Corona del Mar and Sage Hill continue to rule their leagues in girls’ volleyball

Since Steve Astor took over the head coaching duties for Corona del Mar High’s girls’ volleyball program, his teams have experienced just one loss in Pacific Coast League matches.

That loss came last year at Irvine Woodbridge, and the Sea Kings returned there on Thursday evening.

Corona del Mar re-established order with a 25-23, 25-12, 25-19 victory over the Warriors. The win preserves the Sea Kings’ shot at another perfect season in the Pacific Coast League. CdM is 44-1 in the PCL under Astor.

These contests have not come easy. Coming into the match, the Sea Kings had swept the Warriors (13-8, 2-2) just once in eight previous league meetings since 2013.

Woodbridge had Mima Mirkovic, a freshman outside hitter at Cal, to lean on the last four years. In Thursday’s contest, Astor reminded his team that the Warriors still had experienced players on the court despite their star’s departure.

“I just let the girls know that even though they lost their star, they still had three or four returning starters, including one of the best liberos (Carly Hill), definitely in our league, if not in the county,” Astor said.

“In the first set, we didn’t do a good job of not serving to the libero. She did a good job of passing the ball, letting them be in system, and do what they wanted to. I was a little disappointed with our defensive focus early on, but to the girls’ credit, though, they turned it around.”

Ashley Humphreys had 39 assists, helping Kendall Kipp put up 18 kills in the three sets. Maya Satchell had nine kills, and Raleigh Garner had 17 digs.

The season has reached the second half of league. With that, Astor is appealing to his team by reminding them that these could be the final matches played against teams traditionally considered league rivals. CdM will move to the Sunset League next year.

Corona del Mar will begin the second half of league with a road contest at Beckman on Tuesday.

Sage Hill School all but wrapped up the Academy League girls’ volleyball title Thursday by passing the difficult test presented by Crean Lutheran.

The Lightning had to go the distance but ultimately prevailed 23-25, 25-16, 25-18, 22-25, 15-9, on the road.

“Our team was ready for a battle,” Lightning coach Dan Thomassen said. “Crean Lutheran always raises their level for big matches on their home court.”

“What impressed me most about our team was how we raised our game at just the right times. We didn’t start off playing our best volleyball, but our leaders really stepped up when we needed them.”

The Lightning (15-7, 7-0) had a handful of outstanding performances in the match. Sydnee Francis had a team-high 21 kills with 12 digs and four blocks.

Amiyah De’Long had 19 kills, 11 digs, and five aces. Jade Blevins had 51 assists, 13 digs, eight blocks, and five kills.

Sage Hill has dealt Crean Lutheran (9-2, 6-2) both of its Academy League losses this season.

Although the Lightning may have taken the best punch that its league has to offer, the team has a big week ahead.

The type of draw Sage Hill receives in the CIF Southern Section Division 3 playoffs will likely depend on the result of Wednesday’s nonleague road match against Laguna Beach. The Breakers (9-5) are the top-ranked team in the division. Sage Hill is currently second.

“This is the first time both teams are in the same division, so the fact that there are playoff implications adds another new element to the new rivalry,” Thomassen said. “Many of our players live in or near Laguna Beach, and many of these players know each other through club volleyball or just by being neighbors.”