CITY SECTION 4-A DIVISION GIRLS’ VOLLEYBALL QUARTERFINALS : Dinaberg Carries El Camino Real to Win Over Cleveland

The El Camino Real High girls’ volleyball team was one game away from the end of its season Thursday, but sophomore Jessica Dinaberg was not ready to call it a year.

Dinaberg came through with 24 of her match-high 35 kills in the final three games as the second-seeded Conquistadores rallied from a 2-0 deficit to defeat Northwest Valley Conference foe Cleveland, 11-15, 10-15, 15-9, 15-4, 15-5, in a City Section 4-A Division girls’ quarterfinal match at El Camino Real.

“I think we just realized we had to do it,” Dinaberg said. “I was a little worried when we lost the first two games, but I didn’t let down.”

Instead, Dinaberg turned it on.

Cleveland (11-4), seeded 11th, had won just one game in two regular-season losses to El Camino Real, but the Cavaliers rode the blocking and hitting of sophomore sisters Janette and Carolyn Penfield to an early lead.

Janette finished with 16 kills and four blocks and Carolyn added 11 kills and five blocks, but they did much of their damage in the first two games.

Leading 7-5 in the third game, Cleveland suddenly found itself unable to control Dinaberg. After a strong Dinaberg serve led to a Hellen Hong block that gave El Camino Real the lead, Dinaberg cut through the Cavalier defense for eight kills to close out the third game.

In game four, a pair of kills and a block by Dinaberg helped El Camino Real take an early 6-0 lead, but a couple of tough serves from junior Michelle Penfield and consecutive overset kills by Carolyn cut that lead to 6-4.

That was as close as Cleveland would get as an Anne Mogenson spike and a tip winner from setter Heather Allen made it 10-4. Dinaberg then finished off the game almost single-handedly with four kills and two blocks for five points and a sideout.

El Camino Real blew most of a 5-0 lead in the fifth game--with Cleveland charging back to make it 6-4--before Dinaberg struck once more.

Saving her most explosive hitting for the end, she rattled off nine kills in a 14-point span to pull the Conquistadores to match point. Then, Dinaberg concluded the match with a sharply hit ace to the center of the court.

“Jessica caught fire at the right time,” El Camino Real Coach Lori Chandler said. “Something like that says more than words.”

El Camino Real (12-2), which reached the City 4-A final last season, will meet either University or Huntington Park in Wednesday’s semifinals. Top-seeded Palisades, the defending 4-A champion, faces Venice in the other semifinal match.

Dinaberg believes that Thursday’s match will make El Camino Real that much tougher next week.

“Winning a match like this shows we can come back,” Dinaberg said.

* PLAYOFF ROUNDUP: C13