SOUTHERN SECTION VOLLEYBALL ROUNDUP : Huntington Beach Rallies, Tops La Habra
Huntington Beach defeated three-time defending State Division II and section champion La Habra, 9-15, 12-15, 15-4, 15-0, 15-5, in a Southern Section Division II first-round girls’ volleyball match Thursday night at Huntington Beach.
Freshman Mellissa Wendt had 22 kills and senior Deana Itow added 18 as the Oilers (12-5), the Sunset League runner-up, advanced to Saturday night’s second round, where they will meet Foothill. La Habra, the second-place Freeway League team, ended the season at 16-3.
“It’s nice (to win) because we’re in a tough league, and this was a tough draw for both teams,” said Huntington Beach Coach Rocky Ciarelli, who coached the Oiler boys to the section 4-A finals last spring.
Huntington Beach, making its first playoff appearance since 1988, built a 12-1 lead in the third game and capitalized on 13 La Habra hitting errors to shut out the Highlanders in the fourth game.
La Habra led, 4-2, in the fifth game before Huntington Beach went on a 13-1 run, led by six kills by Itow and three by Wendt.
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