This past Saturday, girls volleyball dominated the Central Coast Section (CCS) finals match against their Pacific Athletic League (PAL) rival, Carlmont High School. The Bears won the match in three well-fought sets.
M-A won the first 25 to 14, and after a deficit of 20 to 24, went on to win the second set 27 to 25. The Bears ended the match on a high note by topping Carlmont 25 to 17 in the final set to win the CCS title for 2015.
Throughout the match, the Bears achieved several kills and blocks from seniors Leanna Collins and Courtney Foliaki, juniors Jacqueline DiSanto and Eliza Grover, and sophomore Lauren Heller. Junior setter Kirby Knapp assisted the hitters over 40 times during the match. Defensive specialists junior Kiana Sales, senior Shauna Sabet, junior Jacqueline DiSanto, and libero junior Alexa Roumeliotis contributed an impressive amount of consistent passes and digs.
The entire team expressed how proud they are of their accomplishments and growth throughout the 2015 season. Senior Kelsey Tonsfeldt stated, “I’m so proud of our sophomore, Lauren, she had an amazing game along with the rest of the team. We’re all so thankful that this journey isn’t over yet!”
Co-captain Knapp added, “The coaches were overjoyed with the win, especially since it was against Carlmont, who have been very tough competition in league. Our postseason has been very successful because everybody on the team has been putting in a ton of effort in practice and in games so that we can accomplish our goals.”
Thanks to this win, the team advances to the NorCal Division Playoffs. The first team the Bears will face in the NorCal Division is Lowell High School from San Francisco. The playoff game will be hosted at M-A at 7 pm on November 24. If the Bears win this game, they will continue to advance in the NorCal Division, hopefully accomplishing their goal of moving towards the state championship.
