Laguna Beach girls’ volleyball wins CIF Division 7 opener
Laguna Beach is off the mat, the triumphs of the last week providing precious moments for a team that endured more than its fair share of growing pains along the way.
The Breakers were an unlikely playoff qualifier, having posted just two wins before the start of league play.
As it turned out, Laguna Beach’s postseason had started sooner than most, the Breakers prevailing in a third-place tiebreaker match against Northwood to earn the final playoff berth guaranteed to the Pacific Coast League.
Laguna Beach handled visiting Montebello Cantwell Sacred Heart of Mary 25-10, 25-21, 25-11 on Thursday in its opening match of the CIF Southern Section Division 7 girls’ volleyball playoffs.
The Breakers played a schedule representative of one they might have before departing from the Sunset Conference this season, albeit without the desired results.
Laguna Beach coach Sinan Tanik credits those nonleague tests with preparing a young roster for competition when it counted. A combination of that youth and injuries contributed to inconsistencies along the way.
“I scheduled tough,” said Tanik, whose team is competing in the section playoffs for the first time since reaching the Division 2 quarterfinals in 2021. “I was expecting us to get a few more wins, at least, but we couldn’t pull them off because of our fragility, but we ended up playing at a good level towards the finish.
“Now, I geared the girls towards, ‘Put your mind to winning CIF and advancing in state as far as we can, so we can show our quality.’ We can show our real quality.”
Freshman outside hitter Jordyn Flynn had nine kills to pace Laguna Beach (7-25), which will hit the road to take on Desert Sky League champion Barstow (16-11) on Monday.
“She is an explosive athlete,” Tanik said of Flynn. “I think she made the biggest leap moving forward. We have a lot of talent and a lot of girls that can do a lot better, but now they’re also kind of testing the waters. They’re trying to find their confidence in what they can do.”
Sophomore pin hitter Blake Borquist contributed seven kills, sophomore opposite Zoey Bond had six kills, and senior middle blocker Baylie Bina and sophomore outside hitter Hollie Hooper each chipped in with five kills. Bina also had two service aces.
Junior Ivy Bianchi and freshman Sienna Utge had 13 assists apiece for the Breakers. Freshman libero Tessa Durand had a team-high six digs.
Junior outside hitter Paulina Morelos had nine kills and 11 digs to lead Cantwell Sacred Heart of Mary (14-13). Junior setter Delilah Gomez added 10 digs, and sophomore middle blocker Sophia Vigil contributed two total blocks.
Senior middle blocker Sadie Holmes has felt an urgency to perform with the season on the line. On a night where the Breakers were able to rotate in everyone on the roster, it was her swing that finished the match on their home floor.
“It’s just an experience to really remember,” Holmes said. “Throughout my high school experience playing volleyball, I haven’t gotten into CIF, and so it’s really exciting to be able to play in CIF my senior year. I think that’s an experience I’ll always remember and [I’m] just hoping to make it to state championships.”
Laguna Beach is carrying four freshmen and five sophomores on its varsity roster. Sophomore outside hitter Sienna Lee, Flynn and Utge were among those to start.
“We definitely helped them get experience this year,” Bianchi said. “I feel like next year, we’re going to be a so much better team, because we’re going to have so much more experience together. We’re going to have more connections, and it’s just going to be a better year.”
Also in the CIF Southern Section girls’ volleyball playoffs:
Sage Hill 3, Temecula Linfield Christian 1: Addison Uphoff had 24 kills and four aces to lead the Lightning to a 25-20, 25-9, 21-25, 25-18 victory to open the Division 4 playoffs on Thursday at home.
Eve Fowler added 15 kills and six blocks for Sage Hill (18-5), which plays at El Dorado (17-13) on Saturday at 2 p.m.
Bella Giarla added 14 kills and four aces, and Amber Wang distributed 51 assists to go with two aces.
Moorpark 3, Pacifica Christian Orange County 1: Chara Wondercheck had 19 kills and five blocks, but it wasn’t enough for the visiting Tritons, who took a 25-27, 25-16, 25-18, 25-16 loss on the road in a Division 5 first-round match.
Sierra Leeper provided 17 digs defensively for Pacifica Christian (16-15). Addie Roberson contributed 36 assists, and Kaelin Rieke had five aces.
Costa Mesa 3, Chino Don Lugo 2: Gracie Glass had 14 kills to pace the visiting Mustangs in a 21-25, 25-14, 26-24, 21-25, 15-7 win on Thursday in a Division 6 playoff opener.
Isabel Ortega-Davidson added a dozen kills, and Aubrey Spallone had 10 kills for Costa Mesa (19-11), which plays host to Diamond Bar (17-12) on Saturday at 4 p.m.
Katella def. Estancia 25-15, 25-23, 14-25, 25-14 (Division 8)
Newport Christian 3, Anaheim 2 (Division 9)
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