Harvard Gangs Up on Notre Dame : Volleyball: Too tall and too deep, the Wolverines close in on another Mission League title with a three-game sweep of Knights.

Last year at this time, Harvard-Westlake High’s offense was simple.

Get the ball to all-everything middle blocker Amanda Selby.

Selby plays for UCLA these days, so the Wolverines used a new concept to defeat Notre Dame.

Balance.

Four players registered at least eight kills for the Wolverines in a 15-8, 15-10, 15-7 Mission League girls’ volleyball victory Tuesday at Notre Dame.

The second-ranked team in Division II according to Cal-Hi Sports, Harvard-Westlake (9-1, 7-0 in league play) leads the Mission League by two games with three to play and figures to wrap up its fourth consecutive title without any trouble.

“There’s not a star on our team,” said setter Jenni Kriste, who had 40 assists and gladly spread the wealth. “All of our hitters can do it and they all have confidence.”

Dangerous from both the outside, where hitters Christine Bohle had 12 kills and Lesley Coben had eight, and the middle, where blockers Malaika Naulls had nine kills and Bettina Korek had eight, Harvard-Westlake has Coach Jess Quiroz smiling.

“That was fun,” he said. “Each and every one of them has a responsibility and everyone basically goes out there and fulfills it.”

With a starting lineup that averages almost six feet, the Wolverines also fulfill any necessary height requirements.

“You don’t want to attribute [a victory] to things like that,” Notre Dame Coach Shaney Fink said, “but they’re taller and bigger.”

The Knights (11-2, 5-2) played better this time around, particularly in a gritty second set filled with sideouts, but were swept by Harvard-Westlake for the second time this season.

“They’re pretty damn good,” said Fink, who was without the services of Cheyenne Ellis (lacerated right forearm). “They’re playing excellent volleyball.”

Bohle pushed the Wolverines out of the gate with a five-kill performance that sparked a 12-4 run and a 1-0 lead in games.

Naulls took the baton in game two, throwing down five kills to help offset a scrappy, digging Notre Dame defense.

Notre Dame, likely to make the playoffs one season after finishing 1-15, received five kills in game two from Kellie Hallinan, who finished with nine kills.

But balance and height were the winning combination, as seven Wolverines contributed a block or kill in the final game.