2004 CIF State
Volleyball Championships

December 4, 2004 Cypress College

Following are recaps of each state championship final match:

Division I: Nevada Union vs. Mira Costa
As it has been most of the season, the 1-2 punch of setter Taylor Carico and hitter Alix Klineman proved too much as the Mira Costa Mustangs downed a gritty Nevada Union team 25-12, 22-25, 25-19, 25-19 to win its first title since 1989.

Klineman, a 6-4 sophomore who regularly contacts the ball above 10 feet, collected 20 kills to pace the Mustangs to a two games to one lead, then unleashed a lethal jump serve as part of a seven-point serving run that turned around an early deficit in the fourth and final game. Carico chased down every ball in sight, delivering perfect sets to the pins and the middles. And when the defense was on its heels, she devastated the Miners with 12 dumps of every imaginable kind.

Nevada Union, which got 20 kills from Ali Daley, played tremendous defense, digging ball after ball, but Mira Costa wouldn’t stop swinging and didn’t get frustrated. When the time came to swing and score, they took advantage.

MVP: Alix Klineman, Mira Costa

All-Tournament Team: Taylor Carico and Jessica Hardy, Mira Costa; Allison Daley and Nicole Williams, Nevada Union

Sportsmanship Award Winners: Lauren Bledsoe, Mira Costa; Julie Wivholm, Nevada Union

Division II: Archbishop Mitty Makes it Three in Four Years
Archbishop Mitty squandered four match points in Game 4, but with one more shot in Game 5 against a game Mater Dei squad, 6-5 freshman Amanda Gil delivered, taking a quick set from senior KC Walsh and spanking the ball into the open court for the 16-25, 25-22, 25-21, 25-27, 15-13 win, Mitty’s second straight state title in Div. II and sixth all time.

“As a school, we’ve been doing this for a decade,” said Mitty coach Bret Almazan-Cezar. “This is just another link in the chain.”

Mitty was in control throughout the final game, but with their backs against the wall trailing 12-8, Mater Dei fought back to get to 13-13. Senior Erin Downey’s slide gave Mitty its fifth match point of the night and Gil finished off the match.

Walsh, an all-tournament selection, and Downey, named the MVP, capped fine careers with their third state titles in four years. All-American Mallorie Croal led Mater Dei with 17 kills and 22 digs.

MVP: Erin Downey, Archbishop Mitty

All-Tournament Team: Lacey Gera and KC Walsh, Archbishop Mitty; Mallorie Croal and Allison Kincheloe, Mater Dei

Sportsmanship Award Winners: Carrie Estill, Archbishop Mitty; Jacquie Pearson, Mater Dei

Division III: Rim of the World Claims First State Crown Since 1983
Exhibiting power and precision, Rim of the World, from the tiny Southern California resort community of Lake Arrowhead, dismantled Sacred Heart Cathedral 25-18, 25-13, 25-19 in the California Div. III state volleyball championship.

The win was the fourth all-time for Rim of the World, but their first since winning the first three titles the state championships were contested in 1981-83. They also reached the final in 1984, and had not been back until this year.

Sparked by Nicole Gonzalez, who had eight kills, Sacred Heart Cathedral got off to a good start in Game 1, forging a 4-3 lead, but an 18-8 Rim run that featured multiple kills from 6-1 junior Sonja Newcombe put the game out of reach. Newcombe was named the match MVP, finishing with 13 kills.

Rim was even better in Game 2. Setter Nique Fradella got all of her hitters involved and they all delivered. Cassie Engelgau added 11 kills and 18 digs and teammate Cassie Ells chipped in 19 putaways for Rim.

MVP: Sonja Newcombe, Rim of the World

All-Tournament Team: Cassie Engelgau and Nique Fradella and Shannon Moody, Rim of the World; Nicole Gonzalez, Sacred Heart Cathedral

Sportsmanship Award Winners: Nique Fradella, Rim of the World; Shauna Folan, Sacred Heart Cathedral

Division IV: Francis Parker Sweeps Golden Sierra for Fifth Title
At 8-8 in the first, the game was on between Francis Parker and Golden Sierra for the state Div. IV title. After a Cassidy Lichtman kill for a Parker point sparked a 10-2 run, it was over, as the Lancers rolled to their first title since 1998 with a 25-18, 25-16, 25-9 win over their Northern California opponents.

“Today, I think Francis Parker’s block confused us,” said Golden Sierra coach Jeff Deter. “Once we got confused, we were never there. After a few blocks, we made a mental switch. It affected everything – our passing, our serving…”

Lichtman, a sophomore outside hitter who was named match MVP, took turns, with Alexis Crusey and Megan Prior, battering Golden Sierra with strong swings and tips that found the floor much more often than the defensive-minded Grizzlies were used to. Lichtman finished with 15 kills and five blocks, while Crusey, who was named to the all-tournament team, added 11 kill and nine blocks. With only one senior in the regular rotation, it’s not too early to think about a Parker dynasty brewing down in San Diego.

MVP: Cassidy Lichtman, Francis Parker

All-Tournament Team: Alexis Crusey and Sarah Wolfe, Francis Parker; Melissa Granville and Cambria Wilber, Golden Sierra

Sportsmanship Award Winners: Megan Prior, Francis Parker; Melissa Granville, Golden Sierra

Division V: Marin Academy defeats Santa Fe Christian For First State Volleyball Championship
Santa Fe Christian stars Sarah Munoz and Alanna Resch fired rocket shots all over Cypress College Saturday morning. Most found the waiting arms of Marin Academy diggers, as the Wildcats made their first state finals appearance a success with a 19-25, 25-19, 16-25, 25-23, 15-10 win over the defending Div. V champion Eagles.

While it’s not usually an advantage having a first-year coach heading into a state finals match, Erwin Chu was the exception. Chu was an assistant the last two years when University High faced off against Santa Fe in the finals and knew what to expect from the Eagles offense.

“I kind of knew what their hitters like to hit,” Chu said. “We worked on heading straight to where they normally hit to. That’s where we had our diggers positioned.”
“They played amazing defense,” said Santa Fe coach Diane Pascua. “They were digging balls left and right. That kept them going.”

Marin (35-7) finished the match with a 75-52 dig advantage. Tournament MVP Sandra Sears had 17 digs to go along with 16 kills and four aces. All-tournament selections Alex Levin and Jackie Adlam combined for 31 more digs. Molly Hunter, whose kill ended the final game, was strong at the net with five kills and seven blocks.

MVP: Sandra Sears, Marin Academy

All-Tournament Team: Jackie Adlam and Alex Levin, Marin Academy; Alanna Resch and Sarah Munoz, Santa Fe Christian

Sportsmanship Award Winners: Molly Hunter, Marin Academy; Maile Miller, Santa Fe Christian

recaps written by John Tawa, PrepVolleyball.com