And so they meet again.
The Santa Monica girls volleyball team will enter the CIF Southern Section Division 3AA semifinals at home Tuesday at 7 p.m. against San Juan Capistrano-St. Margaret’s Episcopal, the program that knocked the Vikings out of the playoffs last year.
The upcoming game marks the extension of what has already been a thrilling season for Samohi (15-5), which went undefeated in conference play to capture the Ocean League title.
The winner will face either Lancaster-Quartz Hill or Moreno Valley-Valley View in the section championship game Friday or Saturday.
The Vikings began their postseason journey with a 3-0 (25-16, 25-11, 25-12) sweep of Lancaster at home Nov. 10. The victory propelled them into a second-round matchup against Riverside-North, which they edged in a 3-2 (25-19, 22-25, 23-25, 25-15, 18-16) thriller at home Nov. 12.
Samohi secured its trip to the semifinals with a 3-1 (22-25, 25-17, 25-22, 25-17) triumph over Twin Peaks-Rim of the World in the quarterfinals, winning three frames in a row after dropping the first set on the road Nov. 14.
St. Margaret’s Episcopal (22-5), this year’s Academy League champion, lost in the section finals last season.
Crossroads falls in five-setter
The Crossroads girls volleyball team came tantalizingly close to reaching the quarterfinals of the CIF Southern Section Division 2A playoffs.
The Roadrunners began their postseason Nov. 10 with a thrilling 3-2 (24-26, 22-25, 25-22, 25-16, 15-12) comeback victory against Oxnard, which collapsed after taking the first two games by close margins.
The win propelled Crossroads into the second round against Woodland Hills-Louisville, but coach Aaron Wexler’s team wasn’t able to duplicate its magic in a 3-2 (25-15, 22-25, 25-19, 23-25, 15-7) loss at home Nov. 12.
It was the final high school match for seniors Chloe Brendlinger, Genevieve Worthe, Amanda Rosenberg, Jessica Friedman and Lauren Roper.
The Roadrunners finished their campaign with a 15-15 record, including an 8-4 mark in conference play to take third place in the Gold Coast League standings.
St. Monica topped in second round
The St. Monica Catholic girls volleyball team wasn’t going to travel 300-plus miles for nothing.
Facing Thermal-Desert Mirage on the road near Joshua Tree National Park in the first round of the section’s Division 4AA playoffs, the Mariners earned a 3-0 (25-18, 25-15, 25-17) victory Nov. 10 to keep their season alive.
They fell behind early in the third game but recovered to advance.
In the second round Nov. 12 they hosted Ventura-St. Bonaventure and couldn’t extend the match despite playing three close games, losing 3-0 (25-23, 25-21, 25-21).
St. Monica finished its first season under coach Katie Charles with a 16-10-1 record and a share of the conference title with a 6-2 mark in the Camino Real League.
Seawolves’ streak ends
The Pacifica Christian girls volleyball team will have to start fresh next season.
After having its streak of eight-consecutive conference titles snapped, the Seawolves were hoping to extend their run of eight-straight appearances in the section quarterfinals.
But they ended up getting bounced from the Division 4AA playoffs in the second round, succumbing to Long Beach-St. Anthony 3-0 (25-16, 27-25, 25-13) on the road Nov. 12.
The Seawolves (14-12) began the postseason with a 3-0 (25-14, 25-10, 25-14) sweep of Twentynine Palms on Nov. 10 at St. Bernard High School in Playa Del Rey.
In that game, senior Liz Hook had 11 kills and three aces, sophomore Thalia Rakosky added 10 kills and two aces and senior Georgia Twersky served four aces.
jeff@www.smdp.com
