VOLLEYBALL : Roosevelt Earns Respect, If Not Victories, in Playoffs

After the Roosevelt High girls’ volleyball team was swept in the 4-A City Championship by Palisades, Coach Kenji Maki said he knew the odds were against his Roughriders from the start. “It’s always a factor playing against people who have got the money to play on clubs,” Maki said after the Roughriders lost 15-11, 15-7, 15-6 on Nov. 20 at Occidental College. “My young ladies don’t have the money to play until the 10th grade.”

The 10th grade, Maki said, is when players can join his team. On Tuesday, the Roughriders played another beach powerhouse, Corona del Mar, in the first round of the State Division I playoffs. Corona del Mar won, 15-5, 15-5, 15-6.

Still, the Roughriders, who finished the season 18-3, said they weren’t intimidated that many of Palisades’ players grew up playing volleyball in clubs and on the beach.

“We didn’t look at where they play,” Roosevelt junior Zenobia Hunt said.

The Dolphins said they were impressed with Hunt, who had nine kills and four blocks.

“She had power and all the skills,” Sarah Schroeder said.