Melizza Benitez School: El Modena High School...

Melizza Benitez School: El Modena High School Sport: Volleyball Position: Setter Class: Junior

Marni Hichborn might get most of the attention for leading El Modena’s undefeated girls’ volleyball team, but it’s Benitez who sets up Hichborn for the 16 to 17 kills she averages. Benitez had 42 assists and eight blocks in the Vanguards’ four-game victory over South Torrance Saturday in the second round of the 3-A Division playoffs. In the first round Thursday, she had 29 assists and six blocks in a three-game victory over Temecula Valley. And this from a player who has been a setter for less than a year. After last season, in which Benitez was a second-team all-Century League outside hitter, El Modena Coach Craig Tefertiller asked her to become a setter. “She’s just a superior athlete with good instincts for setting,” Tefertiller said. “She gets the ball to the right players at the right time. She’s only 5-9 but she must have a six-foot wingspan because she’s the second-best blocker on the team after Marni.” Other top performers:

Page Bartelt, who swept her singles sets (6-0, 6-1, 6-0) to lead Capistrano Valley to a 14-4 victory over University in the first round of the 4-A Division girls’ tennis playoffs Thursday.

Michelle Mauney and Marta Bickert, who had 18 and 17 kills, respectively, for Capistrano Valley in a four-game victory over Santa Margarita Thursday in the first round of the 5-A Division girls’ volleyball playoffs.

Martha Pinto, a Katella runner who had the best time for an Orange County runner (18 minutes 6 seconds for three miles) and won her II-A Division heat at the Southern Section cross-country preliminaries Saturday at Mt. San Antonio College.

Chris Prigmore, who had 22 kills for Calvary Chapel in a three-game sweep of First Lutheran in the first round of the Small Schools Division playoffs Thursday.

Shelley Taylor, who won her II-AA Division heat by more than a minute for Edison, finishing in 18:27 in the Southern Section cross-country preliminaries Saturday.