Five local high school girls volleyball squads competed in the 26-team Cardinal Classic hosted by Bishop Diego on Saturday in the Thunderdome at UCSB.
The Santa Barbara High Dons led the local contingent, earning a third-place overall finish in the Gold Division.
“Today was such a fun day,” Bishop Diego head coach and tournament director Dillan Bennett said. “The build-up and the work involved in running an event like this is tiring, but when all is said and done, it’s worth it to see so many happy kids playing the sport.
“We’re grateful to UCSB for hosting this event, and to all the local south coast teams for participating this year.”
Santa Barbara High
The Dons cruised through Gold Pool A with three consecutive 2-0 victories over Righetti, Downey and Nipomo High.
Santa Barbara High began the day with a 25-16, 25-14 win over Righetti and then followed that with a 25-21, 25-22 victory over Downey. The Dons then secured the top seed in the Gold division with a 25-19, 25-23 defeat of Nipomo.
They continued to roll in the playoffs, picking up a one-set 25-16 win to advance to the semifinals. Santa Barbara’s run ended there with a 25-20 loss to San Luis Obispo High, who eventually won the tournament.
“This was an overall strong day for us; we were able to iron out a lot of wrinkles with regard to our lineup and get some great momentum with four wins against strong and scrappy teams,” Dons head coach Kristin Hempy said.
Outside hitter Blake Saunders was on fire throughout the day, leading the team with 40 kills and 25 digs.
“Blake had a great offensive day for us; 40 kills in one day is pretty impressive stuff,” Hempy said. “She is just such a competitor, so driven to put the ball away, and it was fun to watch her be so successful.”
Meanwhile, Kira Elliot also shined on the outside with 22 kills for the Dons. Eloise Becker handled the setting, dishing out 83 assists to go along with 18 digs. Lola Heckman totaled 15 kills, and Addy Duex served up nine aces.
“Eloise worked really hard all day and did very well facilitating our offense. I’m proud of her poise and effort taking on the sole setting role for now while our other setter is injured,” Hempy said. “Kira was also productive on the outside for us and had a lot of nice swings.
“We moved Lola to the middle today, and that was a bright spot, and we put Addy on the right where she led the way in aces for the team today.”
Santa Barbara (4-3) will host Santa Ynez High on Tuesday at 6 p.m.
Bishop Diego
The Cardinals split their opening games in Silver Pool 2, falling to Holy Martyrs before taking down Trinity Classical, 18-25, 25-17, 26-24.
Bishop Diego followed that up by dropping its Silver Division championship bracket opener to Viewpoint.
The Cardinal duo of Natalie Chan and Karina Urzua were in the middle of the action all day long en route to the 1-2 performance.
“Our experienced players are starting to gel with our new kids, and everyone looks more comfortable than last week, which is all we can ask of them,” Bennett said.
“We played some of our best ball in the last game against a strong Viewpoint team, so despite the loss, we left feeling like we were competitive. We look forward to starting league play at home on Tuesday.”
Bishop Diego will host crosstown rival Laguna Blanca on Tuesday at 5:30 p.m. inside the Brick House.
Laguna Blanca
The Owls earned one win playing in Silver Pool 3, battling to a three-set victory over Coastal Christian, 25-27, 26-24, 15-13. The win slotted them into the Silver Division Consolation bracket.
Laguna Blanca then pulled out a win over Rio Mesa to advance to the consolation championship, where it came out on top in a battle with Trinity Classical for the title.
Lauren Kenny ended the day with 35 kills to pace the Owls, while Greta Alldredge tallied 11 aces, Lolayna Redmond had 33 digs and Maritt Blabey recorded 25 kills and eight aces. Mia Bianchi and Angelina Arria each had strong showings from the service line as well.
“It was fun to get to try some new lineups today and get lots of different girls game reps,” Laguna Blanca head coach Tanner Stevens said. “We’ve had a good three weeks leading up to league, and while there is still lots to work on, there are lots of positives to start the year.”
Dos Pueblos
The Chargers went 1-2 in Gold Pool B, with the lone triumph coming on a 25-18, 25-17 victory over St. Joseph.
Dos Pueblos then won its first Gold Division Consolation matchup against Righetti before ending its tournament with a loss to Ventura High.
San Marcos
The Royals picked up one victory in Gold Pool D, racing past Pioneer Valley for a dominant 25-9, 25-9 win.
The 1-2 pool play performance put San Marcos in the Gold Division Consolation bracket, where it fell in its first game to Capistrano Valley Christian.
Dos Pueblos and San Marcos volleyball did not provide information.
