HIGH SCHOOL VOLLEYBALL / GIRLS’ SOUTHERN SECTION CHAMPIONSHIPS : DIVISION V : L.A. Baptist’s Bid to Repeat Foiled by Act of Revenge

Capistrano Valley Christian High avenged last season’s playoff loss to L.A. Baptist with a 15-13, 15-2, 10-15, 15-12 victory in the girls’ Southern Section Division V volleyball final Saturday at Cerritos College.

L.A. Baptist had defeated the Eagles in the semifinals last year en route to the championship--and Capistrano Valley Christian had not forgotten.

“For us, it was pay-back time,” Capistrano Valley Christian Coach Dave Barkley said.

Outside hitter Karen Benkovsky piled up 21 kills, 10 digs and five aces, teaming with Kathleen Bunce (22 kills, four aces) to give the top-seeded Eagles a two-pronged assault that L.A. Baptist was unable to match.

“We wanted to prove to them that we were No. 1,” Benkovsky said.

Sarah Rameson kept the second-seeded Knights (18-1) close with 19 kills and 18 digs, but it wasn’t enough.

“I know how it feels to win (in the finals) and now I know how it feels to lose,” Rameson said. “I like the feeling of winning better.”

The Eagles (17-0) used powerful serving along with solid spiking by Benkovsky and Bunce to build a 13-8 first-game lead. But L.A. Baptist charged back behind the serving of Kim Rehwald and Erika Koss (six aces overall) to close to 14-13. Benkovsky, however, gave the Eagles a sideout with a kill and finished off the game with an ace.

Capistrano Valley Christian carried that momentum into the second game, taking a quick 6-0 lead. Three of the points came on kills by Benkovsky. Only two aces by Koss kept L.A. Baptist from being shut out in the game.

But rather than fold in game three, the Knights battled the Eagles to a 10-10 deadlock, then scored the final five points.

In the fourth game, Bunce sparked the Eagles to a 13-8 lead before Rameson caught fire with five kills, two for sideouts, in a six-point sequence.

A Rameson ace made it 13-12 but Bunce banged down two spikes for a sideout and a point and Benkovsky gave Capistrano Valley its title with an ace.