RANCHO SANTA MARGARITA — Losing did not sit well with the Santa Margarita girls volleyball team. The Eagles closed the Trinity League season with back-to-back losses, so they ended up limping into the CIF-Southern Section Division 2 playoffs on Wednesday.
But that limp? Turned out to be phantom pain.
The Eagles defeated visiting Redlands in four games, 25-18, 25-13, 23-25, 25-16, to advance to the second round of the playoffs.
They will play host Saturday to Ontario Christian with the potential of playing top-seeded Saugus or Aliso Niguel in the quarterfinals.
“We came into the game off of two tough losses against really tough teams,” said Eagles outside hitter Memphis Burnett. “The losses to JSerra and Orange Lutheran had a really big effect on our team. We had a lot of really hard practices. We knew it was coach Daly’s 300th win and we wanted to give her that, but we also wanted to start the playoffs on a really high note.
“Those two losses really set the tone for our team – made us want it more.”
The victory was a milestone for coach Katy Daly, who celebrated her 300th victory with her team after running their season record to 20-13.
Burnett dropped 19 kills on the Terriers, the Citrus Belt champion who dropped to 21-12.
Margarita’s other outside hitter, Ireland Real, had 14 kills.
But they also benefited from the strong overall play of Kate Jackson and others.
“Memphis brings the energy and goes for it,” Daly said. “She’s a powerful player and natural leader on the court. Kate’s our steady foundation, our calm in the storm.”
There wasn’t a lot of inclement weather for Santa Margarita, but it did get a little brisk. The Eagles were trailing 9-4 in the first game, but followed with a 10-1 run that positioned them for the victory. They made the run with Andrea Villar and Roma Witowski (who finished with 24 assists) at the service line.
At 20-18, it was Witowski who served out the final five points in a 25-18 score.
In the second game, the Eagles trailed 5-4 when they went on a 7-1 run – again powered by the service of Villar and Witowski. Redlands got to within 11-9 when Ireland exerted herself at the net.
The only real hiccup took place in the third game. Margarita led 17-15 when Redlands scored eight in a row. Gianna Corona served three aces during the stretch for the Terriers, who were up 24-18 when Burnett began serving the Eagles back into the game. But Redlands held on, 25-23.
Game 4 was close for awhile as Margarita led 12-10 before stretching its margin to 14-10, 18-11, 19-12, 20-13, and 24-14, before winning 25-16.
“After Game 3, we decided to win the next game and come out of this with a W,” said Burnett, a junior.
Is it that easy, to just decide to win the next game?
“With our team, it’s like that, it’s pretty white and black,” Burnett said. “We’ve got to make a decision and buy into it.”
Barnett was fantastic, but it was Santa Margarita’s size advantage that kept Redlands at bay. Real and middle blocker Kaliya Ndiaye are both 6 feet 4 and played crucial roles at the net. They were too much for Redlands’ best players, Devi Lucas (5-9) and Saniyah Sobers (5-8). Neither of them were overmatched, but there is no “grow seven inches” in the Redlands playbook.
Jocelyn McNairy, at 6 feet, was the Terriers’ tallest player, “and she’s a ballerina who only has one year of club volleyball,” said Redlands coach Corinne Flowers. So when almost everything that Redlands hit kept coming back, it took its toll. The Terriers just couldn’t keep up. Sobers finished with 12 kills, Lucas with seven.
“It’s a different culture,” Flowers said. “To take a game off them was really good, especially after losing the second game. I thought we did good to win Game 3. We never gave up, and I’m really proud of my team for that. Our defense was solid.
“I would like for a league champion to at least get a home game, but Santa Margarita has a lot of girls who can really put the ball down.”
