SF Valley/North girls’ volleyball: Thousand Oaks facing tough test
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After capturing a Marmonte League title and sweeping Long Beach Jordan out of the way in the first round of the playoffs, Thousand Oaks (27-2) will face one of its toughest challenges of the season tonight against perennially strong Redondo (26-6).
The Lancers dominated league play, but they’ve had mixed results on their forays against top-tier opponents. Their two losses came when they split matches against a talented Sacred Heart squad and fell to Dos Pueblos.
And third-seeded Redondo figures to be right there in that neighborhood of challenges. The Lancers finished the regular season ranked No. 10 in the Division I-AA coaches’ poll and Redondo, which finished second behind Mira Costa in the extremely tough Bay League, was ranked No. 4.
If the Lancers are going to stay alive after tonight, they need to stay focused and play with a high level of consistency against a team hardened by playing in one of the toughest (if not, the toughest) leagues in Southern California. The Lancers need big games from team leaders Maile Hetherington, Kat Luft and Hannah Clancy. And a couple of career performances from the less hyped-about players would be nice, too.
Still, no matter what the outcome, this should be worth riding the pine for a couple hours.
-- Austin Knoblauch
