Marina Goes the Distance, Fights Off Clovis Buchanan

The buzz at Marina High has been that it takes longer to get where the Vikings are playing in the girls’ volleyball playoffs than it does to win the match.

That was true again Tuesday night, although Marina was extended by Clovis Buchanan for nearly two hours before the Vikings took a 15-7, 11-15, 15-9, 15-5 victory in the first round of the Division I state playoffs.

Marina (19-2), the Southern Section Division I-A champion, advanced to play at Newport Harbor Saturday.

Buchanan (19-1), the Central Section Division I champion, used a variety of quick sets and made the Vikings work harder than they have in some time. Buchanan’s 5-foot-11 sophomore middle blocker Becky Potter was deadly around the net, despite playing with a cracked bone in her right ankle. She finished with 14 kills.

Marina, which took less than an hour each in recording sweeps at La Crescenta Crescenta Valley and at Simi Valley Royal during the Southern Section playoffs, was led by senior outside hitter Lindsay Phillips, who had 20 kills and a season-high 32 digs.

Junior outside hitter Chanda McLeod had 16 kills and junior outside hitter Katie Keating had 14 kills and used her jump float serve to get the final six points of the match.

The Vikings struggled to win the first game and handed the Bears 10 points in the second game on mishandled balls, bad passes and attack errors.

“I don’t think we underestimated them, but I think we did not come out ready to play,” said senior middle blocker Julie Renfrow, who finished with eight kills and 13 digs. “They saw that and came after us.”

Marina trailed 8-6 in the third game. But, with senior outside hitter Amy Pace serving, the Vikings got two points from Renfrow and one from McLeod and never trailed again. Renfrow got the winner on a block and the Vikings went on to outscore Buchanan 13-1 to close out the fourth game.

In another Division I match:

Poway 3, Mater Dei 1--Mater Dei (21-3) lost to the San Diego Section champion, 14-16, 15-7, 15-11. 17-15.