Mater Dei breezes past Mitty for California CIF Open Division girls volleyball title
The Mater Dei girls volleyball team turned around a little history Saturday at Santiago Canyon College.
While doing so, they also won the premier division of volleyball in California with a four-game victory over the Golden State's queen of the game Archbishop Mitty for the CIF Open Division championship.
Mater Dei (43-2), ranked second nationally by SBLive Sports, won their 24th straight match to close the season with a 25-18, 23-25, 25-15, 25-21 victory to take the title and avenge a loss to Mitty in the 2017 state finals. Mater Dei came back the following year to win the state Open title, its only state championship until Saturday.
They utilized the powerful attack of Cymarrah Gordon, Layli Ostovar and Isabel Clark to capture Saturday's title.
Gordon drilled 17 kills, Ostovar added 14 and Clark blasted 13 as the Monarchs from SoCal held off the feisty Monarchs of NorCal (33-5). The victory marked the fifth straight win in the Open Division for a team from SoCal.
“Since these girls were sophomores two years ago, I had this year circled,” Mater Dei coach Dan O’Dell said. “I knew we were capable of something special but to do it is absolutely amazing.”
Mitty was led by Makenna Crosson with 16 kills, middle Amiya Kuchibhotla with 11 kills and Katelyn Cook with 10 kills. The fierce Mater Dei block held Mitty to an attack percentage of only .084, with 50 kills and 37 errors.
“We had specific preparation for specific hitters and to remember where they would hit,” Gordon said.
Mater Dei had 17 blocks in the four sets, above O’Dell’s reference of an average of over four a game being a very good blocking game.
Cymarah Gordon (5) hits into the block of Mitty's Katelyn Cook (7).
Photo: Heston Quan
Mater Dei rolled in the first set. The wild second set found Mitty rebounding behind five kills from Izzy Romero, and four each from Kuchibhotla and Crosson as they built a 19-10 lead. Mater Dei roared back to tie the set at 22-22, with Clark delivering six huge kills in the 12-3 run. But Mitty prevailed on winners from Cook and Romero.
Mater Dei rebounded strongly and won the third set easily. They led the final set 19-10 and fended off a late 7-point Mitty surge to win the match.
“We served really well,” Mitty coach Jon Wallace said. “Our blocking scheme got us some good touches but they were very fast. And they apply so much pressure, especially with their block.”
Mitty (33-5) has won 14 state championships, five more than any other program in the state. It was trying to win its first state title since beating Mater Dei in 2017.
It was also trying to become the third CCS team to win state titles over the two-day tournament after Valley Christian (Division 1) and Crystal Springs Uplands (D5) had won championships on Friday.
Other champions crowned on Saturday were Ripon Christian (D3), which won its second straight and third overall, and first-time winners Campbell Hall (D2) and Glendale (D4).
This was a rematch of the 2017 Open championship, a Mitty 25-19, 25-18, 27-25 sweep.
Photo: Heston Quan
Division 2
Campbell Hall-North Hollywood minimized errors and sparkled on defense to sweep Sacred Heart Cathedral-San Francisco 25-21, 25-17, 25-14. The Vikings (36-5) were led by Mila Mijailovic, with 21 kills and only 3 hitting errors for an amazing attack percentage for an outside hitter at .514. Sierra Starkman added 10 kills and setter Althea Morris directed the offense with 39 assists.
The Irish (25-15) were led by Sarah Caulder with 10 kills and 12 digs. Rachel Mark added eight kills.
Division 3
Ripon Christian-Ripon (37-5) went back-to-back in state titles by sweeping Redwood-Visalia 26-24, 25-19, 25-15. The Knights, winners in Division IV in 2022, were led by Leah Van Wyngarden with 15 kills and Jordan Vander Veen with 11. The Rangers (36-7) were paced by Kennedy Cutler with 12 kills and Audrey Hyde with nine kills.
Division 4
Glendale defeated Marin Academy-San Rafael 25-17, 25-22, 19-25, 25-19. The Dynamiters (40-6) won via a terrific attack featuring Aleina Manaois, with 28 kills, and Eileen Herrera with 17 kills. The Wildcats (23-17) were paced by Kate Lane with 17 kills.
Glendale’s win gave the school their first state title, after recently taking the first section title in school history. Glendale began the season 0-3 and was 7-6 on September 19, then finished the campaign with 33 straight wins.
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(Photos by Heston Quan)
