Seven local girls volleyball teams were in action for the first round of the CIF Playoffs on Thursday, and only two picked up victories to advance to the second round.
The Carpinteria Warriors and Cate Rams will continue their postseason runs on Saturday, while Santa Barbara High, San Marcos, Dos Pueblos, Bishop Diego and Providence had their seasons come to a close.
Pasadena Poly 3, Santa Barbara 0 (Division 3)
The Dons were swept in straight sets by a tough Pasadena Poly program, 25-19, 25-23, 25-10.
“Pasadena Poly is a strong program and they showed up a little more ready tonight than we did,” Santa Barbara coach Kristin Hempy said. “We struggled to pass their tough serves and unfortunately that made it harder to get in our groove offensively.”
Nicole Schuetz, Whitney Meister and Emmy Werner contributed offensively for the Dons, tallying eight, five and four kills, respectively. Gwen Chenoweth led the team with 11 assists.
Werner also added three digs on the defensive end. Also defensively, Tessa de Albergaria finished the night with six digs to go with her two aces.
“Nicole made an impact tonight with her attitude and competitiveness, and Tessa gave all-out effort in the back row,” Hempy said.
“It’s tough to end on a loss like this but I’m proud of the girls for their hard work this season, and we wish any local area teams still alive in the playoffs good luck.”
The Dons end with a season-long record of 18-11. They finished third in Channel League at 9-5.
Campbell Hall 3, San Marcos 0 (Division 3)
The Royals were handled by No. 2 seed Campbell Hall in a sweep, 25-13, 25-16, 25-19.
“Campbell Hall was the most polished and disciplined team we have seen all year, and despite the strong run we had as a team to get to CIF, they were too much for us tonight,” San Marcos coach Dwayne Hauschild said. “With 11 seniors on their squad, their experience was tough to overcome.”
Offensively, Cora Loomer led the way with seven kills while Kaylin Cooney and Grace Stone had six and five, respectively.
The Royals got solid defensive performances from Katie Kracke, who had 10 digs, and Elena Thomas, who ended with nine.
“Overall, it was a solid season for a very young team,” Hauschild said of his squad.
San Marcos was the fourth-place finisher in Channel League after going 8-6 in league play and will wrap up the year with a 20-12 overall record.
Thousand Oaks 3, Dos Pueblos 0 (Division 4)
The Chargers were also bested by way of a sweep, falling to Thousand Oaks, 25-18, 25-20, 25-22.
“I am so incredibly proud of the efforts of this team all season,” Dos Pueblos coach Megan O’Carroll said. “From the very start, we were counted out of everything and no one thought we would end up where we did.”
Halle Rillie wrapped up her stellar season with 17 assists, four kills, four digs, two blocks and two aces on the night.
Jayden Jones and Addie Low led the Charger offense with six kills apiece. On defense, Atasha Black turned in 11 digs while Sonia Mancuso had eight.
“My girls stepped up and just told everyone, “watch us,” and they did it with class and incredible sportsmanship – things that are absolute pillars of what it means to be a Charger,” O’Carroll said. “It was one of the greatest privileges of my coaching career to get to coach these young women.”
Dos Pueblos, who finished second in league with a 10-4 mark, finished the year with a 13-11 record.
Royal 3, Bishop Diego 0 (Division 4)
The Cardinals were swept by Royal on the road, 25-9, 25-20, 25-21.
“While we sputtered early, the Cardinals fought hard the next two games and had opportunities to take both,” Bishop Diego coach Dillan Bennett said. “Royal is a great program, and for our school to compete in D4 is a testament to our players’ hard work.”
The Highlanders were a perfect 8-0 in Coastal Canyon League play, earning a league title at the end of the regular season.
With the season-ending loss, Bishop Diego finished the year with an 18-13 record. The Cardinals were the second-best team in the Tri-Valley League with a 7-3 mark.
“I’m very proud of their resilience over the course of one of the toughest seasons schedule-wise we’ve ever had,” Bennett said. “We have a strong core of players returning next year, and I have no doubt they’ll return hungrier than ever to get back to championship form.”
Cate 3, Ocean View 2 (Division 6)
The Cate Rams took care of business in their matchup, defeating Ocean View in five sets, 18-25, 25-20, 18-25, 25-16, 15-13.
After losing two of the first three sets, the Rams got hot late, winning back-to-back sets to clinch the victory.
“These two teams went back and forth all night, trading off serving runs and scrappy plays,” Cate coach Jordon Dyer said. “Despite the challenges, our team managed to stay poised and execute when it mattered most.
“This was a great experience for us, being tested on the road can really show what we are made of.”
Oyin Opawumi led the way with a whopping 27 kills and hit .411. Melanie Davidson also made an impact with seven aces.
The Rams will host Paraclete on Saturday at 3:30 p.m. to the second round on Saturday.
Carpinteria 3, Santa Clara 1 (Division 8)
The Warriors picked up a four-set victory over Santa Clara to advance, 24-26, 25-18, 25-21, 25-11.
For a full game recap, click here.
University Prep 3, Providence 2 (Division 9)
The Patriots fell in a tightly contested five-set matchup with University Prep, 25-13, 16-25, 22-25, 25-17, 15-7.
“We’ve improved so much this season and wanted to win this game so badly,” Providence coach Taylor Slover said. “We played so well and I’m so proud of them.”
After dropping the first set, the Patriots roared back with back-to-back wins, including a second set where the team only had one missed serve and six aces.
However, Providence then dropped two straight sets and saw its season come to an end.
Kate Edgar, who has dealt with an injury all season, finished the year with a nine-kill performance while Olivia Leflang contributed six aces and five kills.
“They did so many good things in that game and I just can’t wait to get them ready for next season,” Slover said of her team.
The Patriots round out the season with an 8-5 record after winning the Condor League.