Santa Barbara High girls volleyball kicked off the CIF-SS Div. 4 playoffs with a four-set victory over Ontario Christian on Tuesday inside J.R. Richards Gym.
The Dons shook off a first-set loss and won three straight to avenge their CIF-SS semifinal and first-round State Tournament losses to Ontario Christian last year, 21-25, 25-20, 25-23, 25-18.
“This was a great, close match and I’m proud of our squad for battling a tough Ontario team and executing everything we’ve been practicing lately,” Santa Barbara High head coach Kristin Hempy said.
“Our passing struggled a little in the first set. Once we cleaned that up, everything was firing on all cylinders. I thought we used aggressive serving to our advantage, and everyone committed to their role and played at the top of their game.”
The Dons will remain at home for the second round, as they are set to host Ayala High of Chino Hills on Thursday at 6 p.m.
The duo of Blake Saunders and Lola Heckman was a force at the net with 17 and 12 kills, respectively. Saunders also had 13 digs and five aces, while Heckman chipped in two blocks. Kira Elliot also had a strong offensive game with eight kills.
“Blake had a great night overall, and her arm swing was on fire. Lola looked fast and furious up in the middle tonight, and it was fun to watch,” Hempy said.
Meanwhile, Jacqueline Durling and Paylin Marcillac turned in strong defensive performances for the Dons. Durling had three kills, three blocks and four aces, while Marcillac tallied 13 digs, six aces and 31 receptions.
“Jacq had a lot of in-rally block touches as well and was great on defense tonight. Pay served so tough tonight and really led the way,” Hempy said.
Jules Horton was at the center of the Santa Barbara offense with 43 assists, while Stella Peus recorded eight digs and two kills.
“Jules worked really hard tonight and had a great performance. Stella came in on the right side tonight and did a nice job all around,” Hempy said.
Temescal Canyon 3, Bishop Diego 1 (Div. 6)
The Cardinals closed out their season with a four-set road loss to Temescal Canyon in the first round of the CIF-SS Div. 6 playoffs on Tuesday, 23-25, 27-25, 22-25, 23-25.
“Being in a position to win this match tonight was a testament to how hard the kids fought,” Bishop Diego head coach Dillan Bennett said. “Temescal Canyon was bigger and stronger at the net than we were, but we hung in there with scrappy defense, ball control and hustle.
“Their block was a problem for us because there’s no way for us to emulate that in practice. If there was any area we could have been better that we had control over, it was serving. All in all, what this group of seven players was able to accomplish this year was pretty special, and they were a pleasure to coach.”
Bishop Diego’s Karina Urzua capped off a stellar season with 19 kills and 14 digs, while Natalie Chan also recorded a double-double with 11 kills and 10 digs.
The senior duo of Abbie Hubbs and Brighton Montag combined for five kills, two aces and 26 digs, while Ella Fuentes (3 kills, 5 digs), Danica Douglas (3 aces, 6 digs) and Abby Walter (22 assists, 4 digs) turned in strong performances.
The Cardinals finished the season with a 15-8 overall record, including a third-place finish in the Tri-Valley League. Temescal Canyon will remain in the area for the second round, taking on Dos Pueblos in Goleta on Thursday at 6 p.m.
