High Desert Volleyball Roundup: Oak Hills, Victor Valley advance to CIF-SS semifinals
The Oak Hills girls volleyball team rallied to pull off a 3-2 victory over Costa Mesa in the CIF-Southern Section Division 6 quarterfinals on Wednesday night.
Oak Hills took a quick lead, winning the first set 25-22. But Costa Mesa went on a run, claiming the following two sets with scores of 25-23.
Keonahi'ilani Solaita and fellow senior, Jaliyah Reese, noticed some of their teammates were discouraged before the fourth set and huddled up.
“We all agreed in that huddle that we'll give it our all no matter what," Solaita said. "Win or lose we had to know at the end of the day we gave it our all. So we all stepped onto the court playing not for ourselves but for each other.”
Down 2-1, the Bulldogs settled down and cruised in the final two sets, winning by scores of 25-16 and 15-8, sealing a semifinals ticket.
“Costa Mesa was a very scrappy team and I knew we as a team would have to work extra hard to keep up with them,” Solaita said. “Costa Mesa was no joke. But we pushed through adversity and kept playing. Even when the score was 3-6 in the fifth set we didn't let it get to us and continued to play our game and battled to the end.”
Solaita led the Bulldogs with 19 kills, 20 digs and two aces, while Reece recorded six blocks with three kills, and a dig.
Elle Nifo added seven kills, an ace, 22 digs and an assist; Sami Semaia dished 18 assists with two digs, an ace and a kill; Telia Hill also dished 17 assists with six digs and a kill; and TacyJo Adams added six kills, four blocks and two digs.
Oak Hills (16-7) will be home Saturday night against South Pasadena, the No. 1 seed in the division, which swept Sultana in the quarterfinals.
The winner of that meeting will move on to the Division 6 title game against either Walnut or Crossroads.
“Going into the game I feel confident and have a great feeling, no matter the outcome of the game, I am beyond proud of all of my teammates and how they've represented the High Desert,” Solaita said.
Here’s a look at the rest of the local teams in action during the quarterfinals.
More: Live updates: High Desert Week 10 high school football scoreboard
Victor Valley 3, Bassett 1
At La Puente, the Jackrabbits are moving on to the Division 10 semifinals after a victory in four sets on Wednesday night.
Victor Valley dropped the first set 25-23 before going on a run, winning the following set 25-10, and then the third and fourth with scores of 25-16.
“The team did a good job coming back and fighting after losing the first set,” said Victor Valley head coach Taylor Lillard. “Our middles did an amazing job at the net, our setter spread the sets out perfectly and our back row did a great job defending.”
Victor Valley (9-11) will be home for the semifinals Saturday night against Rosemead, which beat Grove 3-0. In the other semifinal matchup, Coast Union will host Arroyo Valley.
South Pasadena 3, Sultana 0
At South Pasadena, facing the No. 1 seed in the Division 6 bracket, the Sultans’ run came to an end in the quarterfinals on Wednesday night.
The Sultans lost in three sets by scores of 25-22, 25-13, 25-19.
Maggie Warden led Sultana with eight kills, an ace, a block, and six digs; Mishelle Dominguez added four kills and six digs; and Leila Pele dished 15 assists with three aces and six digs.
Sultana’s season ends with an overall record of 18-13.
Laguna Beach 3, Apple Valley 0
At Laguna Beach, the Sun Devils’ season came to an end in the Division 7 quarterfinals on Wednesday night.
Apple Valley dropped the first set 25-15 before just losing 26-24 in the second set. Apple Valley lost the third set 25-17.
For the Sun Devils, Leah Hambrick tallied four kills, four aces and 11 digs; Ava De Ville added two kills and 11 digs; Peyton Gayton had two kills, three blocks and a dig; and Madelyn Eisenbrey dished six assists with 11 digs, an ace and a kill.
Apple Valley’s season ends with an overall record of 16-10.
Garden Grove 3, University Prep 2
At Garden Grove, the Jaguars took an early lead in the Division 8 quarterfinals but saw their season come to an end after losing the final three sets.
The Jaguars won the first two sets with scores of 25-18 and 25-14 before dropping the third set 25-22. Garden Grove cruised in the fourth set 25-11, and then pulled off a 15-11 victory in the fifth set.
University Prep’s season ends with an overall record of 18-10-2.
This article originally appeared on Victorville Daily Press: Oak Hills, Victor Valley advance to CIF-SS volleyball semifinals