Lady Broncos advance to CIF-Southern Section Division 2 Finals
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No. 6 – Arrowhead Christian (29-6): 25-25-25=3
No. 2 – Rancho Christian (21-2): 23-22-23=0
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REDLANDS – This past Saturday evening marked 5,833 days since the Arrowhead Christian girls’ volleyball ACA team made it to a CIF-SS championship match under former coach David Han. That drought included a nine-year streak of missing the playoffs (2013-2021) and a 0-18 season in 2018.
It ended in a packed Eagle Arena at Arrowhead Christian on Saturday evening as ACA rallied from deficits in each set to sweep Rancho Christian and earn a championship berth against No. 1 Simi Valley the following weekend.
“Last year we were young and inexperienced and it was our first year together, so to have this quick of a transformation is incredible,” third year Arrowhead Christian coach Brittney Amey remarked. “I saw the athletes that were here and knew we could be successful together but there were some things that needed to be cleaned up and a culture change had to occur in our program. Both have happened and I’m so happy for them.”
Arrowhead Christian rallied back from an early deficit and took a 17-7 lead in set one. Sophie Allison recorded three aces and a kill in that stretch. Rancho Christian’s response was in a 10-3 run which closed the gap to 20-18. Mariah Hughes had a pair of aces, two kills and a solo block in that push. However, Sydnee Mouw had three kills in the last seven points as ACA took set one 25-23. Rancho Christian survived three set points down 24-20 and almost forced extra points.
“It feels so good to be able to take our school back to the finals after so many years,” senior middle blocker Mouw said. “Our defense did a really good job of moving and making things difficult for their hitters, all credit to our coaches for the job they’ve done in preparing us.”
Rancho Christian grabbed an early lead of 5-2 in the second but saw it fall away as Arrowhead Christian went up 11-8 on a solo block from Bethany Wilkes. Then, Rancho Christian went on a 6-1 run to grab a 14-12 lead behind a kill and solo block from Ellie Nichols but could not hold onto it. Thomas and Nichols each had kills which tied the set at 19 and 20 but ACA’s junior outside hitter Taylor Wilson ended the set with a kill to give them a 25-22 win.
“Seeing other Ambassador League teams win championships over the last few years has definitely been a motivation for us,” Wilson remarked. “Our competitive spirit showed down the stretch and Mackenzie Gray does a great job of rallying us in those tough spots.”
Attempting to extend the match, Rancho Christian led 12-8 in the third behind three kills from Thomas, two from Nichols, and a pair of aces from Charlie McLaughlin. Thomas slammed down an overpass as Rancho Christian retook a lead at 15-14 which expanded to 17-14. It was not enough as Arrowhead Christian closed on a 4-2 run to prevail 25-23 on a Wilson kill.
“Our kids are fighters and I’m so proud of how far we’ve come with Mariah and Ellie leading this team,” first year Rancho Christian coach Luci Villafana said. “They have seen where they can go, and now they just have to work for it. We’re so young with so much potential and we’ll learn from tonight.”
Second seeded Vista Murrieta advanced to the CIF-SS division two championship match with a five-set win (25-21, 20-25, 25-18, 22-25,15-8) at unseeded El Toro, who had previously knocked off Temecula Valley Wednesday, Oct. 26. El Toro (19-9) came into the postseason as the defending CIF-SS Division 3 champions.
The Chargers fell behind in the first set thanks to Montes and senior Claire Little, as they both attacked the net and prevented any kills by the Chargers. Little had 28 kills in the match. Lilliana Montes had 23 kills to lead the Lady Broncos to a victory and will take on Aliso Niguel Saturday, Nov. 5. Katrina Catalan had 10 assists for the Broncos while Megan Herbert had 10 kills.
Orange Vista fell 3-1 against Twentynine Palms in a CIF-SS division eight semifinal.
All semifinalists, plus Temecula Valley in Division 2, advance to the CIF-State tournament which begins Saturday, Nov. 5.
CHAMPIONSHIP GAMES SCHEDULE
All games Saturday, Nov. 5 (except Div. 9):
Division 1: Mira Costa vs. Sierra Canyon at Cerritos College – 7 p.m.
Division 2: Aliso Niguel vs. Vista Murrieta at Cerritos College – 12 p.m.
Division 3: Alemany vs. Oaks Christian at Oaks Christian – 6 p.m.
Division 4: Campbell Hall vs. Saugus at Golden Valley HS – 6 p.m.
Division 5: Marina vs. Buckley at Cerritos College at Cerritos College – 9:30 a.m.
Division 6: Arrowhead Christian vs. Simi Valley at Simi Valley H.S. – 6:00pm
Division 7: Nordhoff vs. Newport Beach Pacifica Christian at Cerritos College – 3 p.m.
Division 8: United Christian vs. Twentynine Palms at Twentynine Palms H.S. – 6 p.m.
Division 9: Excelsior vs. AGBU at AGBU/Canoga Park – 7 p.m. (Friday, Nov. 4)
- GENERAL PLAYOFF INFORMATION
– The following online ticket prices will be in effect at all host sites:
– General Admission $ 12.00
– Students (with HS student ID) $ 5.00
– Students (without HS student ID) $ 12.00
– Children (5 to 13 years old) $ 5.00 - TICKETS can ONLY be purchased ONLINE via www.gofan.co (links and QR codes)
- PARKING at Cerritos College – permits available only ONLINE
- All vehicles must purchase their own $3.00 parking permit online on the day of the event at: https://paymycite.com/CerritosEvents/TemporaryPermit.aspx
- All attendees will be cleared out of the gym following the Division 7 game. An online Division 1 ticket purchase is required for entrance into the gym to attend the Division 1 game.
More details about sites and times, can be found at www.cifss.org. Article contributions made by Valley News Sports Editor JP Raineri.
Derryl Trujillo has been a local sportswriter since 2018 and is the 2019 IEBCA Supporter of the Year award winner. He can be reached via email at socaltrekkie@gmail.com.
