The Channel League girls volleyball season wrapped up on Tuesday, with Dos Pueblos and San Marcos securing sweeps while Santa Barbara High fell in five sets to first-place Ventura.
The Chargers end the season in second place in league while the Dons slot into third place. Both teams will be making an appearance in the CIF playoffs.
With the win over Buena, the Royals clinched a fourth-place finish in league and an automatic bid into the CIF playoffs as well
Santa Barbara and San Marcos will both be competing in Division 3 while Dos Pueblos will be in the Division 4 playoffs.
The playoff pairings for all three teams will be released on Saturday.
Ventura 3, Santa Barbara 2
The Dons fell just short in a tight five-set battle with Ventura, 23-25, 26-24, 15-25, 25-20, 15-7.
“It was a match of long rallies and excellent high level play on both sides,” Santa Barbara coach Kristin Hempy said. “Though we didn’t get the win, I’m proud of the girls for their intensity, discipline and heart this whole match.
“This is great energy to go into playoffs with.”
Emmy Werner turned in an outstanding night both offensively and defensively, collecting 18 kills and 18 digs, leading the team in both categories.
“Emmy had a great night both offensively and defensively, her swinging was strong and her effort in defense was impressive,” Hempy said.
Lexi Horton and Tessa de Albergaria backed up Werner defensively, tallying eight and 11 digs, respectively.
“I thought Lexi came in with nice energy and effort in the back row,” Hempy said. “Tessa provided strong leadership through the entire match, and excellent passing too.”
Stella Borgioli and Gwen Chenoweth once again split up the facilitating duties, combining for 46 assists, 25 for Borgioli and 21 for Chenoweth.
Nicole Schuetz had a solid all-around performance with eight kills, three digs, two blocks and two aces in the loss. Serena Byrd also contributed offensively with seven kills to go with her five digs.
The Dons end the year with a 9-5 record in Channel League.
Dos Pueblos 3, Pacifica 0
The Chargers dominated all night long, taking down the Tritons in a sweep, 25-12, 25-10, 25-13.
It was also Senior Night for Dos Pueblos as the team honored Layla McQuiggan, Lia Papador, Anelle Priebe-Garcia and Katie Sitolini.
“Each of [the seniors] contributed significantly in the match tonight and we were all very excited to have the opportunity to honor them,” Chargers coach Megan O’Carroll said.
Papador led the way offensively for the senior class, collecting nine kills to go along with three digs, three blocks and an ace.
Meanwhile, McQuiggan and Sitolini stood out defensively with seven and 11 digs, respectively. McQuiggan also added in six aces. Finally, Priebe-Garcia turned in four digs, two aces and a kill.
With the win, Dos Pueblos ended the league season with a 10-4 record.
San Marcos 3, Buena 0
The Royals swept the Bulldogs in commanding fashion, 25-17, 25-12, 25-22.
Josie Gamberdella spread the offensive attack around effectively, totaling 38 assists. Cora Loomer was the main beneficiary of those assists, racking up 10 kills.
Following Loomer were Kaylin Cooney and Grace Stone, who each had eight kills. Elena Thomas chipped in seven of her own.
“We were very efficient out of the middle with all of our middles taking a combined 29 attacks but having zero hitting errors,” Royals coach Dwayne Hauschild said. “Our growth from match one to our final match in league has been really great to see as we enter the playoffs in a very tough division.”
San Marcos (20-11, 8-6) will advance to the CIF playoffs.
Bishop Diego 3, Foothill Tech 0
The Cardinals also picked up a Senior Night sweep over the Dragons, 25-12, 25-18, 25-19.
Bishop Diego honored Sage Thorne-Thomson and Avi Gordon as the team’s two seniors and they combined for seven aces, four kills and four blocks.
Junior Eliana Urzua powered the Cardinals to the win with 26 kills, five aces and a block.
“Tonight was such a fun night from beginning to end,” Bishop Diego coach Dillan Bennett said. “Honoring our seniors, recognizing recent achievements and representing Bishop Diego Volleyball to the best of our ability made it a special experience.”
The Cardinals (17-12, 6-3 TVL) will take on Cate on Thursday.
St. Bonaventure 3, Laguna Blanca 1
The Owls avoided getting swept after dropping the first two sets but ultimately fell to the Seraphs, 25-22, 25-15, 13-25, 25-21.
“We got better tonight, there is a lot to be proud of as we competed at a high level throughout the match,” Laguna Blanca coach Jason Donnelly said. “Down 0-2 we played our best, most consistent game of the year to keep us in the match.”
Natalie Bianchi tallied a double-double in the loss with 14 kills and 12 digs.
Sarah Woodhouse and Sophie Otte also turned in all-around games that included 10 kills apiece. Woodhouse added on six digs and five aces while Otte had five blocks and two aces.
Ginger Finney managed the offense with 31 assists to go with her three aces.
With the loss, Laguna Blanca is now 8-12 and will host Providence on Friday at 6 p.m. for Senior Night.
Carpinteria 3, Thacher 1
The Warriors overcame the absence of their top outside hitter and clinched a four-set win over Thacher, 25-23, 21-25, 25-9, 25-20.
Averi Alexander is out for the rest of the season with a fractured ankle, and Amarisse Camargo stepped into her spot an turned in an impressive performance.
In the middle, Camila Martinez had four blocks while Sawyer Taff picked up five. Meanwhile, Alexiana Jaimes had 14 assists and Jenny Valencia collected 12 assists to go along with seven kills.
Carpinteria is 12-6 overall and 8-3 in league.
La Reina 3, Cate 0
La Reina took down Cate in sweeping fashion, 25-23, 25-13, 25-15.
After a tight first set, La Reina jumped ahead early in the final two sets to pick up the sweep.
“Hats off to La Reina, they played well tonight, especially in the second and third games,” Cate coach Jordon Dyer said. “We fought hard and made some great plays but weren’t able to score from the service line and let up too many serving runs.
“We had a chance to steal the first game but La Reina stepped up when they needed to and then stayed in the driver’s seat for the rest of the match.”
The Rams will host Bishop Diego for Senior Night on Thursday.