HIGH SCHOOL VOLLEYBALL CHAMPIONSHIPS : Torrey Pines Prevails for 3rd Straight Year

He didn’t honestly expect this out of them .

When Torrey Pines girls’ volleyball Coach Jim Harrah surveyed his talent at the beginning of the season, he knew there was potential but was quick not to place the burden of last season’s accomplishments on this bunch.

“This was a unique group. This was completely different,” Harrah said after the Falcons thrashed University City, 15-1, 15-11, 15-12, in the Division II San Diego Section championship Saturday night at Rancho Bernardo High.

But how completely different can six titles in 12 years and three in a row really be?

“No, it doesn’t get old,” he said. “Last year, a lot of the girls had played together on the same club team for four years. This year we brought in some new kids, got girls up from junior varsity and had some players we didn’t expect come in.”

Harrah geared practices and every match with Saturday night and the upcoming Southern California Regionals in mind.

“We planned to peak about now, and I think we are,” he said.

The master plan culminated in a decisive victory over a University City team that played like it didn’t know what hit it.

In all fairness, a title match was old hat to some of the Falcons (24-6) and a brand new venture for all of the Centurions (19-7).

For the most part, University City played like novices. Not until the second game, when the Centurions rallied from a 14-6 deficit to pull to 14-11, did their true talents shine.

“They’ve been here before,” said UC senior middle blocker Shannon Colton, who had 10 kills. “Even though we told ourselves we could beat them, we came out real nervous. (Experience) probably made a big difference.”

Harrah agreed: “That team we beat 15-1 in the first game wasn’t the one I scouted earlier. The team that played in the second and third games was the one I had seen.”

In the third, UC took a 6-1 lead before Torrey Pines marched back. After ties of 11-11 and 12-12, strong serving and a left-side kill by junior outside hitter Carey May, through a block, closed out the match.

This is the third consecutive title for Torrey Pines’ Crystal Vazzana, who had 12 kills. And each one is better than the last.

Division I

Before this championship, top-ranked Poway had lost only one game in its matches throughout San Diego.

San Dieguito doubled the Titans’ losses in a four-game match that Poway won, 15-8, 15-4, 17-19, 15-7.

Poway (25-1) overpowered the Mustangs (27-9) in every aspect of the match and as she had all evening, junior outside hitter Kara Milling ended the match with a wicked kill.

It was the Titans fifth consecutive division title and their eighth in the last nine years.

Division V

Christian defended its title with a 15-3, 15-11, 15-11 victory over Bishop’s in a rematch of last year’s final. The Patritos (21-4) overcame a 10-4 Bishop’s lead in the third game to ensure the sweep. Leeana Miller had 14 kills and four blocks for Christian. Teammate Sarah Dawson had 24 assists.