Laguna Blanca girls volleyball opened its season with a road sweep of San Luis Obispo Classical Academy on Thursday in San Luis Obispo.
The Owls (1-0) took control in the early stages of the match and cruised to the win from there, 25-17, 25-12, 25-15.
“It was nice to get our first game under our belt and play pretty well with only a few days of practice,” Laguna Blanca head coach Tanner Stevens said. “There is lots to build on, and it is exciting to imagine where this team can go throughout the year as we continue to progress.”
Maritt Blabey hammered down 11 kills and added six aces, while Lauren Kenny recorded seven kills of her own.
Emma Bouvat-Merlin turned in a near-perfect performance in serve receive, and the duo of Catherine Blabey and Lolayna Redmond was effective from the service line.
Mission Prep 3, Santa Barbara High 1
The Dons suffered a four-set loss to Mission College Prep on Thursday in San Luis Obispo, 19-25, 25-17, 21-25, 23-25.
“We took a minute to settle into the first set, and after that all the sets were scrappy long rallies,” Santa Barbara High head coach Kristin Hempy said. “Overall, a close match that could’ve gone either way; we were tied at 20-20 in both sets three and four.”
Senior Jules Horton did a little bit of everything for the Dons, collecting 18 assists, 13 digs, four kills, three blocks and a pair of aces.
“Jules was a workhorse for us tonight, contributing in every aspect – setting, offense, serving, defense, blocking,” Hempy said. “She’s improving her front row presence every game, and it’s encouraging to see.”
Meanwhile, Kira Elliot and Blake Saunders led the way on the outside with 13 and 10 kills, respectively. Saunders also added 13 digs, while Paylin Marcillac paced the defensive effort with 18 digs of her own.
“As a team we were able to be better balanced with our offense tonight, and Kira stepped up big on the outside to contribute,” Hempy said. “Our defensive line worked hard tonight and did a nice job as well.”
The Dons (0-2) will host Valencia for their home opener on Tuesday at 6:30 p.m. inside J.R. Richards Gym.
