Laguna Beach wins sixth CIF girls’ volleyball title
Laguna Beach’s processional march through the CIF Southern Section Division 7 bracket had largely lacked the drama of tight matches.
So when the well-traveled supporters of Santa Fe Springs St. Paul began to make noise as a second-set comeback commenced, the Breakers had a chance to show their mettle.
A four-point run — beginning with the erasure of two set points — gave the host Breakers the second set, and Laguna Beach went on to sweep St. Paul 25-9, 26-24, 25-19 on Saturday night for its sixth section championship in program history.
Laguna Beach (12-25) had built a 20-10 lead in the second set, before St. Paul stormed back. Swordsmen setter Riley Avina got in rhythm at the service line, her fifth ace of the rotation closing the gap to 20-19 and causing Breakers coach Sinan Tanik to call his final timeout.
St. Paul (21-11) was on the cusp of evening the match when the Breakers started their own run at a critical juncture. Sienna Lee had a kill and the double-block of Baylie Bina and Hollie Hooper wiped away the set points, and two points later, Hooper’s kill put Laguna Beach a set away from the title.
“I would be lying if I said I wasn’t stressed a little bit, but I trust my players to handle that, and they came through,” Tanik said.
Laguna Beach won a CIF title for the first time since claiming back-to-back Division II-AA crowns in 2006 and 2007. It marked the 13th CIF finals appearance for the Breakers overall.
The Breakers sweep Montebello Cantwell Sacred Heart of Mary to open the CIF Southern Section Division 7 playoffs, making good on a postseason berth earned in their last match.
“I felt the reason [the Swordsmen] came back, our energy was really low, but then we all decided collectively to bring it up and fight hard, like play to win, because obviously we want to win,” Hooper said.
Layla Kollock had eight kills to pace Laguna Beach, which advanced to the CIF State Southern California Regional Division IV playoffs. Laguna Beach beat visiting Los Angeles Marshall 25-22, 17-25, 25-23, 28-26 to begin the state playoffs on Tuesday. A road trip to top-seeded Walnut (19-13), the runner-up in Division 6, on Thursday is the reward.
Sadie Holmes had seven kills and three block assists, Hooper added five kills and an ace, and Bina’s five aces matched Avina for the most in the final. Blake Borquist chipped in with three kills and two block assists.
“My senior year, last time playing high school volleyball, obviously, I really have that drive to want to win the whole thing,” Holmes said. “At the beginning of our season, it started out a little rough, so I think none of us really expected to get this far. Then we started to [win games] and we really stepped it up, and it’s really cool that we were able to win the finals.”
Mimi Spangler distributed 14 assists, and Sienna Utge handed out nine assists. The Breakers’ setting tandem provided an ace apiece. Jordyn Flynn and Lee (nine digs) each served up two aces.
Every player on the roster saw the floor in the final, something Tanik, the fourth-year coach of the Breakers, said was a point of emphasis throughout the season for a young team to gain experience.
“That’s kind of what I want to do, create this nice experience for the girls,” Tanik said. “It took its toll at times, and some of our losses [were] kind of rooted in that, but I didn’t give that up because I knew that we would be strong in league and still make CIF.
“This is how I kind of planned it throughout the year. I was not planning a 5-25 record to finish the regular season, but at least the … making it to the playoff part worked out, albeit a little lower division than I was hoping for. Still, we have the chance to show our true quality and true abilities in state.”
Lily Gabora, a recent Laguna Beach graduate whose love of music has helped her shine while living with blindness, sang the national anthem.
Dugger Gym flooded in March, and the court was replaced over the summer. The new hardwood floor, featuring a crashing wave as the center-court logo, did not have to wait long to have its own championship history.
Also in the CIF State Southern California Regional girls’ volleyball playoffs:
Huntington Beach 3, South Torrance 0: Ellie Esko had 14 kills to pace the top-seeded Oilers in a 25-19, 25-20, 25-15 win to open the Division I bracket.
Addison Williams added 13 kills, and Taylor Ponchak pounded out 10 kills for Huntington Beach (31-7), which plays host to San Luis Obispo (30-7) on Thursday.
Tori Esko distributed 31 assists, and Olivia Foye contributed 14 digs and two aces.
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