Four former local high school volleyball stars were in action at NCAA Championships this past week.
On the women’s side, Dos Pueblos alums Portia Sherman and Chloe Hoffman competed at the beach volleyball championships in Gulf Shores, Ala. — Sherman for Cal and Hoffman for Stanford.
Sherman finished an incredible four-year career at Cal, helping the Bears reach the quarterfinals for the third time in five years. She closes out the season with a 31-5 mark at the No. 1 position with Emma Donley and finishes her a career record with a record of 59-12. She and Donley are the program’s all-time winningest pair. They notched Cal’s only win in a 3-1 loss against top-seeded Stanford.
Sherman and Donley were named AVCA Collegiate Beach First-Team All Americans for the second straight season.
Stanford finished as national runner-up, falling to No. 3 UCLA, 3-0, in Sunday’s final. Hoffman, a junior, was part of a history-making season for the Cardinal. They had their best campaign with a 39-5 record and won their first two matches at the NCAA Championships, beating Cal in the quarterfinals and Florida State in the semifinals, 3-1. Hoffman, playing at No. 5 with Elena Fisher, won the clinching match against Cal.
In men’s indoor volleyball, DP alum Micah Goss helped UC Irvine advance to the Final Four. The Anteaters upset No. 1 UCLA in the quarterfinals on Saturday night at Pauley Pavilion. Goss had five kills, three service aces and three blocks in a five-set victory that was decided 16-14 in the fifth set.
Goss, a sophomore middle, a big night in a five-set quarterfinal win over Penn State, recording 10 kills on a .692 hitting average and five blocks.
Also competing in the NCAA Tournament was Santa Barbara High alum Ford Harman for Pepperdine. The Waves lost in five sets against Ball State. Harman was part of Long Beach State’s national championship team last season.
The national semifinals will be played at Pauley Pavilion on Saturday, May 9. The matchups are UC Irvine against Ball State at 3:30 p.m. and Hawai’i taking on Long Beach State at 6:30. The championship is Monday at 4 p.m.
