March 29, 2024 Breaking News, Latest News, and Videos

Pacifica Christian Solid As Gold With Volleyball Win Over Mariners:

Volleyball is an intense sport both physically and mentally and the long awaited non league match-up between Pacifica Christian (11-0) and St. Monica (8-2) proved that the team with the coolest heads and most aggressive hitters will win the game.

Pacifica Christian dominated St. Monica on all areas of the court with kill after kill in three straight sets 25-15, 25-16, and 25-11 to sink the mighty Mariners at St. Monica Tuesday night.

Pacifica Christian Volleyball Head Coach Billy Allen enjoyed the “cross town rivalry” and thought his team played well against the Mariners.

“I thought Maile Lane had one of her best offensive games,” said Allen. “Everything she touched she seemed to put away.”

The troubles for St. Monica began early in the first set when Mariners Cambria Lagana and Chanel Smith collided on the court near the base of the net while trying to set the ball for Mariners outside hitter Dominique Booth.

Both players were down on the court for a few intense moments and Mariners Volleyball Head Coach Brenda Gonzalez made the decision to bench the two players until the middle of the second set.

“The girls were having emotional breakdowns and were just upset about the whole situation,” said Gonzalez. “They are growing as players and as teammates and I just wanted to calm the whole situation down in that sense.”

Lagana was just cleared to play after missing the Brentwood Volleyball Tournament last weekend after she sustained a concussion against Cantwell Sacred Heart and this could have factored into Gonzalez’s decision not to play starter Lagana after the collision until the middle of the second set.

Without Lagana or Smith, there was little Booth could do on her own to liven the offense and defense of the Mariners who were down 9-2 in the second set before Booth and the Mariners were able to trade points on kills with Pacifica Christian to come back in the game 21-12 but by then it was too late.

By the time the third set rolled around Pacifica Christian’s all star outside hitter Grace Minchin, who has been recovering from recent injuries, had already been benched and Maddie Reasner stepped in to fill her spot without missing a beat.

“Maddie Reasner played outside for one of the first times and she did great,” said Allen. “She had a lot of kills so it was nice seeing people fill in where they were needed.”

The Mariners went up 7-4 in the third set with Booth leading a comeback to get St. Monica rolling again, but Reasner and the Seawolves had none of that and ended up winning the third set easily.

Pacifica Christian’s starting freshman Liz Hook served for the final eight points to put a deadbolt on the game 25-11 dampening any possibility of a comeback by the Mariners.

Gonzalez thought the loss was hard for the Mariners.

“It was a tough one for sure and I think we were a spin off of yesterday’s match,” said Gonzalez. “Emotions were low after a whole week of volleyball games and matches and I think our team couldn’t handle the emotion behind all of it.”

Next game for Pacifica Christian is a league game at home Thursday against Yeshiva (0-6).

Next game for St. Monica is an away rematch against El Camino league rival St. Bernard (5-9) Thursday.

in Sports
Related Posts

Former Angels Communications Director Eric Kay Sentenced to 22 Years in Tyler Skaggs Overdose Case

October 14, 2022

October 14, 2022

October sentencing comes over three years after 2019 overdose in Southlake, Texas Former Los Angeles Angels employee Eric Kay was...

Update: Santa Monica Girls Softball Team Fundraising for USA Softball National Championships

July 25, 2022

July 25, 2022

By Ashley Sloan The Santa Monica Girls U14 Softball Fastpitch team has advanced to the USA Softball National Championship in...

Super Bowl Pre-Game Show to Be Broadcast From Santa Monica Pier

February 10, 2022

February 10, 2022

The Santa Monica Pier will be the location for the Super Bowl Pre-Game show broadcast. Learn more in this video...

Santa Monica Youth Basketball Staying and Playing Strong

October 13, 2021

October 13, 2021

By Dr. Paul Drew Hello everyone, I’m Dr. Paul Drew.  It’s been a long time since I’ve been able to...

Local Hoopers Rejoice As Venice Basketball League Returns

September 6, 2021

September 6, 2021

The Venice Basketball League is officially back on the courts after nearly 2 years of closure. Nick Ansom joins us...

Westside Olympic Swimmer Shares Her Journey To The Games

August 31, 2021

August 31, 2021

Two time Olympian, Westside Local, and Medical Student Andi Murez has returned from the Tokyo games, hear about her journey...

Local Little League All-Star Team Wins More Than Just Championships

August 10, 2021

August 10, 2021

The Venice Baseball Academy’s little league team, the Tide, recently won the SoCal State Championships but it’s more than winning...

Crossroads Wins CIF and State Regionals

June 15, 2021

June 15, 2021

The Crossroads Varsity Boys Soccer Team had a stellar championship season starting with a true underdog story with CIF Division 6 Playoff...

Samohi Vikings Frosh-Soph Defeat Culver City Centaurs in Final Seconds

April 20, 2021

April 20, 2021

2020 was a tough year for Santa Monica High School football as Covid-19 restrictions forced all high school sports to...

Pali Riptide Baseball Club Tryouts

January 7, 2021

January 7, 2021

January 9th and 10th at Pali Rec Center The Pali Riptide Baseball Club is preparing for a spring season and...

Grand Jury Indicts Former Angel Employee in Tyler Skaggs’ Fatal Overdose

October 19, 2020

October 19, 2020

Fort Wayne grand jury indicts Eric Prescott Kay on drug distribution and drug conspiracy charges By Sam Catanzaro A federal...

Column: How to Play it Safe to Prevent Deadly Heat Exhaustion

August 24, 2020

August 24, 2020

By Shawn McCann  As the Southland region broils in a summer heatwave, the coronavirus pandemic has created additional concern for...

Former Angels Employee Charged in Tyler Skagg’s Fatal Fentanyl Overdose

August 7, 2020

August 7, 2020

Former Angels Communications Director Eric Prescott Kay faces up to 20 years in prison By Sam Catanzaro An ex-employee of...

LA Marathon to Exclude Santa Monica

July 24, 2020

July 24, 2020

Race organizers, citing “bigger footprint at the finish line”, choose Century City end point By Sam Catanzaro Santa Monica has...