Western State, Coast Conferences shine In Round 2 Women's Volleyball Regionals
Five teams from the South Region's Western State Conference and four teams from the North's Coast Conference advanced in Round 2 of the 2022 Women's Volleyball Regionals on Tuesday night.
WSC members #1 Ventura, #3 Moorpark and lower-seeded #10 Canyons, #11 Santa Monica, and #13 Santa Barbara City are joined in making the South Regional Finals by Orange Empire Conference's #2 Irvine Valley and #5 Orange Coast with #9 Grossmont (PCAC champions) also victorious.
From the Coast, #4 San Mateo, #8 Hartnell, #10 West Valley and #12 Cabrillo all scored semifinal victories while the Big 8's #1 San Joaquin Delta, #3 American River, and #6 Sierra held home serve. Seeded #2, state #1-ranked Feather River completes the North final 8 in the North Regionals.
Here are mini recaps of the 16 regional matches:
SOUTH
#1 Ventura swept #16 MiraCosta, 25-20, 25-19, 25-16: The Pirates First Team All-American duo of OH Kayla Murdoch (23 kills, 5 aces) and setter Nevada Knowles (dished out 38 assists, 2 solo blocks) took care of business and helped the Pirates reach the regional finals in the sweep over the Spartans. WSC North champion Ventura (23-1) trailed 13-12 in the first set, but Murdoch ripped 2 kills and served up back-to-back aces to spark a run. In the second set, a 6-1 MiraCosta run cut it to 18-17, but Murdoch's big swings and a Katey Mulville kill closed out a 6-point win. In the third, MC jumped ahead 11-3, but the Pirates offense took over with Averi Carter delivering a kill and 2 aces while Murdoch powered 4 kills in a 15-2 spurt that sealed things for Ventura. Autumn Rojelio Moreno made 17 digs for VC's defense. Ventura extended its current win streak to 10 matches. MC (19-9) was led by the play of All-SoCal Region selection Kailyn Jager. Ventura hosts #9 Grossmont in the SoCal Regional Finals Saturday
#2 Irvine Valley d. #15 Bakersfield, 25-17, 25-17, 20-25, 25-20: The Orange Empire Conference champion Lasers (20-4) won their 11th in a row, posting the 4-set win over the Renegades. All-SoCal Region OH Tessa Marocco hit an efficient .410 behind 18 kills plus 9 digs to lead IVC. All-American Second Team opposite Jayli Nealy ended with 13 kills and 3 blocks, setter Maddie Harkey ran the offense with 41 assists and 3 aces plus 5 kills. Avery Bennett scored 5 kills and stuffed 4 blocks. Kendall Fraser had 6 blocks. For the Renegades (14-10), Tia Jules hit. 687 with 11 kills, Alexandra Johnson scored 11 kills, Kya Jones made 20 digs, Monet Panther set 24 assists, and Aubree Dees totaled 8 kills, 13 assists and 8 digs. Irvine Valley hosts #10 Canyons in the SoCal Regional Finals.
#3 Moorpark swept #14 Rio Hondo, 25-23, 25-17, 25-19: Cashe Olswang swung 13 kills, Larrisa Dakoske made 16 digs and Brooke MacFadyen spun 3 aces as the Raiders knocked off a tough defensive-minded Roadrunners team in three sets. All-South Coast Conference First Teamer Maria Bejines tallied 10 kills (hit .333) for Rio Hondo, who ended its strong season at 14-7. Moorpark (17-4) hosts #11 Santa Monica in the SoCal Regional Finals.
#13 Santa Barbara City d. #4 San Diego Mesa, 17-25, 26-24, 25-18, 10-25, 15-13: With wins this season over the top two state-ranked squads in the South, it figured the Vaqueros would add a third to the mantel in upsetting the Oympians in five sets. SD Mesa (23-4) controlled the opening set, SBCC (16-10) bounced back to take the next two, then Mesa won in commanding style in set #4 by 15 points. Mesa rode the momentum into a 6-2 lead in the fifth, then went up 11-7. A controversial overturned kill call went against the Olympians and that started a SBCC rally. The Vaqueros went ahead at 14-13 on a kill by Caroline McCarty and won the marathon thriller on a Mesa attack error down the line for match point. McCarty just missed a triple-double on 14 kills, 12 set assists and 9 digs (plus 4 blocks). Ava Guenther added 11 kills and Emma Crabbe totaled 26 digs and 11 assists while Jacelin McKie defended well with 18 digs. For Mesa, All-SoCal Region setter Victoria Goff delivered 52 assists and 15 digs, All-SoCal MB Isabelle Bakken had 16 kills and Sophia Jarosz scored 19 kills with 15 digs. Santa Barbara plays at #5 Orange Coast in the SoCal Regional Finals.
#5 Orange Coast d. #12 Cypress, 25-21, 25-14, 20-25, 25-20: Usually when a team avenges another in a conference rematch, that's the end of the year's rivalry--a tie, 1 win a piece. But the Pirates, after losing to the Chargers in five back on Nov. 4, got another crack at Cypress and won a far more important rubber match between the schools in advancing in four sets. Down 16-14 in the first set, OCC went on an 8-2 run including a pair of blocks by Emma Honea to win the game. In set 2, a 16-5 Pirates start allowed them to coast to a 2-0 sets lead. Cypress responded by riding the arm of Shayna Martinez for a 5-point, set 3 victory. In the fourth, All-State MB Paige Cutright and Natalia Brandin were forces at center net and they helped produce a 13-3 spurt that gave OCC a 22-12 lead and eventually the playoff victory. Cypress, led by Martinez with 19 kills and 15 digs and Victoria Reza on 33 assists and 13 digs, end its year at 17-10. For the Pirates, Brisa Zapata-Reaves scored 11 kills while Honea and Cutwright spiked 9 each. Orange Coast hosts #13 Santa Barbara in the SoCal Regional Finals.
#11 Santa Monica d. #6 Mt. San Antonio, 29-27, 27-29, 27-25, 25-19: The Corsairs and Mounties fought it out with the first three sets all going into extra points and while SMC only won the total point war, 108-100, it did enough to squeak the upset in four. In the opening set, Mt. SAC survived set point at 24-22 with two straight kills by Riley DeGroot. At 27-27, Rain Martinez spun an ace and Amaya Bernardo scored a kill for set point and a 1-0 SMC sets lead. In set #2, Santa Monica took a 7-2 lead and later a 22-17 advantage but Mt. SAC's All-SoCal Region opposite Allison Whiteman capped a 6-1 run with a kill to knot it at 23-23. Mt. SAC needed to save set point three more times before Angelina Burton sandwiched a Zyra Green ace with two kills to tie the match at 1-1. In the third set, SMC led 15-11 before the Mounties tied it at 16-16, then 22-22. JJ Quarrels saved set point for Mt. SAC and then put her team ahead 25-24 with two kills. SMC didn't get fazed as Sophia Odle and Bernardo scored kills in a 3-0 run to take a 2-1 sets lead. Mt. SAC grabbed a 5-0 lead that begun set #4 but the Corsairs exploded for a 14-1 run as Odle and MacKenzie Wolff each served 5-point runs and Martinez contributed 2 kills and 2 blocks. While Mt. SAC got it to within one, 15-14, that big spurt gave SMC what it needed as Maiella Riva landed match point. Martinez was outstanding with 13 kills and 9 blocks (6 solos). Bernardo added 13 kills and 6 aces while Wolff scored 12 kills. Halle Anderson led the defense on 23 digs (and 5 aces). Mt. SAC, the South Coast Conference champions, closed the year at 19-5 and were led in the playoff by Quarrels 14 kills and 3 aces, 11 kills each by DeGroot and Whiteman, 10 kills by Burton and 25 digs from Riannel Arevelo. Santa Monica plays at #3 Moorpark in the SoCal Regional Finals.
#10 Canyons swept #7 Santa Ana, 25-20, 25-20, 25-21: The Cougars put an end to the Dons' first playoff appearance in 39 years by playing mostly error-free ball in a mild upset sweep. COC only made one serving error and hit an efficient .333 (45 kills, 12 attack errors) behind the powerful swing of All-American Third Team MB Aly Grodell on 13 kills in just 17 attempts (.765) and Kaelyn White's 13 kills (.370), 3 aces, and 3 blocks. Sabrina Sveiven notched 14 digs and Abby Sherman 11 digs. In the third set, SAC would take a 17-10 lead after a 3-ace serving run by Kaiden Raif (set 26 assists overall). But Canyons didn't flinch as it went on an 8-0 run to take the lead and go on to the win. For Santa Ana, led by All-SoCal Region selection Matilde Teixeira with 19 kills, its season ends at 18-6. Ines Lopes added 10 digs. Winners of 14 of its last 15 matches, Canyons plays at #2 Irvine Valley in the SoCal Regional Finals.
#9 Grossmont d. #8 Pasadena City, 25-14, 25-16, 23-25, 23-25, 15-11: The Griffins wanted to prove a point about their questionably low #9 seed (ranked #6 in the final state top 25) and then after two dominating sets, they just wanted to survive this epic 5-setter v. a Lancers squad that nearly pulled off a miracle comeback. Grossmont (22-3), the Pacific Coast Athletic Conference champions, extended its winning streak to 20 matches but it was PCC (17-8) who changed the momentum of the match by serving the Griffins out of system and using a solid block defense to disrupt the fast-up tempo Grossmont offense in the third and fourth sets and the first half of the fifth. In the third set, Ashley Marrone had a kill and back-to-back aces that gave PCC a 23-18 lead and ultimately a set win to keep things going. In set 4, the Griffins were two points from victory, but at 23-23, Pasadena's Bia Silva landed a backline kill and Makayla Chiechi served an ace for set point to send the match to a fifth set. PCC grabbed an 8-6 lead at the side-change break and that's when Grossmont took over, posting a 8-1 run. Griffins libero Lauren Dumo served on a 7-0 run including an ace and Brooke Miller landed two kills. After PCC twice saved match point, Miller's kill allowed Grossmont to celebrate a hard-fought victory. For the Lancers, versatile All-SCC First Team setter Bia Silva recorded her state-leading fifth triple-double of the season on 10 kills, 21 set assists, 18 digs along with 3 solo blocks and 2 aces. Emma Yogan added 12 kills, Marrone 9 kills and 3 aces, and Emily Licon 19 digs. Leading Grossmont was Miller with 16 kills and 12 digs, All-American Third Team OH Madi Bogle with 11 kills, 12 digs and 5 blocks, 6-foot MB Kelsey Carter, who rifled 14 kills and hit .429. Maybe the player that hurt PCC the most was setter Chelsee Trendler, who dished out 57 assists, dumped 5 kills and made a number of big plays late in the match. Grossmont plays at #1 Ventura in the SoCal Regional Finals.
NORTH
#1 San Joaquin Delta swept #16 De Anza, 25-12, 25-14, 25-12: The Mustangs (24-3) took control from the get go as All-American Second Team OH Kiyah Irby served 3 aces in a 10-point serving run in the opening set. It was All-State OH Savannah LeBarre's turn in the third set to serve up a 9-0 run, also flooring 3 aces. Irby finished with 17 kills, 4 aces, and 3 blocks (hit .483) while LeBarre scored 12 kills and 14 digs. All-Big 8 First Team libero Angela Biazon added 18 digs and Ellie Crowell set 32 assists. The Mountain Lions closed the year at 13-13. SJ Delta hosts #8 Hartnell in the NorCal Regional Finals on Saturday.
#2 Feather River swept #15 Modesto JC, 25-8, 25-13, 25-17: The state #1-ranked Golden Eagles (32-1) upped their winning streak to 30 matches with an easy second round win v. the Pirates. FRC recorded 15 aces, 5 each by All-Golden Valley First Team OH Carissa Chainey (plus 6 kills and 10 digs) and Katherine Gee (and 8 digs). All-American First Team setter Nellie Stevenson set 26 assists and scored 6 kills while All-State opposite Hannah Taylor landed 9 kills ( hit .485). Ava Saiers twirled 3 aces. For Modesto, Lily Clemmer scored 5 kills in just 7 swings and Ava Chiesa added 7 digs. MJC ends its year at 17-14 and had a 6-match win streak snapped. Feather River hosts #10 West Valley in the NorCal Regional Finals.
#3 American River swept #14 Monterey Peninsula, 25-17, 25-19, 25-18: The Beavers (22-4) rolled to their ninth consecutive win and have won 22 straight sets in sweeping the Lobos. For ARC, All-American Second Team OH Awelina Fakalata pounded 24 kills (hit .429) and made 10 digs while Margaret O'Brien and Shanaley Iakopo each served 3 aces. Defensively, Aubrey Miller tallied 15 digs and Kylie Matthews had 10 digs. Sadie White scored 5 kills. All-NorCal Region OH Kylee Moore powered 17 kills (hit .318) with 11 digs and Luca Berg set 23 assists and served 2 aces to pace the MPC. Monterey Peninsula closes the season at 16-6. American River hosts #6 Sierra in the NorCal Regional Finals.
#4 College of San Mateo swept #13 Taft: 28-26, 25-20, 25-18: The Bulldogs (21-3) struggled in the opening set before taking control over the Cougars behind the powerful arm of All-American Third Team OH Naomi Cremoux, who ripped 21 kills (hit .425), defended a team-high 13 digs, and scored 3 aces overall. In the first set, Taft immediately set the tone with an aggressive serve that produced 4 aces, 2 by Kailee Wakatake who added 6 digs in the game. A kill by Bethany Himalaya placed Taft at set point in extras, 26-25. A timeout by CSM was followed by Cremoux stepping up with two booming kills as part of a 3-0 run that gave the Bulldogs a first-set win. Taft played strong defense throughout the match, paced by Wakatake's 16 digs, 14 by Jada Dias (and 7 kills) and 11 by Himalaya who led the Cougars on 9 kills. Taft ends the season at 17-10. San Mateo had big performances by All-NorCal Region MB Valerie Bruk (13 kills, 3 blocks, and 2 aces, .476), Tui Saluni (10 kills, .364), and Angelina Estrada, who dished out 45 assists. San Mateo hosts #12 Cabrillo in the NorCal Regional Finals.
#12 Cabrillo swept #5 Fresno City, 25-18, 25-14, 25-14: Thoughts of possibly returning to reach its host state tourney after winning the state title before the home fans last year were certainly in the air at the start for the Rams in this second round regional. Except, the Seahawks (13-10) quickly erased that possibility in a stunning upset sweep. Foreshadowing of Cabrillo's success came with a sweep over Fresno at home back on Oct. 8 after FCC won in five sets over the Seahawks on Sept. 10. This third meeting proved to be all Cabrillo with Lindsay Heller landing 10 kills (.381) and Jazmyn Tubbs also reaching 10 kills (and 9 digs, 2 solo blocks). Carly Ditz set 33 assists, scored 8 kills (.375), and made 10 digs, Olivia Schroeder covered the floor with 22 digs, and Erin Eschleman roofed 4 blocks. For Fresno, All-NorCal Region opposite Druegan Davis notched 9 kills, Claire Corippo had 8 kills, 10 digs and 2 aces, and Emma Penberthy totaled 13 digs and 6 set assists. Fresno's season closes at 23-8. Cabrillo plays at #4 San Mateo in the NorCal Regional Finals.
#6 Sierra swept #11 Solano, 25-11, 25-19, 25-22: The Wolverines (18-12) used stellar defensive efforts by Hailee Mulic with 21 digs and Zelbee Rader's 14 digs in sweeping the Falcons. Sierra also relied on the double-double performances by All-Big 8 OH Courtney Clexton with 12 kills (.393) and 14 digs, and Alexis Adebodun, who scored 12 kills, defended 13 digs and served 3 aces. Gracie Williams added 33 assists, 3 aces and 3 kills, and Veronika Tupy chipped in 7 kills and 3 blocks. Solano, the Bay Valley Conference champions, received 8 kills and 17 digs by All-NorCal Region OH Sammy Brown, got 18 digs and 2 aces from Crystal Carroll, and Dani Rydjord totaled 19 set assists, 7 digs and 5 blocks. Solano closes the year at 24-8 with a 7-match win streak broken. Sierra plays at #3 American River in the NorCal Regional Finals.
#10 West Valley d. #7 Sequoias, 15-25, 25-22, 25-18, 25-22: The Vikings (14-9) were state runner-up last year with their greatest season in school history. This year, WVC lost six in a row at one point and even though it won the Coast South Division title with an 8-0 mark, its lack of conference strength didn't help the Vikings cause. But being in the "Best of the Rest" only served to inspire West Valley as it upset the state #18-ranked Giants in four sets. It was the team's 10th straight win. After COS scored a convincing 10-point win in the opening set, West Valley trailed 16-13 in set #2. At that point, Kiana Manson scored a kill to gain sideout and teammate Brooke Lopez came in to serve a 6-0 run for the lead. Going to clinch set #2, the Vikings carried the momentum into a set #3 win and a 2-1 lead. In the fourth game, Sequoias would again grab a 16-13 lead but West Valley stayed poised and caught the Giants at 22-22. Ahnessa Clemente scored a big kill for the lead and it was followed by a key block from Clemente and Sydney Pista against Sequoias' All-NorCal Region OH Mia Gilcrest. An attack error followed for match point. Manson led West Valley with 19 kills, followed by Tristin Sahlie (11 kills) and Clemente (8 kills). Gabby Carbonel delivered 22 assists while Sydney Rogers had 20 helpers. Gilcrest, who totaled 914 career kills at COS in two seasons, buried 28 kills and had 19 digs v. West Valley. Daniela Gonzales added 12 kills, Brooke Hatch 47 assists and Jackie Luna totaled 20 digs for Sequoias. The Giants end the year at 21-8. West Valley plays at #2 Feather River in the NorCal Regional Finals.
#8 Hartnell d. #9 Folsom Lake, 23-25, 25-20, 25-22, 25-16: The Panthers (21-10) expected a tough matchup after previously winning in four sets over the Falcons on Sept. 2. Hartnell overcame a 1-0 deficit and went on to defeat a difficult Folsom Lake team again in four sets. All-NorCal Region OH Renee Nachtigall led Hartnell with 17 kills (.385), 16 digs, and 2 aces. Yesenia Soria stepped up with 5 blocks and 11 kills (.409). Savannah Bulosan dished out 31 assists, 8 digs, and 2 kills. Bulosan received high praise from the Hartnell coaching staff as she ironically was injured with a broken hand suffered in the opening set in that Sept. meeting v. Folsom Lake. It turned out, Bulosan sat out six weeks and 17 matches and after returning to the active roster last month, played perhaps her best match of the season in this regional. Also for Hartnell, Aaliyah Foster scored 10 kills (hit .500), Jocelyn Hernandez swung 11 kills, and Jazmine Aguilera made 20 digs. For Folsom Lake, Abigail Seabury fired 13 kills (.400), Maria Rivera collected 26 digs, and Kendall Hughes totaled 6 kills, 25 assists, 10 digs and 2 aces. The Falcons end the '22 campaign at 16-12. Hartnell plays at #1 SJ Delta in the NorCal Regional Finals.
Recaps by Robert Lewis, CCCWVCA SID