HIGH SCHOOL VOLLEYBALL : Lakewood St. Joseph’s def. USDHS

Gleen Bermundo had 22 kills to lead St. Joseph’s of Lakewood to a 9-15, 15-17, 16-14, 16-14, 15-13 victory over University of San Diego High School in the Southern California girls’ volleyball Division II semifinals at USDHS.

St. Joseph’s (18-1) battled back from a two game deficit to defeat the Dons. Heather Hofmans had 37 assists for St. Joseph’s.

“It was an exciting match,” St. Joseph’s Coach Michael Hinton said. “I think both teams showed a lot of character. Neither team quit. When I came down here, I didn’t know what to expect. USDHS is a fine school.”

USDHS’s Michelle Rico had 37 kills and Rose Dowling had 89 assists in the loss. Defensively, Rico had 14 digs and Christina Alvarado had 19.

USDHS led in the third game, 14-10, before Bermundo reeled off several kills to seal the match for St. Joseph’s.

“We aren’t ashamed of how we played out there,” Dons Coach Rob Gorney said. “I told them that when you set a goal, go ahead and finish it. It seemed we were the stronger team and all we had to do was finish it.”

The Dons finished the season 22-3.