Tri-Valley Volleyball Title a Parting Gift for Moorpark

Moorpark High is departing the Tri-Valley League, leaving the La Reina girls’ volleyball team to wonder why the Musketeers didn’t make the move a couple of years ago.

The Musketeers move to the Frontier League next year, taking with them back-to-back Tri-Valley League championships after stopping second-place La Reina with surprising ease on Tuesday, 15-3, 15-12, 15-8.

And no one celebrated the victory and championship more than Moorpark’s Nicole Funfar. The senior middle blocker missed out on last year’s title as she rehabilitated a torn ligament in her right knee. But on Tuesday, her six-point service run at the start of the first game sent the Musketeers (15-0 overall, 9-0 in league play) rolling on a tide of momentum that La Reina (12-2, 7-2) couldn’t stop.

“This is what I was working for,” Funfar said. “When I was doing my rehabilitation, this is what I would think about. All of the pain for this is pretty much worth it.”

Funfar began her service run with two aces and ended it with another serve that La Reina couldn’t return.

And with Funfar’s teammates joining in the service barrage, La Reina was demoralized before many in an enthusiastic Moorpark crowd had found their seats.

“We did everything well,” said senior outside hitter Kristie Evans, who paced the Moorpark attack with 11 kills. “In the first game, we really served well. That’s what got us started.”

Moorpark received additional support from the powerful blocking of Courtney Forman, Jessica Donalson and Christina Freeman.

La Reina’s only chance to get back into the match came when the Regents took a 9-4 lead in the second game.

But Funfar ripped off three consecutive points to close the gap, and back-to-back aces from Tara Thomas gave the Musketeers the lead at 11-10.

A Donalson dink gave Moorpark Game 2 and her blocking keyed a 9-2 spurt to open the third game. La Reina didn’t get closer than four points the rest of the way.