Win over rival gives Burroughs volleyball undisputed league title
BURBANK — Since losing to last year’s champion Arcadia in mid-Septemper, the Burroughs High girls’ volleyball looked to stay motivated in its quest for a Pacific League championship.
The Indians bounced back nicely from that loss, winning 10 straight in league while yielding two total games in the process.
Burroughs completed that regular season push Tuesday evening by defeating host Burbank, 25-15, 25-21. 25-19. 25-14.
The win gave the Indians (23-5, 13-1 in league) the outright league title, their second in three seasons.
“That was a goal for us this season, to be able to win the league championship for ourselves,” said Burroughs coach Edwin Real, whose team is ranked No. 10 in CIF Southern Section Division III. “It was something the girls worked very hard for and they deserve it.”
Burbank (17-6-1, 10-4) finished third in league.
The Indians received a big effort from senior outside hitter Marin Grote, who had a match-high 17 kills. Junior Juliana Van Loo added 10 kills and junior Lydia Grote contributed six.
“I think we really played as a team and I’m glad that we won,” Marin Grote said. “We knew this was a big game for us and we wanted to win it and be the No. 1 team from our league for the playoffs.”
The teams played evenly in the first game, as they were tied at 9. But Burroughs was able to seize control and, after an 11-2 run, enjoyed a nine-point advantage, 20-11. The Indians finished the game on Burbank service error.
Burroughs took a 21-16 lead in the second game, only to see Burbank whittle it to 22-20. The Indians ended the game on a 3-1 spurt to take a 2-0 advantage.
The Bulldogs surged back in the third game, fueled by an 8-0 run that gave them a 17-8 lead. The Indians could only cut the deficit to five the rest of the way.
“We needed a little more sense of urgency, a little more confidence in our serving and I thought we got that back in that third game,” said Burbank Coach Karl Rojo, who received 12 kills from senior Melissa Daniel. “I was happy that they hung in there and they kept fighting.”
Burroughs dominated play in the fourth game, jumping out to a 10-point lead, 14-4. The Indians closed out the game and match with a kill from senior Ricki Patenaude.
The Indians and Bulldogs will learn their playoff fates when the pairings are released Thursday.
Twitter: @jefftsports
