Little Goes Long Way as Artists Win Title

They may forever be remembered as the “Little” Laguna Beach girls’ volleyball team, but their stature certainly is not small.

“Little” Laguna Beach--with only one player in its starting lineup taller than 6 feet and with a school enrollment of 574--won the school’s third Southern Section girls’ volleyball championship, Saturday at Cypress College.

Laguna Beach defeated Manhattan Beach Mira Costa, 15-17, 15-8, 15-5, 11-15, 15-8, in the Division I-AA final. It was a rematch of last season’s Division I final, which Mira Costa won.

“I just wanted to come out here and do what we should have done last year,” the Artists’ Molly Jahraus said. “We came together so well tonight, at the end, it was perfect.”

The Artists broke out of a 7-7 tie in the fifth game and took a two-point lead and the momentum on two Mustang hitting errors. Laguna Beach gave up just one more point in the game to win the match.

“I can’t describe how I feel. I’m speechless for once in my life,” said Laguna Beach Coach Vickie Gentry, who took over the program this year after six successful seasons at St. Margaret’s.

Mira Costa, which has won nine Southern Section titles and was making its 14th appearance in a final, jumped to an 11-4 lead in the first game before Laguna Beach battled back to tie it, 14-14, and again, 15-15. But Kristin Sigel had two kills for points for the Mustangs to win it.

“We came out a little bit icy, a little bit tentative,” Gentry said. “For [some] it was a remembrance of last year and they didn’t want to lose again.”

Laguna Beach broke out of an 8-8 tie in the second game, after Sigel twisted her ankle and left the game. Sigel returned with the Artists leading, 10-8, but she couldn’t help her team stop the Artists’ momentum.

Laguna Beach easily took the third game and jumped to an 11-6 lead in the fourth before the Mustangs began to get back on their feet. Mira Costa came back to tie it, 11-11. The Mustangs took the lead on a cross-court kill by Kim Kohn and rolled to a victory in the game.

Mira Costa jumped to a 7-4 lead in the fifth game but Laguna Beach scored on a Mustang hitting error and a kill by Cameryn DeGeus to bring it to within one point. Jahraus then slammed an overpass for a kill to tie it.

Kelly Garner led the Artists, 22-2 overall, with 14 kills.

Sigel had 13 kills for Mira Costa (22-2).