St. Monica Academy girls’ volleyball sweeps to outright title
LOS ANGELES — A return to the postseason awaits the St. Monica Academy girls’ volleyball team, but first on the docket was the regular season finale. It would be on the road against Le Lycee, where the Crusaders looked to claim the International League championship outright.
On Wednesday evening on the Lions’ home court, St. Monica bid adieu to the regular season in style, sweeping La Lycee, 25-15, 25-13, 25-19 to wrap up the International League crown.
The win for St. Monica Academy (16-3-2, 7-0 in league) continued a now 56-match winning streak in International play, dating back to 2010. It was the Crusaders’ second sweep this season of the Lions, whose only two losses in league were to St. Monica. The Crusaders also swept the French immersion school in West Los Angeles on Oct. 5.
“That is our seventh consecutive league championship and we were undefeated [in league] again,” said St. Monica Academy Coach Darren Bradley, whose squad is in its first season since the school moved its grounds to La Crescenta.
Game one saw St. Monica Academy, ranked No. 3 in CIF Southern Section Division VA, jump out early, scoring the first four points of the match. The advantage steadily grew through the opening game, with the final margin of 10 equaling the Crusaders’ largest lead. Both teams served well in the opening game, with St. Monica Academy recording nine aces and the home squad three. Game one ended on an ace by Rose Goodwin.
“I was a little worried about this team,” Bradley said. “La Lycee in the last three years has been our best competitor. The worry went away a little when the [Lions] coach said the starting center had hurt her ankle.”
Game two was all Crusaders, led by outside hitter Theresa Boles, who had six kills and three aces in the game.
Early in game three, the Lions got going and took their first lead of the match on an ace by Lena Imeriauct. Consecutive aces by Crusader Yamila Evans knotted the game at 4, but from there, the Lions thrice forged four-point leads. As game three drew to its conclusion, the Crusaders got their hitting in gear, as well as their service game. Evans strung together three consecutive aces, followed by a Boles kill to build a five-point lead, matching the largest lead they would have in the final game. The match came to a conclusion on consecutive aces by Kayla Grimm.
“I was a little worried when we were down 14-10 in that third set, but we picked it up,” said Bradley.
Boles led the Crusaders with a match-high 13 kills. Goodwin and Molly Hagen each contributed four kills. Evans was tops in the ace department, with eight of her team’s 29. Michelle Hall had six aces and Grimm and Goodwin each contributed four.
“Molly [Hagen], our setter, was setting me really well,” Boles said. “She was setting it in a spot I really like and I hit it as hard as I could.”
Le Lycee was led in kills by Jasmin Hajian and Mila Grossenberg with four apiece.
“I’d say we probably played at about a C-plus level today,” Bradley said.
With the regular season concluded, up next for St. Monica will be the CIF-Southern Section Division VA playoffs in which the Crusaders reached at least the quarterfinals from 2009-2013 until sitting out the postseason last year due to a rules infraction.
“I think we could’ve done well last year in playoffs, but I think this year if we get on a roll, we could [be a force],” Bradley said. “We are playing well.”