Mira Costa Soundly Defeats Chatsworth

The Mira Costa High girls’ volleyball team gave each member of the Chatsworth team a yellow carnation before Tuesday night’s Division I first-round state playoff game.

Then Mira Costa (25-0) gave Chatsworth a sound beating, as the Chancellors fell, 15-5, 15-1, 15-10, at Mira Costa.

Chatsworth, the City Section 4-A runner-up to Palisades, ended its season 14-4. Mira Costa, the nation’s No. 1 ranked team and the Southern Section 5-A champion, advanced to the second round, where it will meet Torrey Pines on Saturday night.

“We obviously are not at that level,” Chatsworth Coach Steve Berk said. “But we had some nice plays and we got 10 points off them in the third game; it was a good way to get ready for next year.”

In the last game, Chatsworth took a 7-2 lead. Junior hitter Heather Gorman, who had five kills, teamed with Kelly Scott to block a Kristal Attwood spike, giving Chatsworth its fifth consecutive point and the five-point lead.

But then Mira Costa scored eight unanswered points, including three service aces by Cindy De Garceau, to take control.

Chatsworth scored two more points in the game on Mira Costa errors, but it was not enough.

The first two games took only 25 minutes to play. In the first game, Chatsworth only managed six sideouts.

All-American setter Piper Hahn led Mira Costa with 24 assists. Attwood had eight kills.