MONTEREY — The punishment absorbed from the rigors of a Gabilan Division schedule have prepared Santa Catalina and Palma for this moment.
Their growth spurts over the course of the season weren’t measured in wins and losses. The maturation process, though, has them geared up for a potential postseason run in the Central Coast Section Division V volleyball playoffs.
Behind Ansley Brosseau’s 30 assists and 15 digs, Santa Catalina has advanced to the semifinals Tuesday after a 26-24, 26-24, 25-17 win over Basic Independent of San Jose.
Palma earned a rematch of last year’s semifinal with Crystal Springs Upland after sweeping Thomas More of San Jose 25-15, 25-18, 25-11 in their opening match.
The No. 4 seeded Cougars will travel to top-seed Shasta Summit on Thursday in the semifinals, while No. 2 Palma will host Crystal Springs Upland at 7 p.m.
Santa Catalina 3, Basic Independent 0
While the Cougars struggled to a 2-12 record in the Gabilan Division, they were 5-1 outside league when facing schools of similar size.
“Winning in the Gab is really hard for a school our size,” Santa Catalina coach Israel Ricardez said. “We won’t see teams built like that in Division V. People will have to see what we’re about.”
While Santa Catalina needed an extra point in each of the first two sets to capture both of them, the experience drawn from playing playoff caliber teams all season kept them even-keeled.
“We’re also a year older,” Ricardez said. “We have postseason experience under our belt. I also think it came down to the feeling we had last year in falling to Palma in the playoffs. That experience really helped us.”
Grace Henrard, the lone senior on the Santa Catalina roster, collected 10 kills, while Kristine Wong finished with seven. Evelyn Kim compiled 17 digs, with Myah Cepeda finishing with six aces and 10 digs.
“Four weeks ago, a match this tight, we might’ve ended up losing the set,” Ricardez said. “We couldn’t close these type of matches out. Tonight we did and figured it out.”
The Cougars, who have not reached the section championships since winning the Division V title in 2017, produced 70 digs as a unit over three sets.
“When our defense is on, we can terminate,” said Ricardez, who took Carmel to a CCS Division III boys title in 2017 in volleyball.
Palma 3, Thomas More 0
A year after starting up a program from scratch, head coach Ivan Garcia found himself in the Gabilan Division, despite losing his top two players.
“It’s been a big adjustment, especially going to the Gab,” Garcia said. “This team hasn’t fully meshed all season. But I do think our league has prepared us for the playoffs.”
Having limped into the postseason after being swept in their last two Gabilan Division matches, the Chieftains looked recharged in sweeping Basic Independent in three lopsided sets to earn a rematch with Crystal Springs Upland, who swept Nueva.
Last year Palma (13-12) went up to Hillsborough and was swept by Crystal Springs Upland.
“This time they are coming to us,” Garcia said. “I do see it as a revenge game. A big chunk of these kids were a part of that team last year.”
Reese Amaral ignited the offense at the net for Palma with nine kills and eight digs, while Elena Salas and Zaniyah Washington each contributed five kills, with Salas adding 14 digs.
“Our record doesn’t show how good we can be,” insisted Garcia. “We play in an ‘A’ League. Now we’re playing schools that are our size.”
Rachele Andrade and Ashlyn Urmanita combined for 25 assists for Palma, who is in just its second year of organized girls’ sports after not having girls on campus for 60 years.
Division III
Santa Cruz 3, Monterey 0
Jumping out to a 20-12 lead in the first set, the No. 4 seeded Toreadores had fuel, momentum and energy before a call seemed to change the complexion of the set.
“The girls came out banging,” Monterey coach Elle Mitchell said. “The call came at a crucial moment. It took our momentum away. Everything shifted.”
The Cardinals went on a wild run in the opening set, outscoring them 13-3 to rally for a 25-23 win. Monterey never recovered in a 25-23, 25-17, 25-19 loss in the Division III quarterfinals.
“I tried to remind them after the first set we were up,” Mitchell said. “I was trying to help them have confidence in themselves. I felt like we shut them down in the first set.”
The reigning two-time Mission Division champion Toreadores couldn’t rekindle the fire that it came out with, falling by eight and six points in the next two sets.
“I was trying to recreate what we had in the first set in the second and third sets,” Mitchell said. “We watched a lot of video of them. We felt prepared. It just didn’t go our way.”
Sofia Custodio collected four aces, six kills and three digs for Monterey, while Asia Fulp added five blocks and two kills. Morgan Kristy finished with eight kills and two blocks.
Champions of the Mission Division the last two years, Monterey improved in the win column for the fourth straight year, finishing 23-8.
Santa Cruz (20-10) has breezed through the first two rounds of the postseason behind Natalie Monroe, who had 25 kills in a three-set sweep last Saturday over Mills.
The Cardinals, who won the Santa Cruz Coast Athletic League postseason tournament, will go into their semifinal match against No. 9 seed Saratoga — who upset top seed Sacred Heart Cathedral in five sets — having won four straight matches.
Division IV
Menlo 3, Pacific Grove 1
With just one senior on the team this fall, the Breakers overachieved in setting a school record for wins with 25 before seeing their season come to a halt against perennial CCS power Menlo 21-25, 25-18, 29-27, 25-19 in the Division IV quarterfinals.
“It’s a lesson,” Pacific Grove coach Jody Garry said. “We played a little scared and tight. I have seven sophomores on this roster. I can’t wait until next year. I told them that after the match.”
Runner-ups in the Gabilan Division, the Breakers only losses over the last month of the season were two teams that won titles in their respective leagues, earning the No. 3 seed in Division IV.
“All season we have played like we’ve had nothing to lose,” Garry said. “We’ve been so focused and in the present. We weren’t able to do that tonight. Even in the game we won, we didn’t play well.”
Runner-ups in the West Bay Foothill Division to Notre Dame of Belmont, the Knights stole the momentum in the third set with a 29-27 decision to take a 2-1 lead.
“We struggled on serve receive and rarely ever do,” Garry said. “That took us out of our game. Some setter dumps got really heavy. It happens. We fought and battled. We made adjustments. We just didn’t have the offense we normally do.”
Sierra McAnally paced the Breakers with 14 kills and 21 digs, while Avalina Dolowich finished with 11 kills and 11 digs. Cambria Lyon added eight kills, with Simka Dolowich collecting 28 digs.
Harbor 3, Carmel 0
Struggling for an identity all season, the Padres will build off of their quarterfinal appearance in Division IV, where their season came to an end, falling 25-20, 27-25, 25-21.
“It’s been hard for these kids going through a third coach in three years,” Carmel coach Cody Janowski said. “I think some of the seniors were asking ‘what’s the new coach going to be like this year’ when the season began.”
A former assistant at Cal State Monterey Bay, Janowski has no intentions of making this a one-year stop, as he feels he’s building a new foundation for the future.
“I was just trying to find the right dynamics for the players,” Janowski said. “One thing that was a good problem is our youth. We only have two seniors. I have four freshmen on the varsity. The future is bright. I plan to be here 40 years.”
Lizzie Descalzi finished with 12 kills for Carmel, while Maddie Willoughby and Julie Watkins combined for nine kills. Bella Baoro had 12 assists and five aces, while Hallie Crabbe finished with 16 digs.
Division I
Sequoia 3, Salinas 0
The reigning two-time Central Coast Section Division I champions were stunned at home by No. 7 seed Sequoia of Redwood City, suffering their first home loss of the season.
Salinas ran through the Gabilan Division, going undefeated for its fourth league title in the last five years. It finishes the season 21-6.
Tennis
Emi Okada-Alonzo won her third straight Pacific Coast Athletic League singles tennis title for Monterey, posting a 7-5, 6-0 decision over Tereza Kostkova of Stevenson.
Okada-Alonzo, who will compete in the Central Coast Section singles tournament, went 15-0 this year in the Gabilan Division. The junior has yet to lose a set in her high school career in the PCAL.
Gaby Samchenko and Hannah Heberger were doubles champions for Carmel at the PCAL finals. Teammate Ruby Iranmanesh took third in the singles tournament.
