HIGH SCHOOL VOLLEYBALL / GIRLS’ SOUTHERN SECTION CHAMPIONSHIPS : DIVISION IV Nordhoff Rings Up Title in Easy Win Over Atascadero

Just before her Nordhoff High girls’ volleyball team took the floor Saturday for the Southern Section Division IV final, Cheryl Glass lectured about the dangers of letting Atascadero get its foot in the door.

So the top-seeded Rangers made sure Atascadero didn’t even ring the doorbell on the way to an easy 15-9, 15-8, 15-4 victory at Cerritos College.

Senior outside hitter Allison Kerr paced a diversified Nordhoff attack with 11 kills in a match that took only 55 minutes.

“We just had to come out and be strong,” said Nordhoff sophomore outside hitter Jami Sawyer, who had six kills, nine digs and 13 service points. “We made it into our game, not theirs.”

Nordhoff (21-3) took advantage of its superior quickness and strong serving to repeatedly break down the Greyhounds’ passing.

Unranked Atascadero (12-7) had upset third-seeded La Reina, La Mirada and Temecula Valley in the previous three rounds, but the Greyhounds led only twice in the championship match, scoring the first point of the second game en route to an 8-6 lead.

But a Julie Sandefur kill on an over-pass, a seven-point service run by Sawyer and a Greyhound hitting error pulled the Rangers out of danger and gave them a two-game lead.

An 8-0 service run by Sami Sawyer (Jami’s sister), three on aces, to start the third game ended all suspense and Jami wrapped up the championship with an ace.

Nordhoff gained control behind the hitting of Kerr to take a 7-1 lead in the first game. Atascadero closed within 10-9, but the Rangers finished off the game on an ace by Joanna Sandefur and kills by Sami and Jami Sawyer.

Atascadero Coach Jim Greenman credited Nordhoff with throwing his Greyhounds out of sync. “They did a lot of things that made us not execute well,” he said.

It was the fourth Southern Section title in nine years for Glass and the Rangers.

“Having this championship helps to keep the tradition going,” said Glass, who coached Nordhoff to consecutive section titles from 1984-86 and the state Division II championship in 1986.