No Suspense, Just Two Suspensions : Volleyball: Despite missing two players, Torrance girls sweep South and repeat as Pioneer champions.

The Torrance High girls’ volleyball team clinched its second consecutive Pioneer League title Thursday, beating visiting South Torrance, 15-9, 15-5, 16-14.

But all is not well for the Tartars (12-3, 8-0 in league), the top-ranked team in the Southern Section Division III coaches’ poll and the defending division champions.

Top players Vika Malu and Nicole Dispenza missed Thursday’s match because of suspensions. Malu, a middle blocker who has given an unwritten commitment to Loyola Marymount, was suspended for one match by Coach Brian Chartier for disciplinary reasons.

Dispenza, a starting setter, may not return to the team. Earlier this month, Dispenza was suspended for the season by Torrance administrators because of her involvement in an off-campus incident and for being truant that day, Chartier said.

“The school athletic council recommended for her to be suspended and the administrators went along with that,” Chartier said. “We just feel that the punishment doesn’t fit the crime.”

Chartier said an appeal will be heard Wednesday at a meeting of the Torrance school board.

In the meantime, Chartier is trying to get the Tartars to play more consistently as the playoffs loom; they begin in two weeks.

Torrance dominated South (8-4, 5-3) during parts of Thursday’s match. The Tartars ended the second game by winning seven of the last eight points, and opened the third game by taking a 12-5 lead before South made it close.

“The second game, we played as well as we have all season,” Chartier said. “In the third game we came out and played real well, but we faded toward the end. We’ve done that lately. We have to realize that if we do that in CIF, somebody is likely to sneak up on us.”

Sunshine VanWie had 15 kills and Circe Thompson 10 to lead Torrance.

“We had our goal to win the league, but now our main goal is to win CIF again,” Chartier said. “We’re a little drained physically and mentally right now, but we have some time to get things straight and get our rhythm back hopefully.”