Hi! Thanks for reading The Notebook, our Friday weekly look at girls volleyball throughout the state of California.
Mater Dei makes nationwide statement
Volleypalooza, the 68-team behemoth in Texas near Austin, featured most of the best of the Lone Star State as well as California powers Cathedral Catholic and Mater Dei. The top four teams still standing on Saturday afternoon were the top four seeds to open the three-day tournament.
Boy did they put on a show!
Top-seeded Prestonwood Christian Academy, located near Dallas, edged Grand Oaks, the top large public school in Texas, in three sets to make the final.
On the other side of the bracket, Mater Dei, the 2021 champion, ended 2022 national champion Cathedral Catholic’s 50-match winning streak, 28-26, 25-23.
Grand Oaks then knocked off Jenna Hanes and Cathedral Catholic, 25-23 in the third, to claim third place overall.
That left Prestonwood to battle undefeated Mater Dei for the title.
Coach Dan O’Dell said that Mater Dei played its best match of the tournament in the final, winning 25-21, 25-18.
The Monarchs passed a 2.61 for the match, led by libero Malyssa Cawa, who was unreal in serve-receive (2.75) and had 16 digs. Pins Layli Ostovar, Isabel Clark, and Cymarah Gordon combined for 24 kills, most on sweet sets from Julia Kakkis, in the win.
“Our ability to side out consistently got us early leads and made Prestonwood have to play from behind,” O’Dell said. “They made some uncharacteristic mistakes as a result. I was really proud of the team; we mixed and matched lineups a lot to overcome several injuries and whoever was on the court truly stepped up each time. It was just a great experience and weekend for us.”
The win improved Mater Dei’s record to 12-0 on the year heading into Tuesday’s showdown versus Mira Costa, the current No. 1 team in California.
“We’ve kind of had this season circled for a while since we were starting four sophomores two years ago the season we lost to Marymount in the CIF Finals,” O’Dell explained. “I know the talent is there to be great this year. With five D1 commits, plus a star sophomore in Layli Ostovar, it’s just a matter of figuring out how to come together and maximize the pieces to the best of our abilities.”
The statewide top 25: Clash of the Titans
One of the best things about elite teams in California is that they do not avoid other elite teams. As such, the state was treated to a whole bunch of clashes between highly-ranked teams early in the week, highlighted by No.1 Mira Costa hosting No. 2 Mater Dei.
“Remind me in the future not to schedule a hard match after playing 10 matches over a four-day span and then flying home,” noted O’Dell, after his team was swept by the Mustangs.
Mira Costa improved to 12-1 with the win, which included an Audrey Flanagan-inspired rally from down in Game 3 to win, 25-19. Flanagan finished with 16 kills and Taylor Deckert had 22 digs to lead the Mustangs.
Up north, No. 6 Archbishop Mitty defeated Saint Francis of Mountain View, 3-1, on Tuesday in a matchup of previously unbeaten teams. Mitty was 0-6 versus the Lancers last season but took the first two sets to seize control. Libero Nicole Macalentil played very well in the win for the Monarchs, whose coach, Jon Wallace, faced his daughter, Saint Francis senior libero Whitney Wallace, on the other side of the net. Katelyn Cook and MaKenna Crosson led the Mitty offense.
At Redondo Beach, No. 7 Redondo Union dropped the first two sets to No. 9 Marymount before coming all the way for a thrilling win. Sophomore OH Abby Zimmerman had 21 kills and Addy Benefield added 11 kills and four of the team’s 12 aces to lead the Sea Hawk comeback. Kate Martin had 20 kills to lead the Sailors in the loss, including 11 in the first two sets
Along the North Coast, No. 19 Branson, the defending state Div. I champion, suffered its first defeat of the season at the hands of No. 18 Foothill of Pleasanton. Foothill, playing at home, on the first set, 27-25, then pulled away to win the final two. The Falcons won the serve and pass game and got strong play from OH Paige Bennett, who had 21 kills. Setter Katie Salonga contributed 43 assists.
Tourney time
There were a plethora of California high school tournaments over the weekend.
Oaks Christian lost in pool play to Ventura but still won its own tournament for the first time ever
Oaks Christian won its own event behind MVP libero Hannah Brady.
James Logan ruled at Hillsdale, winning five times on Saturday
James Logan captured the Hillsdale Lady Knights Varsity Challenge. Sophomore OH McKenzie Anderson had a huge effort for the Colts, notching 32 kills and 44 digs. Julianna Bondoc, Kaitlyn Anderson, Leann Jung, and Emma Tran also were Logan standouts.
Senior OH Taylor Boyce is averaging 5.5 kills per set so far for Windsor, which won the Marin Academy Tournament. She had 47 kills and 36 digs for the tournament.
Archbishop Mitty roared unbeaten through Milpitas Spikefest I behind the trio of Maya Baker, Katelyn Cook, and Makenna Crosson.
Branson stayed unbeaten (at the time) by taking the top division at the Stockton Pre-season Classic.
Clovis West bounced back from tough losses during the week to take the Clovis Challenge on Saturday
A balanced attack featuring Kalani Soares, Sarah Hook, and Lyric Garcia propelled Clovis West to the title at the Clovis Volleyball Challenge.
Chaparral's win at the Inland Empire Classic kept the Pumas unbeaten on the year
Chaparral stayed unbeaten (at the time) by dominating the IE Classic behind Mauriana Rayford and Madison Johnson. Johnson hit .571 with 28 kills. She and Rayford shared tournament Most Outstanding Player honors.
Mountain View traveled south to win a tournament in Watsonville, then went for the selfie
Mountain View has started the season 9-0, including the title in the St. Francis Watsonville Tournament on Saturday.
Chloe Weiting had 10 kills and six digs to lead Frontier of Bakersfield in the final of the Morro Bay Tournament.
Credo went 3-0 in the Rio Lindo Adventist Tournament on August 29. The Gryphons won in their third year of being invited.
“Everyone stepped up yesterday,” said coach Michael Dublin. “Serving and serve receive were the best we've ever done over the years, and our out-of-system plays were on point.”
“I'm very excited about this roster this year because these girls have really stepped up their game,” Dublin added. “Not all of them had come from volleyball backgrounds before or played club, so to go out and beat teams that gave us difficulty in the past during our season and winning a tournament that we've never won before was absolutely huge for us.”
In key action Thursday from the state top 25…
No. 2 Mater Dei found the winning touch again with a sweep of South Region No. 20 Edison of Huntington Beach. Layli Ostovar led a balanced attack with nine kills.
No. 4 Huntington Beach, off for 10 days, showed no signs of rust in a sweep of No. 16 JSerra. Taylor Ponchak and Addison Williams combined for 22 kills.
No. 5 Sierra Canyon held off a spirited effort from former South Region-ranked Oaks Christian to win in five sets.
No. 6 Archbishop Mitty avoided the upset by winning the last two sets to edge Central Region No. 13, Saint Ignatius.
No. 8 Torrey Pines outlasted No. 7 Redondo Union in five on the road. Sophomore Fin Krystkowiak had 25 kills, many of the clutch variety; and freshman setter Emery Gonzales had 41 assists and 21 digs for the victors.
State-ranked Santa Margarita Catholic, Los Alamitos, Beckman, Palos Verdes, Redwood of Larkspur, and Long Beach Wilson all also won. Alemany won three matches in Hawaii to remain undefeated.
No. 20 Sacred Heart Prep suffered the lone upset among the state top 25. The Gators led North Region No. 6 Marin Catholic two sets to one before the Wildcats rallied to win the final two sets, including 19-17 in the fifth.
What is happening in the Central and Sac-Joaquin?
Have you seen what’s happening in the CIF Central Section and the Sacramento area of the Sac-Joaquin Section? I wouldn’t call them upsets, because there is so much parity in those areas this year, but the unpredictable results are making ranking those areas quite the challenge.
For instance, in the Central, Clovis West won the Clovis Challenge over upstart Stockdale just days after losing successive matches to Central Valley Christian and Liberty, both of whom were in the tournament. The Clovis Challenge also saw unheralded Yosemite (5-7) stun 9-1 Clovis North.
In Sacramento, here’s what the pre-season top 10 looked like:
1. Rocklin
2. St. Francis
3. Oak Ridge
4. Pleasant Grove
5. Folsom
6. Granite Bay
7. Del Oro
8. Rio Americano
9. Vista Del Lago
10. Christian Brothers
Just this week, Rocklin lost to Ponderosa, St. Francis fell to Oak Ridge, which lost to Vacaville; Pleasant Grove was upended by Del Oro, Folsom also lost to Vacaville, and Granite Bay suffered defeat at the hands of Christian Brothers, turning the rankings on their head.
Be forewarned: it’s going to keep happening like this all season long.
News and notes…
Palo Alto's hot start was highlighted by a record-setting win over Mercy of Burlingame on Tuesday
Palo Alto is 7-1 to start the season, which includes a Tuesday rally from down two sets to defeat Mercy of Burlingame on Tuesday. Senior Kylie Yen destroyed her career high with 27 kills, while junior Mackenzie Zhao also crushed a couple of career-bests with four aces and 21 digs. Freshman Maura Hambly outside added 17 kills and 10 digs for her second double-double in as many career high school non-tournament matches.
The “reverse sweep” marks the seventh such comeback in coach Chris Crader’s four-plus years at Paly.
***
Beckman and a team from Idaho have dropped out of the Durango Fall Classic in Vegas, which starts in three weeks. They have been replace by Torrance and Long Beach Poly.
Beckman had to cancel because the tournament falls this year on Homecoming Weekend and the team, which is senior-heavy, did not want to miss it.
***
Tournaments this week involving California teams include the Labor Day Volleyball Classic in Hawaii and the High Sierra Volleyball Tournament in Reno.
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. Our initial efforts yielded 87 such players. Congrats! 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
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
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
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
Taylor Deckert, 5-9 Sr. libero, Mira Costa -- USC
Gabby Destler, 6-1 Sr. OH, Marymount – Loyola Marymount
Niki Egan, 5-8 Sr. DS, Cathedral Catholic – Washington (Beach)
Jade Epps, 6-0 Sr. OH, Lakewood – San Jose State
Kate Fagundes, 5-5 Sr. libero, Oak Ridge – Vanguard 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
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)
Jenna Hanes, 6-3 Sr. MB, Cathedral Catholic -- Michigan
Brooke Hansen, 6-0 Sr. S/RS, Etiwanda – Cal Poly SLO
Cleo Hardin, 6-3 Sr. RS, Menlo – Yale
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
Brooklyn Kostoff, 5-7 Sr. S, Santa Margarita Catholic – Azusa Pacific
Amiya Kuchibhotia, 6-1 Sr. MB, Archbishop Mitty -- NYU
Mallory Labreche, 5-11 Jr. RS. 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)
Quinn Loper, 6-1 Jr. OH, San Clemente -- USC
Kate Martin, 5-10 Sr. OH, Marymount -- UCSB
Grace Mcqoid, 6-0 Sr. OH, Foothill (Palo Cedro) – Vanguard University
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)
Malia Parsons, 5-9 Sr. libero/OH, Tamalpais – St. Olaf College
McKenzie Parsons, 6-2 Sr. MB, Poway -- Cornell
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
Kiki Remensperger, 5-9 Sr. S, Poway – South Carolina (Beach)
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
Bryn Shankle, 6-4 Sr. MB, Mira Costa -- TCU
Reagan Shields, 5-10 Sr. OH, Santa Margarita Catholic – Oregon State
Sadie Snipes, 6-0 Sr. OH, Branson – Santa Clara (Beach)
Dani Sparks, 5-7 Sr. S, Huntington Beach – Cal Poly SLO (Beach)
Birdie Stone, 5-11 Sr. OH, San Juan Hills -- Montana
Zaria Thornton, 6-0 Sr. MB, Lakewood – Oregon State
Anaya Thrower, 6-4 Sr. OH, Vanden -- Oregon
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
Madeline Way, 6-2 Sr. MB, Sierra Canyon -- Hawaii
Elle Weaver, 5-10 Sr. OH, Oak Ridge -- Brown
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)
Taylor Yu, 6-0 Sr. S, Temple City -- Stanford
Ava Zamora, 5-10 Jr. S/RS, Westview – Stony Brook
More season outlooks
Here are some more season outlooks, as promised, if coaches would submit forms to us.
State-ranked St. Mary’s of Stockton won a fourth straight league title in 2022 and finished second to Branson in the NorCal Div. I Regionals. The Rams graduated four key players and lost junior setter MacKenzie Dobbins to a knee injury during club season, but Garren Allala expects his team to remain formidable behind dynamic senior setter Kelly Hummel and senior libero Meghan Kagehiro. Look for St. Mary’s to be taller than last year and just as physical, with a threat in the middle in sophomore Eliana Williams and strong pins in Kaydence Bispo, McKenna McIntosh, and Sinaya Hunt.
After going 12-15 last fall, St. Lucy’s Priory has started 4-1 this year. The Regents graduated just one starter, sparkplug middle Kalli McDowell, but returns everyone else, including pins McKenna Sibley and Lola Padilla, MB Soleil Ramirez, and much improved sophomore setter Danika Mejico.
Northwood of Irvine won its league last year and is off to an impressive 13-1 start to 2023. The Timberwolves are a small team, but have a ton of chemistry and fire. Led by senior libero Hannah Li, the focus is on defense first. Allie Maloney, a senior S/RS; and senior RS Sam Tu are the team’s best offensive threats.
Redwood of Larkspur’s hot start has landed the Giants on The List as of last week. Jaden Hendrickson, a 6-0 senior hitter, is the team’s top offensive threat. Redwood starts two freshmen, setter Katie Lazzareschi and OH Madeleine Wagner.
The Liberty Ranch Hawks were undefeated in winning the Sierra Valley Conference last fall and set a school record for wins with 24. Two impact athletes have graduated, leaving the fate of Mark Snow’s team to the core four of outsides Paityn Snow and Hailey Smith and middles Kalli McCoy and Rachel Smith. The team, set by junior Gaby Aervalo, has started the fall season with a 6-4 record. The key to a season like last year will be improved ball control.
Royal’s scrappy team has a defense that frustrates opponents. The Highlanders also serve tough and have scoring threats across the front row. Another league title, like the one they earned last year, is likely thanks to the return of senior libero Kyriah Trefen and senior pins Emily Ford and Ayzlinn Trefen. Middles Hailey Byron and Katie Milano and setter Ella Buonauro, the latter trio all juniors, make this a team others will not want to see across the net.
Cardinal Newman graduated just one starter from last year’s 18-13 squad. The continuity of the returning players may explain the Cardinals 8-1 start to 2023. The team is led by two underclass standouts, Julia Waller and Kimberly Wilson, both of whom set and play on the right; as well as senior middles Marina Logan and Brianna Marotto and senior libero Caroline Doughtery. Second-year coach Daryl Kapis said that Newman will be a strong serve and pass team that has success running the middle. The key to challenging for a league title may be getting more offensive production from the left side.
Livermore won just three matches last year but is 4-5 to start the 2023 season. The Cowboys brought back four experienced players, libero Riley Batteate, setter Emma McQuoid, OH Chloe Lim, and MB/RS/OH Jordyn Lim, and are working hard and gaining confidence.
Jacky Yao got the coaching job at Amador Valley late in the summer, but the transition has not hurt the Dons, who are 7-2 to start 2023 after a 24-7 mark last fall. AV graduated both its setter and a dynamic outside but brings back star middle Charlotte Kelly along with OH Zoe Allison, libero Katie O’Sullivan, MB Sydney Goldstein, and RS Dani Kostalnick. Improved senior Ellie Ma will help balance the offense on a team whose strength is ball control.
Palm Desert was 13-12 a year ago, but the graduation of only libero Sophia Avery means the Aztecs should be better in 2023. MB Phoebe Neil, setter Gianna Jouan and three pins, senior Dakota Minker and Rachel Blankenship, and impact freshman Avery Brick, are players to watch for head coach Melissa Walker, in her second season at the helm.
Turlock won 18 matches last fall and has been very competitive to start 2023, as seniors Lauren Parker, Meg Crowell, and Nikkie Miranda have sparked the offense, with help from freshman middle Amelia Spaulding; while libero Lillie Miranda has taken charge in the back row. The Bulldogs have made the playoffs every year since 2014. This year will be no different.
American Canyon won 24 matches a year ago and captured first place in the VVAL for the first time ever. The Wolves graduated five impact seniors yet have started 7-2 this year, losing only to one-loss teams so far. That’s a testament to a strong junior class, led by MB Ava Berry and setter Nalani Bustos. Other players to watch include senior OH Isabella Avila, senior RS Cassandra Kenning, and senior OH Giana Guintu.
Rio Americano was 34-9 last fall and went undefeated in league play and in best-of-five matches. The Raiders have four senior starters back, setter Grace Stone, libero Livia Bacchi, and middles Alice Tully and Emilie Thoreson; and added Utah transfer OH Camden Kallhoff, a sophomore who is averaging almost four kills per set. Coach John Grix’s team is off to a 7-2 start and has a high ceiling if ball control and blocking develop to match an impressive offense.
How to see YOUR SCHOOL in The Notebook
If you are a varsity head coach wondering how to have your team noticed, it takes two easy steps:
1) Enroll in our bulk email list at CIF State at this link: http://eepurl.com/hG-qTz. It only takes two seconds. Be sure to check your inbox (and spam folder) for weekly messages from us.
2) Complete and submit our season preview form at this link: https://johntawa.wufoo.com/forms/svh7nsh1qwqs9y/
The summaries above represent only a fraction of the completed forms we have received to date. We will include the others in next week’s Notebook and pledge to write about all teams that submit forms to us.
Thanks! Be back next week with more news and notes on volleyball in the Golden State…