Two local girls’ volleyball teams remain standing as Valencia went down in four sets on Saturday. The Foothill League co-champions West Ranch and Hart both notched wins at home on Saturday and will move on to the CIF quarterfinals.
West Ranch sweeps Warren
The Wildcats were pushed hard but emerged victorious in straight sets over the Warren Bears.
West Ranch won the Division 4 second-round matchup, 26-24, 25-16, 27-25.
Cats opposite hitter Kennedy Osunsanmi again led the way with 13 digs and 25 kills, her season high in a three-set match.
West Ranch libero Alexandra Seres led the defense with 15 digs and five aces with no serving errors. The Cats served well as a whole and finished with just four errors from behind the end line.
Wildcats setter Dani Clewis made an impact all over the court, piling up 30 assists, six kills, four digs and two blocks.
West Ranch will have its first road test of the postseason on Wednesday when the team heads to Arrowhead Christian (21-6) for a CIF Division 4 quarterfinal matchup with the Eagles.
Arrowhead is led by freshman Jordyn Wilson, who has hammered down nearly 250 kills in her first year of varsity play. The Cats will have to deal with a host of strong servers but another win pushes West Ranch into the CIF semifinals.
The Eagles host the Wildcats on Wednesday at 6 p.m.
Hart reaches QFs for first time in five years
Hart will head into the CIF quarterfinals for the first time in five seasons after taking care of the St. Margaret’s Tartans.
The Indians won the road match, 25-16, 22-25, 25-16, 25-15.
Senior Madison Maxwell again led Hart with 28 kills, while outside hitter Maiah Jiz also added 10. Setter Morgan Dumlao finished the night with 40 assists and libero Alexis Holloway continues to impress in the back row after a 31-dig night.
Hart (23-6) will now have its toughest test yet in the Campbell Hall Vikings (29-4).
The Vikings are led by all-CIF outside hitter Mila Mijailovic, who registered a staggering 451 kills in the regular season. Senior Sierra Starkman has also been lethal on the net with 248 kills for Campbell Hall.
Campbell Hall’s fate again lies in Santa Clarita, as the team’s 2022 CIF run came to an end in the CIF championship match against Saugus.
Maxwell, Holloway and the Indians have passed well this season but will again be tested on their home court.
Hart hosts Campbell Hall on Wednesday at 6 p.m. for a shot at the CIF semifinals.
Valencia goes down in four to Temple City
The Vikings’ season came to an end on Saturday after the visiting Temple City Rams (15-4) took down Valencia in four sets.
The Rams won the match 25-27, 24-22, 25-21, 25-26 behind 33 kills from Stanford-bound senior Taylor Yu.
Valencia (9-16) was led by Landon Poirier, Elena Hernandez, Luca Heerlein and Grace Knudson with six kills. Hernandez and Poirier also led the team with 14 digs apiece.
The Rams will head into the CIF Division 5 quarterfinals on Wednesday at home against the Ventura Cougars.
The Vikings will graduate eight talented seniors but have a lot to look forward to with numerous sophomore and junior returners set for next year as well as an undefeated freshman team looking to come up to varsity quickly.
