Santa Barbara High girls volleyball completed the season sweep of crosstown rival Dos Pueblos with a sweep on Tuesday inside J.R. Richards Gym.
The Dons got out to a fast start and never looked back en route to the win, 25-11, 25-15, 25-23.
Santa Barbara High (8-6) will host Ventura for the Channel League opener on Thursday at 6:30 p.m., while the Chargers (2-7) will be on the road against Channel Islands for the Pacific View League opener on Thursday.
The Dons’ duo of Blake Saunders and Lola Heckman were in the middle of the action all night long with 12 and 11 kills, respectively. Jacqueline Durling also contributed on the offensive end with six kills.
Jules Horton and Eloise Becker combined for 35 assists, while Paylin Marcillac and Grace Costner came together for 13 digs.
“Blake and Lola had great offensive nights tonight, both hitting strong efficiency percentages and taking care of the ball to end rallies,” Santa Barbara High head coach Kristin Hempy said. “Grace Costner had a nice night in the back row, even though it doesn’t always show on the stat sheet – she made some sacrificial defensive moves to extend rallies and had long serving runs.
“Our blocking has been improving as well – Jacqueline and Lola are getting lots of in-rally touches and making smart moves at the net.”
As for Dos Pueblos, Allie Bear had six kills and both Athena Bardakos and Faith Harrison tallied five kills apiece.
“There’s no sugar coating it, we got off to a brutal start tonight,” Dos Pueblos head coach Nate Holmes said. “Credit to the Dons for controlling the tempo of the first two sets and using their fast offense to keep us on our heels. We played scared, and the game plan went out the window.
“When we play as we belong and remember to have fun on the court, we can go toe to toe with a strong team like SB. Our goal is to find that energy more consistently, starting from the first point of the match.”
Carpinteria High 3, Providence 0
The Warriors dominated from start to finish en route to a sweep of the Patriots on Tuesday, 25-7, 25-13, 25-11.
“We were short a player, and the girls took turns in different positions to rally for the team and back each other up,” Carpinteria High head coach Evan Rowbottom said.
“We had some great serving runs from Katia Nikolov and Isabella Stovall, and Allyson Padilla had some great setting assists and defensive plays for the Warriors.”
The Warriors have now won four straight heading into their Citrus Coast League opener on Thursday on the road against Fillmore.
Bishop Diego 3, Nordhoff 2
The Cardinals pulled out a comeback five-set win over Nordhoff on Tuesday inside the Brick House, 25-19, 20-25, 20-25, 25-16, 15-12.
Karina Urzua turned in a monster performance for Bishop Diego, racking up 23 kills and 25 digs. Natalie Chan also had a double-double with 11 kills and 30 digs, while Abby Walters totaled 40 assists, nine digs and three aces.
“We had to move a match from last Thursday at the last minute, so I made the choice to give our kids a few days off. I expected the rust tonight, but again, we’re trying to be good in our league matches, and this was a great opportunity to be challenged after time off by a strong attacking team,” Bishop Diego head coach Dillan Bennett said.
“Nordhoff was very physical, and we had to elevate our defensive game and make good decisions serving the ball to get them into trouble. Despite very little practice, walking out of the gym with 95 digs, 12 aces and a five-set win is fine by me.”
The Cardinals (10-3, 3-0 Tri-Valley League) will be on the road against St. Bonaventure on Thursday.
Laguna Blanca 3, Foothill Tech 1
The Owls earned a four-set victory over Foothill Tech on Tuesday, 25-13, 21-25, 25-17, 25-17.
Lauren Kenny recorded a double-double to lead Laguna Blanca, tallying 14 kills and 15 digs. Meanwhile, Lolayna Redmond ended the night with 35 assists and seven aces, and Greta Alldredge chipped in seven kills.
“We had our best serving and passing match of the year tonight and won lots of the long rallies which kept the momentum on our side most of the match,” Laguna Blanca head coach Tanner Stevens said.
“We continue to improve offensively and when we minimize errors, our offense begins to look really smooth.”
The Owls are now 3-2 in league action and will look ahead to a road matchup with Malibu next Tuesday.
