It was a storybook finish for the Eastlake High School girls volleyball team in its Mesa League match-up against east side rival Otay Ranch on Oct. 20, and the season isn’t finished.
The host Lady Titans recovered from a five-point deficit, 18-23, in the third set of their best-of-three match-up against the Lady Mustangs before rallying to post a 26-24 victory and a three game sweep.
The win cemented the league championship for Eastlake (8-0 in league, 19-7 overall).
“I told the girls that we’ve been down before in some games,” EHS head coach Erwin Macalaguim explained. “We just needed to settle down and play our game. When we’re communicating and working as a team, we’re very competitive.”
“This was the game that if we won, we would win league since all the other teams had three losses,” senior Audrey-Rose Hutchinson explained. “We have to go out with the mentality that all these teams are equal to us, that they can beat us. We can’t let down.”
The team’s energy at the end of the deciding match was self-perpetuating, self-propelling.
“We’re just like a family,” explained senior Kristen Abels, a four-year varsity player who will continue her volleyball career at the University of Utah. “We’ve played together so long that we communicate well together.”
And stick together.
Eastlake won the opening two sets 25-18, 25-5 before falling behind 18-23 in the third set.
“I think we lost some momentum in the third set,” Abels explained. “But everyone started talking and communicating and we knew we could come back.”
This is the third consecutive season that Eastlake has won the league title. This year’s team features seven seniors.
“This is probably the best of the three (league championship) teams,” Macalaguim explained. “They grew up together playing with each other. You can tell they have chemistry by the way they play.”
The Lady Titans advanced as far as last year’s Division I semifinals. Macalaguim said the team, buoyed by so many seniors, has set its goals high this season.
“These girls have a goal to hang a banner and the color would be green (signifying a CIF championship),” he said.
The win over Otay Ranch boosted Eastlake to the No. 5 ranking among Division I teams — that would place the Lady Titans in the elite eight-team Open Division playoffs.
“If we’re in the Open Division, we’ll be competitive,” the EHS coach said. “If we’re in Division I, we could win it.”
The Lady Mustangs have a shot at the Division I title if the Lady Titans are in the Open Division. Otay Ranch is No. 12 in the Division I power rankings. That would put the Lady Mustangs in the No. 4 spot among Division I teams following the Open Division split.
Karen Cordero led Otay Ranch (5-3 in league, 22-6 overall) with seven kills and 13 digs while Grecia Cordero paced the team with 27 digs in the loss to Eastlake. Shannon Casey tallied 15 assists in the loss.
Playoff projections
Olympian (second) and Bonita Vista (sixth) would both qualify for the Division II playoffs if the season ended today as would Sweetwater (eighth), Hilltop (10th) and Mar Vista (12th) in the Division IV playoffs.
The Division V playoff field could be top heavy with South County teams. Chula Vista Learning Community Center (first), Chula Vista Calvary Christian Academy (second), Bayfront Charter (third), Ocean View Christian Academy (seventh), San Ysidro (ninth) and Chula Vista (13th) are all battling for playoff berths in the division.
GIRLS GOLF SCOREBOARD
Mesa League Championships
Thursday, Oct. 20
Admiral Baker South Course
Par: 72
Top individuals: Navarrosa (Mater Dei Catholic) 70; Jugar (Bonita Vista) 72; Montemayor (Mater Dei Catholic) 75; Sheng (Mater Dei Catholic) 84; Reyes (Mater Dei Catholic) 85; Furlong (Eastlake) 86; Swanson (Bonita Vista) 86; Rosette (Mater Dei Catholic) 87; Zizzi (Mater De Catholic) 88; Ross (Olympian) 93; Hokanson (Eastlake) 95; Zaragoza (Eastlake) 99
Monday, Oct. 17
Eastlake 239, Olympian 279 at Eastlake Country Club (36, 9 holes)
Medalist: Furlong (Eastlake) 44
Tuesday, Oct. 18
Eastlake 231, Bonita Vista 252 at Eastlake Country Club (36, 9 holes)Medalist: Jugar (Bonita Vista) 38
South Bay League Championships
Wednesday, Oct. 19
Chula Vista Municipal Golf Course
Par: 72
Player of the Year (top individual): osafat (Sweetwater) 91
Second place: Mena (Sweewater) 93
League co-champions: Chula Vista, Sweetwater
