Narbonne, Marshall Play for 3-A Title : Girls’ volleyball: Gauchos will be seeking to avenge their loss in a preseason match.

The Narbonne High girl’s volleyball team will be seeking its first City 3-A Division championship when it travels to Cal State Northridge to play top-seeded Marshall tonight at 6.

The game will be a rematch of a September preseason contest won by Marshall, 16-14, 15-13, 12-15, 15-8.

The Southern Pacific League champion Gauchos (12-2 overall, 6-0 in league play) are led by senior middle blocker Yolanda Wright. The three-year varsity player led the team with 59 kills and 32 blocks. Wright missed the preseason match between the teams because of illness.

“We made a lot of mistakes and weren’t ready the first time we played Marshall,” Co-Coach Karen Blanke said. “We’ll be ready (tonight).”

The Gauchos will also rely on senior middle blocker Kim Qualls, second on the team in kills with 36, and senior outside hitter Shauna Aguet in tonight’s match.

“Shauna is the kind of player you can go to in the clutch,” Blanke said. “She’ll come through for you.”

The second-seeded Gauchos have struggled in the playoffs. They took five games to defeat L.A. Poly Tech in their playoff opener and dropped the first two games to Hamilton before rallying for a 10-15, 11-15, 15-5, 15-8, 15-8 victory.

In the semifinals, Narbonne defeated Sylmar, 13-15, 15-7, 15-3, 15-10.

Because the Narbonne gym has been undergoing repairs, the Gauchos were forced to play all of their playoff games on the road. It would appear to have put the team at a disadvantage, but Blanke said it actually helped in preparation for tonight’s game.

“Against Hamilton we were nervous, never having been in that situation before,” Blanke said. “We may have been overwhelmed by the crowd.”

Assistant Paul Poloa said the key to winning tonight’s match will be the Gauchos’ ability to convert kill attempts.

“We have to put the ball away,” Poloa said. “We have to loosen up their defense. They play very aggressively.”