Torrey Pines Beats Poway For First Time Since ’86

Torrey Pines High won’t have to face Poway in the Division I volleyball playoffs this year; they’ll be playing Division II.

Too bad. Torrey Pines (11-1, 6-0) needed only four games to beat the host Titans (8-3, 5-1) on Thursday, 15-9, 16-14, 6-15, 15-11, in a Palomar League match pitting two of the state’s top-ranked teams.

Poway entered No. 2 and Torrey Pines No. 5 in a Volleyball Monthly poll. Poway was 15th nationally in the USA Today poll.

The loss was Poway’s first in 46 matches against San Diego Section teams and the first to Torrey Pines since 1986.

“It’s a monkey off the back of the players,” Falcon Coach Jim Harrah said. “Now this group has beaten them.”

They beat them with solid defense and hitting. Christy Peters had only six kills, and Amy Peters and Brett Hensel had four each, but they hit plenty of other winners that Poway’s defense was unable to dig.

Poway’s Heather Collins and Kara Milling had 13 kills apiece.