First published in the Nov. 3 print issue of the Pasadena Outlook.
The Polytechnic varsity girls’ volleyball team made an excellent run in the CIF-SS Division IV playoffs but fell just short of a championship appearance after losing at Saugus, 25-19, 25-17, 25-16, in a semifinal match on Saturday.
The Panthers had defeated host Santa Barbara, 20-25, 25-22, 27-25, 25-20, in a quarterfinal matchup last Wednesday, after beating visiting Summit High of Fontana, 25-15, 17-25, 25-16, 25-21, in the second round on Oct. 22. Individual statistics were not reported to the Pasadena Outlook.
The Panthers opened the CIF postseason by sweeping visiting Viewpoint High of Calabasas, 25-13, 25-15, 25-20, in a first-round matchup. Emily Wen amassed 30 assists, 10 digs, seven kills and three aces, Cyanne Jones had eight kills, five digs, four assists and three aces, and Cameilia Ding collected seven kills and four digs. Ellie Chu finished with 21 assists, Olivia Ip registered eight kills, and Bekah Hong racked up 14 digs, eight assists and three aces. Caroline Holdsworth recorded 10 digs, five assists and three aces, while Tilde Keatley produced three kills, one dig and one assist. Bella Duncan tallied one kill, two blocks and one dig, while Irina Alsoufiev posted five aces.
Poly concluded the season as Prep League runners-up with a 10-2 record (15-2 overall) and has a possibility at earning a berth in the state tournament following the conclusion of CIF-SS playoffs this weekend.
MAYFIELD SENIOR
The Cubs lost their CIF-SS Division III first-round matchup against visiting Alemany High of Mission Hills, 20-25, 25-23, 25-17, 25-18.
Annelise Rising collected 10 kills and five digs, Audrey Nuckols tallied eight kills, six digs and one ace, and Holly Hillman racked up 24 assists, three dogs and two kills. Kayla Bandow registered five kills and five digs, while Kelsey Babcock had five kills. Michelle Guillen produced 11 digs, two assists and one ace, while Megan Lee finished with two digs, one kill, one ace and one block.
Mayfield Senior finished the campaign as undefeated Prep League champions with a 12-0 record (22-7 overall) and will look to defend its title next season.
FLINTRIDGE SACRED HEART
The Tologs were eliminated in their CIF-SS Division III first-round opener at Torrance, 24-26, 25-17, 25-13, 21-25, 15-9.
Senior Nikki Garriola amassed 24 kills, 12 digs, four aces and four blocks, while junior Mikayla Hsieh racked up 18 digs, 18 assists and seven kills. Junior Luisa Madrigal collected nine kills and five digs, sophomore Piper Scherbert produced four kills, two blocks and two digs, and junior Veronica Udell tallied six aces, four digs, two kills and two blocks. Sophomore Ally Du registered 24 assists and five digs, junior Lindsey Du had 19 digs, two aces and two assists, and senior Charlotte Taylor recorded 15 digs and two aces. Meanwhile, freshman Alexandra Carr made her varsity debut and posted two kills and three digs.
FSHA concluded a fine season as Angelus League runners-up with a 6-2 record (21-17 overall). Garriola amassed team-high marks in kills (339), digs (377) and aces (66) with 37 blocks, Ally Du finished with a team-high 336 assists, 181 digs and 41 aces, and Scherbert tallied a team-high 71 blocks, 99 kills and 58 assists. Hsieh filled up the stat sheet with 303 assists, 289 digs, 92 kills, 30 blocks and 27 aces, while Lindsey Du racked up 357 digs, 73 assists and 51 aces. Madrigal recorded 206 kills, 148 digs and 22 blocks, Udell collected 107 kills, 72 digs, 25 blocks and 10 aces, and Taylor posted 298 digs and 45 aces. Senior Keira Limon had 38 kills, 36 digs, 29 blocks and 16 aces, senior Ellamae Fortin registered 17 digs, one kill, one assist and one ace, and sophomore Sophia Astacaan had five digs, four blocks and three kills.
The Tologs will look to win their first league title since 2015 and make a deeper run in the CIF postseason in next year’s campaign.
MARANATHA
The Minutemen were ousted in the first round of the CIF-SS Division V playoffs after losing at Quartz Hill, 25-12, 25-13, 25-18. Individual statistics were not reported to the Pasadena Outlook.
Sophomore Belen Casillas amassed team-high marks in kills (319) and aces (78) with 245 digs. Junior Lauren Nguyen collected a team-high 602 assists with 250 digs, 59 aces and 48 kills. Junior Kira Foster registered a team-high 328 digs with 60 aces, while sophomore Kayla Sartin tallied a team-high 25 blocks with 22 kills and 14 digs. Senior Jada Dixon had 183 kills, 73 digs and 10 blocks, junior Nicole Timour racked up 167 digs, 102 kills and 45 aces, and junior Tori Coates produced 103 assists, 85 digs and 49 aces. Senior Phoebe Lim recorded 91 digs and 36 kills, while junior Alex Carrillo finished with 55 digs and 17 aces. Junior Chidera Abaelu posted 22 kills, 16 digs, seven blocks and five aces while junior Julie Datema had 12 kills and nine digs.
Maranatha finished the campaign third in the Olympic League with a 3-5 record (13-20 overall).
FLINTRIDGE PREP
The Wolves lost their CIF-SS Division V first-round match at Bishop Amat High in La Puente, 29-27, 19-25, 25-21, 25-22.
Jessica Powell collected 19 kills and seven digs, while Abbie Callaway racked up 15 kills and 17 digs. Lucy Liu produced nine kills, four blocks, two aces and two digs, Amelia Bechthold finished with seven kills and three blocks, and Clara Bassuk registered three kills and two digs. Angie Cheng had 22 digs, Marissa Halley tallied 18 digs, and Ashlyn Nam posted 15 digs. Jaleen Tseng recorded 11 digs, while Candice Huang had two aces and one dig.
Flintridge Prep, which finished fifth in the Prep League with a 5-7 record (14-10 overall), will look to return to the postseason in next year’s campaign.
WESTRIDGE
The Tigers lost at Valencia, 25-13, 23-25, 25-16, 25-21, in the first round of the CIF-SS Division V playoffs.
Grace Nelson racked up 21 kills and 13 digs, while Jordan Boskovich amassed 41 assists, six digs, two kills and one ace. Jade Ilas collected nine kills, seven digs and one ace, Isabel De Leon posted three kills and two digs, and Willow Nauber recorded three kills and two aces. Lucia Flores-Rojas finished with nine digs and one ace, while Lily Johnson tallied seven digs and two kills. Emery Fishback registered two aces, two digs and one kill, while Ashley Zhang had two digs.
Westridge, which finished third in the Prep League standings with a 7-5 record (11-8 overall), will look to build off this year’s success next season.
