Laguna Blanca girls volleyball defended its home gym with a three-set sweep of local rival Cate on Thursday in Santa Barbara.
The Owls came out of the gate strong in the first set, battled to a win in set two and put the finishing touches on the win in the third, 25-20, 26-24, 25-18.
“We had another great bounceback win tonight in a super important league match,” Laguna Blanca head coach Tanner Stevens said. “This team continues to show so much fight and ability to turn things around quickly.
“We still have lots to improve on, but we continue to get a little bit better every night.”
Lauren Kenny was the lone Owl in double figures with 12 kills, and she was closely followed by Marrit Blabey’s seven kills of her own
Meanwhile, Emma Bouvat-Merlin added nine digs and Lolayna Redmond ran a consistent offensive attack.
Dos Pueblos 3, Buena 0
The Chargers earned a sweeping victory over the Bulldogs on Thursday night inside Sovine Gym, 25-16, 25-12, 25-14.
“This was such a fun game to watch, and coach,” Dos Pueblos head coach Nate Holmes said. “After a low-energy match against Ventura on Tuesday, we had a team heart-to-heart and worked really hard in practice yesterday to bring our fire back.
“I am so proud of the team for bouncing back so fast and playing with passion tonight. Their energy was contagious.”
Allie Ben-Yaacov ran a balanced offensive attack for the Chargers, with Char Welch leading the team with seven kills while Kyra Sample and Kyanne Bechler each had six kills.
In the middle, Athena Bardakos and Faith Harrison tallied three kills apiece, and Mia Taylor turned in a strong all-around showing.
“I could easily shout out every player on our team and bench as we were able to get everyone in there tonight,” Holmes said.
Carpinteria High 3, Del Sol 0
The Warriors clinched their third straight win with a sweep of Del Sol on Thursday in Oxnard, 25-22, 25-16, 25-17.
“Everything we’ve been working on in practice, we’ve been seeing in the games, and the girls are not only evolving in skill and momentum, but they’re also learning from mistakes and making changes,” Carpinteria High head coach Evan Rowbottom said.
“The Jaguars put up a strong defense, but ultimately the Warriors stoked the fire and came away with a victory.”
The Warrior pairing of Isla Moore and Isabella Stovall shined throughout the night at the net.
Carpinteria High will return home to host Providence on Tuesday.
Royal 3, Santa Barbara High 2
The Dons came up just short in a five-set battle with Royal on Thursday inside J.R. Richards Gym, 25-21, 23-25, 25-19, 16-25, 6-15.
“We were sharp and strong in the first three sets, then Royal came out serving really smart and our serve-receive struggled at an inopportune time,” Santa Barbara High head coach Kristin Hempy said. “Overall, a well-battled match and some lessons for us to learn about adjusting and controlling momentum swings.”
Blake Saunders tallied 14 kills and six digs for the Dons, while Jacqueline Durling shined in the middle with eight kills and five blocks. Kira Elliot and Lola Heckman chipped in eight and seven kills, respectively.
Jules Horton ended the night with 30 assists, Paylin Marcillac collected nine digs and Eloise Becker contributed four kills, nine digs and 13 assists for the Dons.
Santa Barbara High will host Dos Pueblos for a non-league matchup on Tuesday at 6:30 p.m.
Westlake 3, San Marcos 0
The Royals were swept at home by Westlake on Thursday inside the Thunderhut, 16-25, 20-25, 23-25.
“We continue to improve every time we step on the court and tonight was no exception,” San Marcos assistant coach Tina Brown said. “We had a slow start in game one but finished strong in games two and three.”
Harper Dees had a strong night on the outside with 10 kills, while Isla Barrat and Anja Firestone scooped up 17 digs apiece in the back row. Bella Rashiti made her first varsity start and ended with two kills and three blocks.
