Saugus to host Campbell Hall in CIF title game 

The Saugus Centurions varsity girls volleyball team celebrate after defeating the Polytechnic Panthers in the CIF Southern Section Division Four semi-finals to advance to the championships at the Saugus High School gymnasium on Saturday, Oct. 29, 2022. The Centurions won in straight sets. Chris Torres/The Signal
Share on facebook
Share
Share on twitter
Tweet
Share on email
Email

Centurions girls volleyball (32-2) is gearing up to host the CIF Division 4 championship game with the visiting Campbell Hall Vikings (20-9). 

The two will face off Saturday at Golden Valley in what’s sure to be a battle. 

Saugus’ balance has kept the team relatively unscathed throughout the last month of play, with seven straight sweeps. 

Junior Taylor Treahy has been deadly in the CIF run, hammering down 14 kills a match.  Libero Gabriella Cascione is averaging just under 14 digs per match in the playoffs. The team as a whole is also averaging about five service aces per match in the postseason. 

Saugus has plenty of underclassmen in key positions but every one of them is already a CIF veteran. 

In the team’s playoff match with Thousand Oaks, Saugus head coach Zach Ambrose had nothing but confidence in his team to close out the set, which was tied 23-23. Ambrose believed in his team because they’ve been there before numerous times and have consistently closed out high-pressure sets. 

The team just seems to do everything right but will have their biggest opponent yet in Campbell Hall. 

The Vikings enter the championship game on a four-game playoff win streak, including a five-set victory over the second seeded Schurr. 

Campbell Hall is led by outside hitter Mila Mijailovic. The junior leads the offense by a mile with well over 500 kills on the season. 

The other outside, Sierra Starkman, ranks second on the team with about half as many kills as Mijailovic. 

Vikings setter Althea Morris will look to keep to her outsides in control of the game but may also try to catch the Centurions off guard with hitting elsewhere. However, Saugus hasn’t been surprised by much this season. Great hands over the net and strong digging in the back row have kept the team in control of thousands of points this season. 

The blocking of Saugus middles Shelby Scott and Naomi Greer has shut down offenses dozens of times this season. They’ll have their biggest test against the swings of Mijailovic and Starkman. 

The Vikings and Centurions will be swinging away for the CIF crown, but win or lose, both teams will head into the state playoffs next week. 

The CIF Division 4 championship game begins Saturday at 6 p.m. at Golden Valley. 

Related To This Story

Latest NEWS