All-Area Girls’ Volleyball Player of the Year: Lund delivers for Flintridge Sacred Heart once again
Immediately following a 3-0 sweep at the hands of archrival Harvard-Westlake High, the Flintridge Sacred Heart Academy volleyball team seemed very much in trouble.
A squad that graduated six seniors the summer before, highlighted by two-time All-Area Girls’ Volleyball Player of the Year Sophia Coffey, seemed lost, fractured and uncertain of what to do next.
“We had a meeting right after the game [on Oct. 8] and it got heated,” Flintridge Sacred Heart Coach Ernest Banaag said. “We questioned what was going on and who was going to take leadership of this team. At that point, we hadn’t played to our expectations.”
At that specific point, the Tologs were 1-2 within the Mission League, had dropped league contests to Marymount (3-1) and Harvard-Westlake, and certainly looked in danger of missing the playoffs for the first time since the 2011 season.
On one hand, the situation seemed bleak. On the flip side, the Tologs found an excellent player to rally around in 6-foot junior outside hitter Kayla Lund.
The University of Pittsburgh-committed Lund led the area with 554 kills and added 273 digs, 59 blocks and 37 aces and was named the Mission League co-MVP along with Marymount’s Devon Newberry. Lund also guided the Tologs to a surge as the team rallied to win a share of the Mission League title and finish with a 26-9 record.
For those efforts and more, Lund was unanimously selected the 2015 All-Area Girls’ Volleyball Player of the Year by the sportswriters of the Glendale News-Press, La Cañada Valley Sun and Burbank Leader.
“For sure, those two losses early in league, those two really hit us hard,” said Lund shortly before practice at the San Gabriel Valley Elite Volleyball Club in Los Angeles, “but I think they also helped in a way. After the loss, we came back in the gym and we had a talk and said, Let’s go.’ After that, everyone put in 100 times more effort and more hard work – coaches, players, everyone affiliated with the team.
“Those losses woke us up and showed us we’re going to have to work harder than ever.”
Unlike many area teams, the Tologs participated in nonleague matches and tournaments throughout the entire season, even after the start of league play.
Following the Harvard-Westlake loss, Flintridge Sacred Heart returned to its winning ways with 3-0 and 3-1 victories over Sherman Oaks Notre Dame and Marlborough, respectively, thanks to a combined 49 kills from Lund.
Even with those triumphs, the Tologs didn’t truly catch fire until the team took part in the two-day long Nfinity SoCal Volleyball Invitational held in San Diego.
Of 52 teams present, Flintridge Sacred Heart finished 6-1 and advanced to the tournament’s championship match before falling to Desert Vista of Phoenix, 25-22, 21-25, 15-10 despite 18 kills from Lund, who, along with cousin Clare Lund, was named to the all-tournament team.
“If you look at why we turned around this year, I really think it had to do with the passing of Clare Lund and the hitting and leadership of Kayla,” said Tologs sophomore Ellis DeJardin, an All-Area pick. “Both those girls played a big, big role for us. I don’t know if we turn it around without them.”
Suddenly 8-1 since the Oct. 8 loss to Harvard-Westlake, the Tologs jumped back into league play and exacted revenge against Marymount and Harvard-Westlake.
The Tologs defeated the Sailors, 25-15, 19-25, 25-22, 26-24, on Oct. 20 in Los Angeles behind 27 kills from Kayla Lund and pulled even atop the league standings with Marymount.
Exactly a week later, Flintridge Sacred Heart rallied to defeat Harvard-Westlake, 24-26, 25-18, 25-18, 26-24 at home on senior night thanks to 31 kills from Kayla Lund.
“It was important for us to get revenge in both those games,” said Tologs libero Katherine Lund, Kayla Lund’s cousin. “We had all talked about winning those games, but I think Kayla really wanted it more than anyone else.”
In between the victories against Marymount and Harvard-Westlake, the Tologs picked up a nice regional win against former San Gabriel Valley tormentor La Salle.
In a sign that the balance of power among the schools had shifted uphill, Flintridge Sacred Heart defeated La Salle, 25-17, 25-13, 25-12, in Pasadena on Oct. 22.
“There was a time when we couldn’t beat them,” said Kayla Lund, who finished with 14 kills in the win. “It’s nice to see that we’re on top now.”
As for the league title chase, the Tologs captured a share of their second title in three years when they defeated host Notre Dame, 25-20, 26-24, 26-24 thanks to 23 kills from Kayla Lund.
The triumph was the fifth in a row in league play for Flintridge Sacred Heart, which entered the CIF Southern Section Division I-AA playoffs as the league’s No. 2 seed.
“I don’t know if there was anyone more committed to getting her team that Mission League championship than was Kayla,” said Tologs assistant coach Trent Tcheng, who also works with Kayla Lund at the SGV Elite Club. “She worked with a passion and improved her game all the way around. It wasn’t just offense, but serving, defense and play all over court that was really impressive.”
While the Tologs were bounced in the first round of the Division I-AA playoffs at home by San Clemente, 30-28, 25-13, 23-25, 13-25, 15-7 on Nov. 10, Kayla Lund was quick to say the season was far from a disappointment.
“There’s a part of you – a materialist part – that says you want that trophy, you want to end with a CIF title,” Kayla Lund said. “That can’t always be the case. Not to sound cheesy, but I think we had success in overcoming our bumps, growing as a team and building the program.
“For a while, it seemed like we might not be able to turn it around, but we did as a team. We can take pride in that.”
