Taylor Williams, 6-2 Sr. OH, Saint Francis (Mountain View) -- Duke
Sophia Winter, 5-10 Sr. RS, Pleasant Valley – Arizona (Beach)
Preslie Yates, 6-1 Sr. MB, Berkeley High School – Long Beach State University
Taylor Yu, 6-0 Sr. S, Temple City -- Stanford
Ava Zamora, 5-10 Jr. S/RS, Westview – Stony Brook
Ashby Zubchevich, 6-0 Jr. OH, La Canada – Duke