Eagles Battle to Capture a 2nd Title

LONG BEACH —  What started out as a yawner, turned into a thriller for Santa Margarita, which turned back Santa Barbara San Marcos to win its second consecutive Southern Section girls’ volleyball title.

Santa Margarita started fast, then held on to defeat San Marcos, 15-4, 15-9, 11-15, 13-15, 15-12, in the Division II-AA championship match Saturday at Long Beach State.

Senior Kiki Maroutsos, who had 11 kills and four blocks, had a block and a kill to help the Eagles (17-3) score four of the final five points in the fifth game to beat the Royals (18-2).

Santa Margarita defeated San Marcos in four games Oct. 3. Last season, Santa Margarita defeated Westlake Village Westlake in five games to win the Division II-A championship, the first in the school’s history.

“In that fifth game for the seniors, we had all been out there before,” Maroutsos said. “It came down to heart. We knew this would be the last [section] final we’d play in. We knew what we had to do.”

It looked that way early as Eagles were sharp and mowed down the Royals in the first two games in 41 minutes. But the third and fourth games were a different story.

“We were playing well in the first two games, then all of a sudden, they got up,” Santa Margarita Coach Eddie Rapp said. “It was like they took some of our energy. We needed to keep our composure and just play steady.”

But the Eagles were shaky in the third and fourth games.

San Marcos sophomore Erica Menzel, who had 16 kills, four blocks and 20 digs, and Jaima Ortega, who had 13 kills, helped the Royals rally. They even pushed ahead, 9-5, in the fifth game before the Eagles finished strong.

“I’m so pleased we came back as strong as we did,” San Marcos Coach Jon Lee said. “But it’s tough to feel disappointed when this team showed the character that it did.”

Santa Margarita showed its grit with the fifth-game rally, reeling off six consecutive points on the serve of setter Suzanne Sarkees, who had 43 assists.

Sarah Ballog (12 kills, four blocks) and Michelle Chambers (16 kills) made key plays in the run to give Santa Margarita an 11-9 lead. San Marcos made one last push, scoring three consecutive points to retake the lead, 12-11.

“And we were only three points away . . . “ Menzel said, fighting back the tears.

It was small consolation for the Royals, although the teams could meet again in the state tournament, which begins this week.

But the Eagles weren’t thinking about the future just yet.

“I’m just as happy as I was last season,” Rapp said. “Any time winning in a [section] final, in five games, is a thrill.”