Girls’ Volleyball Preview: Local squads rebuilding or returning strong
From total rebuilding jobs to intact teams returning, there’s a wide variety of favorable and unfavorable conditions for the Crescenta Valley High, Flintridge Prep, Flintridge Sacred Heart Academy, Glendale, Glendale Adventist Academy, Holy Family, Hoover and St. Monica Academy girls’ volleyball teams as the 2016 season approaches.
At Flintridge Sacred Heart, the news is mixed.
On one hand, the Tologs graduated All-Mission League first-teamers Clare Lund (1,103 assists, 176 digs and 82 kills) and Ali McCollum (255 kills and 36 digs) along with two others.
On the flip side, Flintridge Sacred Heart returns All-Area Girls’ Volleyball Player of the Year Kayla Lund. The University of Pittsburgh-bound outside hitter was a true force last year with an area-best 554 kills, 273 digs and 37 aces.
She’s joined by a handful of returners, including junior outside hitter Ellis DeJardin (251 kills and 160 digs) and junior defensive specialist Katherine Lund (383 digs), along with senior middle blocker Mady Martinez.
With so much turnover, Tologs Coach Ernest Banaag is remaining cautious.
“We’re going to be competitive, but honestly we have a lot of new players on varsity and a lot players who are returning, but who will also be asked to make an impact,” Banaag said. “It’s been a struggle for a lot of them who we’re going to have to depend on. We’ll see how it goes. Hopefully, we just keep improving.”
Last year, the Tologs recovered from a 1-2 start to league play to rally for a 26-9 overall mark and a 6-2 record in league to split the league title with Marymount.
Flintridge Sacred Heart was defeated in the first round of the Division I-AA playoffs by visiting San Clemente in a five-game thriller.
“That was a special team and we’re not close to being there yet,” Banaag said. “Right now, I’m juggling pieces and rotations around and just trying to make it. We aren’t a normal team by past standards.
“So, we can’t run normal rotations and a normal system. Right now, we’re just putting girls in position not to harm us, but to help us. As we move along later in the season, we’ll make changes.”
No team enjoyed a better 2015 campaign than St. Monica Academy. The Crusaders captured the school’s first-ever CIF Southern Section title by rallying to defeat top-seeded Tarbut V’Torah, 3-2, for the Division V-A crown.
St. Monica finished the year 25-5-2 and 7-0 in league to extend its league unbeaten streak to 56 matches.
From that team, coach Darren Bradley lost nine of 10 players, including all-everything senior outside hitter Therese Boles.
“It’s almost a total transformation for us,” Bradley said. “We only have one returner from varsity and only two from junior varsity who will be called up to play. It’s going to be hard to reproduce what we did last year and I don’t even want to put any pressure on my team.”
Senior setter Molly Hagans is back after being named to the International League first team and figures to be the team’s lynchpin for success. Bradley also has a pair of freshmen who he thinks will be valuable contributors in Rose Gonzalez and Grace Brady.
There’s quite a bit of excitement at Crescenta Valley.
The Falcons had an off year in 2015, finishing 13-12, 6-8 for fifth place in the Pacific League with no postseason berth.
From that squad, however, second-year coach Kevin Boyke returners a few standouts, led by senior Patty Kerman. The right-side hitter earned All-Pacific League first-team honors after finishing with 151 kills.
“She was our No. 1 attacker, our go-to player,” Boyke said. “We’re expecting her to have an even better season this year.”
The Falcons also welcome back league second-team senior libero Noor Alanizi (121 digs) and honorable mention senior setter Elise Boyle (280 assists).
The biggest — or perhaps tallest — difference this year for the Falcons is the addition of 6-foot-2 freshman middle blocker Annamarie Alvarez.
“The strength of our team is the love, care and trust that each girl has in the other,” Boyke said. “I can’t remember a team that cares as much for each teammate than this one does. We’ve been working really hard this summer and this is a group dedicated to having a good year in a very tough league.”
While Crescenta Valley returns a veteran group, it appears the golden age of Glendale girls’ volleyball is over, at least for one season.
The Nitros qualified for the postseason for three straight years after having not reached the playoffs in the century’s previous dozen years. Glendale’s pinnacle came last season when the team finished 15-10 and 10-4 in league to capture third place, its highest-ever finish this century.
Glendale had the unfortunate task of facing eventual division champion Louisville in the first round.
Pacific League Coach of the Year Ta’ase Mose graduated nine players and made a painful admission at a recent practice.
“You don’t like to say it, but it’s going to be a rebuilding year,” Mose said. “You can’t lose that many players without hurting the team. Plus, we only have like three returners back, so we’re going to be young and inexperienced.”
Mose has a couple of solid returners in junior outside hitter Leila Manaois and senior libero Nicolette Pirjanian.
Hoover returns as a small, but experienced group for fourth-year coach Gaby Gallardo.
The Tornadoes have a roster of nine players, four of whom have multiple years under their belt.
“In the past, I’ve had talented teams, but the chemistry just wasn’t there,” Gallardo said. “And when the chemistry doesn’t work well off the court, it doesn’t work well on it. This team this year is completely different.
“This is a team 100% percent committed. None of them think they’re better than each other or think they’re superior. We’re a small team, but I love the way we play.”
Gallardo has had one solid player by her side since she took over at Hoover and that’s four-year varsity setter Nareh Andriyacyan, the team’s co-captain
“She’s been here for so long and she’s so reliable,” Gallardo said. “I remember when she was a ninth-grader from Iran who had beautiful hands, but no experience. She was learning to set from the start and has become very good at it.”
One of Andriyacyan’s main targets will be senior outside hitter Pareli Amirkahanian.
Hoover’s strength may be on defense as the squad returns co-captain Jennifer Vo, a utility player who has served as an outside hitter and defensive specialist for the squad in previous seasons. Defensive specialist and libero Zielo Ayala also returns to anchor the defense.
The 2015 season was difficult for Flintridge Prep.
The Rebels posted a 3-15-2 record and were 2-10 within the Prep League. Flintridge Prep graduated its one all-league selection in senior outside hitter Lauren Stiles (182 kills), along with four other seniors.
Even with a few seniors back, longtime head coach Sean Beattie knows his team is going to be green this year.
“So far so good in practice,” Beattie said. “They’re doing well and having fun. Honestly, we’re going to be very young this year and will be starting and playing several freshmen and 10th graders. While I’m not 100% sure of our lineup, I do know that we’re going to be short on experience.”
The Rebels do have some championship experience returning in seniors Renae Tamura and Taylor Yoshida, valuable guards on the Division V-AA girls’ basketball title team. Tamura has played outside and opposite hitter the last two seasons and will be making another switch to middle blocker.
“She’s one of those girls who’s so athletic, we’re just going to put her where she helps out the team the most,” Beattie said.
Yoshida returns as a crucial leader at libero and will be aided by junior setter Jade Whaley and sophomore outside hitter Courtney Johnson. Beattie also has a pair of freshmen he thinks can be impact players in Ellen Cheng and Jada Gritton.
“I’m excited to see how the younger players mesh with the older ones,” Beattie said. “It should be a fun process and I think we’ll continue to grow and improve.”
The good news for Glendale Adventist’s Garrett Luquan is that the fourth-year coach returns eight players from last year’s squad that finished 17-3, won an unbeaten Independence League title and advanced to the quarterfinals of the Division V-AA playoffs.
The bad news is that equaling that success was made difficult with the team’s switch from the Independence League to the more formidable Liberty League.
“You know, we finished third or fourth in league for like three straight years and when we finally win league, they send us to the Liberty League, which is going to be a big challenge,” Luquan said. “I told my girls to think of it like PAC-12 volleyball, meaning there are no gimmes. You’re going to have to come out hard every night and battle every single night.”
Independence League Most Valuable Player Paige Singleton will lead the Cougars into a bold new world as the junior outside hitter enjoyed a breakout year. Singleton developed a strong partnership with sophomore setter Liana Salvador, who returns after picking up all-league first team accolades.
Throw in the return of league first-team junior libero Camille Pizarro and Glendale Adventist has some considerable experience.
“Our passing, defense and ball-control has 100% been our strength for the last few years and it will be again,” Luquan said.
The first team to open play this season did so Tuesday when Holy Family defeated Marshall Fundamental, 25-21, 25-7, 25-19.
It was an early start for a familiar face in Gaels Coach Robert Bringas, who is back after a two-year hiatus. Holy Family finished 2-19 and 0-10 in the Horizon League last season, which makes Bringas’ first goal a bold one.
“This year, one of the big goals is getting back to CIF,” Bringas said. “In league, we obviously want to do better and have a better record. It’s been a great summer and summer league and I think we have a chance to do that.”
Bringas has a healthy roster of 13 girls and will lean on junior setter Melanie Ibarra, who’s taking part in her third varsity season.
Besides Ibarra, Bringas is counting on junior middle blocker Isabella Peregrino to develop throughout the year, while the coach feels he has a pair of impact defenders in senior libero Mikayla DePeralta and freshman defensive specialist Megan Velasquez.
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Andrew J. Campa, andrew.campa@latimes.com
Twitter: @campadresports
