Bishop Montgomery’s Rally Falls Short : Volleyball: After roaring back to tie match, Knights lose fifth game and State Division III title to Los Gatos.

Entering the State Division III championship match at Cal State Fullerton, Bishop Montgomery girls’ volleyball Coach Kim Willeman knew her young team was susceptible to peaks and valleys.

Although the peaks have recently outnumbered the valleys, that was not the case Saturday, as the Knights lost to Los Gatos, 15-9, 15-13, 10-15, 6-15, 15-12. It was Los Gatos’ first state championship.

“We are a really young team,” senior setter Becci Roehl said. “Sometimes we have trouble focusing and being patient.”

The Knights appeared to be nervous when the match started and they lost the first two games.

“Danielle Graham is a freshman, and she hasn’t hit that many balls out this whole season,” Willeman said. “There was a lot of pressure on her and all the young players on this team.”

Once the Knights (19-5) relaxed, they were able to play their game. Los Gatos (24-6) jumped out to a 10-4 lead in the third game, but Bishop Montgomery stormed back, scoring 11 consecutive points to win the game.

“Once we realize that the other team will get their points, this team is really good,” Roehl said. “I was surprised that (Los Gatos) let us get that many points in a row.”

Bishop Montgomery didn’t let up in the fourth game, as it opened a 7-1 lead on its way to forcing a fifth game.

But Los Gatos was able to withstand the charge and built a 12-8 lead.

The Knights closed to 13-12 on three kills by junior outside hitter Cindy Weglarz and one by Roehl, but Los Gatos put the match away on an April Cosgrove kill.

“I think we dropped our momentum and intensity a little bit in that game,” Willeman said. “On this team that can hurt a lot too.”

Roehl had a game-high 48 assists, and Weglarz a game-high 31 kills. In addition, Weglarz was named the match’s most valuable player.

“Cindy has played amazing this year, and she did it again tonight,” Willeman said. “She has held this team up all season long.”

A surprise for the Knights was Teri Zartman, a freshman who had a cast removed from her right arm on Thursday. She had 10 digs, most of them in the third and fourth games.

“She was my ace in the hole,” Willeman said. “She’s a very experienced player even though she’s a freshman. I knew she could come in and help us and play very steady.”

The Wildcats were led by Cosgrove and Shelby Edwards, who each had 16 kills, and Cindy Niessen, who had 41 assists.

The Knights’ Graham finished with 13 kills.