Simi Valley Survives an Early Scare

Karen Austin of Newbury Park High was dressed for the occasion. Wearing No. 13 and clad in the team’s black home jersey, Austin, a senior playing in her last regular-season game, seemed intent on making this a nightmare for favored Simi Valley.

Simi Valley needed a victory to clinch a share of the Marmonte League championship. Newbury Park’s final hope was to dash that dream.

Newbury Park opened by scoring the first nine points of the match, throwing a scare into the Pioneers. But the lead was short-lived. After a timeout, Simi Valley scored 30 of the next 35 points en route to a three-set sweep of the Panthers, 15-12, 15-2, 15-9.

The win gave Simi Valley Coach Sue Lee her third Marmonte title in 10 years. And even though the title is shared with Thousand Oaks, Lee will take the win and run--all the way to the Southern Section playoffs.

“There are so many good teams in this league,” Lee said. “You can’t just look at any Marmonte team’s record and assume they are pushovers. There are no easy wins here.”

Newbury Park is a case in point. Earlier in the year, the Panthers beat the Pioneers at Simi Valley.

Simi Valley (10-3) and Thousand Oaks finished the year with 9-3 records to advance to postseason play. The Pioneers will play a first-round Southern Section playoff game Thursday. Newbury Park (9-7, 6-6 in league) finished fifth.

“I think one of our teams will be there when the finals roll around,” Lee said. “One of us could easily be in the 2-A final.”

Niki Elginer led Simi Valley with nine kills, and teammate Paula Cooper had six.