Cerritos Valley Christian Caps Undefeated Season

Defending champion Cerritos Valley Christian concluded a perfect season Saturday with a 15-2, 15-1, 15-7 victory over Linden in the girls’ state Division IV volleyball final at Cypress College.

Valley Christian finished 33-0.

Senior middle blockers Stacy Rouwenhorst and Jennifer Fopma, both of whom will attend Pepperdine next year, led the way for the Crusaders, who defeated Linden in the final for the second year in a row.

Rouwenhorst had 14 kills and five service aces. Fopma had six kills and three blocks.

Senior outside Sarah Boogaard had 10 digs and three kills and senior setter Emma Howell had 24 assists.

“I think being here last year helped us out, our experience of being in state finals,” Fopma said. “It think our team was just stronger and maybe a little more confident this year. We just played our hearts out.”

Senior outside hitter Stephanie Ziemann had five kills for two-time champion Linden, which was making its seventh appearance in the final.

DIVISION I

Newport Harbor defeated Stockton Lincoln, 15-11, 16-18, 15-5, 19-17, to win the Division I title.

Lincoln (39-2) nearly forced a fifth game. The Trojans served for six game points and fought off two Newport Harbor match points in Game 4, before the Sailors reached deeper.

Down 17-16, Newport Harbor took the lead on two points by April Ross. Ross, who had a match-high 28 kills and also had 13 digs and seven blocks, had a kill to tie it, 17-17, and a block for 18-17. Lincoln’s Molly Mordaunt hit wide on the next point to give the Sailors the championship.

DIVISION II

Mountain View St. Francis used an air-tight defense in the last three games and defeated Santa Margarita, 7-15, 15-7, 15-3, 15-6 to win its second consecutive state title and record-tying fourth overall.

Corona del Mar is the only other team to win four state titles.

Stacy Millichap, the top player for St. Francis (37-1), routinely found holes in the Santa Margarita defense and finished with 23 kills.

St. Francis beat Santa Margarita in the final for the second year in a row. Last year, the Lancers swept, 15-12, 15-5, 15-3.

DIVISION III

Torrance Bishop Montgomery overcame a deficit early in the fifth game to defeat Forestville El Molino, 15-13, 12-15, 15-9, 4-15, 15-11, to win its second Division III championship in three years.

Senior outside hitter Hedder Ilustre had 30 kills, 12 digs and three blocks for the Knights. Junior Katie Olsovsky, a 6-2 middle blocker, had 26 kills, nine digs and five blocks. Junior middle blocker Cerina Pele added 20 kills.

“We were not passing as well as we usually do, but it all worked out and we won,” Bishop Montgomery Coach Kim Willeman said.

Bishop Montgomery fell behind 6-3 in the final game. The Knights came back to go ahead, 7-6, on a block by Olsovsky and held off El Molino when the Lions pulled to within 12-11.

Amy-Beth McLintock had 21 kills, Eve Rackman 19 for El Molino.

DIVISION V

Stefanie Saragosa had 14 kills and Sarina Cox had 25 assists to lead San Diego Francis Parker to a 15-8, 15-3, 15-6 victory over Atherton Sacred Heart Prep.