The Laguna Blanca girls volleyball team was recognized for its CIF-Southern Section championship and CIF State Tournament runner-up finish during Monday’s Santa Barbara Athletic Round Table press luncheon.
It’s a Round Table tradition to invite CIF championship team to the press luncheon to be honored.
The Owls won the CIF-SS Division 4AA title, defeating Alta Loma in five sets. It was their second title in program history. They fell to Belmont-Notre Dame in the Division 4 state final.
“For us, it’s been a wonderful experience, because while our goal was to hang a banner in the gym — that was our term for winning CIF — we ended up making a magical run through the state tournament,” said coach Jason Donnelly.
Donnelly said great team chemistry and improvement in the mental side of the game were keys to the team’s success.
That was evident in the win over Alta Loma in the 4AA final.
“In a five-set final, they played poised consistently when it mattered most,” he said.
He added: “I knew we were good physically. What we needed to do was work on the mental side of the game a little bit. Once the girls bought into that, they reaped the rewards.”
— Noozhawk sports editor Barry Punzal can be reached at bpunzal@noozhawk.com. Follow Noozhawk on Twitter: @noozhawk, @NoozhawkNews and @NoozhawkBiz. Connect with Noozhawk on Facebook.