More of the same for Mira Costa volleyball

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Let’s see...

So far, the Mira Costa girls’ volleyball team has soundly beaten 2006 Division IV state champion Marymount and last year’s Division III state runner-up Laguna Beach in two matches played...

Sounds about right.

The Mustangs (2-0) may have lost their long-time coach and one of their best players -- if not the best player -- in the school’s vaunted volleyball history, but anyone who thought they’d lose a step, or a match, at least before getting deep, deep into the postseason, if even then, hasn’t watched Mira Costa in, oh, forever.

So what if, instead of relying on former Coach Dae Lea Aldrich, who retired after leading the Mustangs to their third consecutive state title, including their second in a row in Division II, last year, Mira Costa now is guided by her long-time assistant coach, Lisa Zimmerman, a former pro beach volleyball player as Lisa Arce before she married and had two kids.

It also hasn’t mattered much that former standout Alix Klineman has moved on to Stanford, because the Mira Costa cupboard is still full, mostly because of sophomore outside hitter Falyn Fonoimoana, the niece of men’s beach volleyball player Eric Fonoimoana and a strong, intimidating presence.

Her efforts, as well as those of senior setter Kendall Bateman, who is headed to USC, libero Lauren Law, the 2004 AAU girls’ beach volleyball player of the year who will play at Cal Poly San Luis Obispo next season, and outside hitter Lane Carico, a TCA Volleyball club player who has committed to Miami, have led the Mustangs to the No. 2 ranking in the nation according to PrepVolleyball.com. That would be all of one spot below where Mira Costa spent all last season.

Bateman, Law and Carico are ranked at Nos. 31, 44 and 66, respectively, on the junior-volleyball web site’s list of Senior Aces, a compiling of the top 250 senior players nationwide.

Klineman, incidentally, was No. 1 on that list last season.

- Lauren Peterson