Santa Margarita Will Face Familiar Foe in Title Quest

It took one more year of hard work, perseverance and patience, but the Santa Margarita girls’ volleyball team will get another rematch with two-time defending champion Mountain View St. Francis in the Division II state final at Cypress College at 5 today.

St. Francis, winner of four state titles and finalist in five of the previous six seasons, has defeated Santa Margarita in the last two Division II state championship matches.

Santa Margarita (21-6), with its core of six seniors, is seeking its first state championship. And the Eagles have been quietly eyeing this rematch.

St. Francis (26-1) is the No. 2-ranked team in the state. Although the Lancers may appear vulnerable, with only three seniors, they feature another top-notch team led by 6-foot junior middle blocker Kelli Corbett and junior setter Hayley Anderson.

“They are powerful,” Santa Margarita Coach Eddie Rapp said.

St. Francis’ only loss came against Newport Harbor, the defending Division I state champion, in the final of the Santa Barbara Tournament of Champions.

Santa Margarita, which won its third consecutive Southern Section championship this season, lost in four games to Newport Harbor in a nonleague match.

Rapp used to play for Newport Harbor Coach Dan Glenn, and this week the former housemates went over game film of Newport Harbor’s match against St. Francis.

Still, with all the preparation and motivation for redemption, Santa Margarita goes into today’s Division II final as an underdog. So why do the Eagles think the third time will be the charm?

“The first trip to the state final it was like, ‘Wow, this is our first big opportunity as a team,’ ” Santa Margarita senior outside hitter Caroline Skacel said.

Said Santa Margarita senior middle blocker Monique Gerlach: “In last season’s final, I don’t know. . . . We were excited but maybe we expected to just come in and win. But now, I think everyone is working really hard and we’ll do whatever it takes.”

Said Skacel: “Now that we’re seniors, we know what this is all about and it means so much more. We realize it’s our last year and we’re going out and playing as hard as we can. We’re excited.”

Rapp said the seniors--Gerlach, Skacel, setter Anna Mosich and outside hitters Michelle Davis, Chrissy Bloomgren and Carly Draudt--have lifted the Eagles to one of their best seasons.

“When we went to play in the [Honolulu] Iolani tournament this summer,” Skacel said, “it was one of the best experiences of my life. We were there for a week, but we only played volleyball maybe four of the days.

“So as a team, we went outrigger canoeing one day, we took a jog up Diamond Head, we hiked to Waimea Falls . . . it brought us all closer together.”

That closeness helped the Eagles fight through some situations that could have sidetracked them.

Lauren Heri, a key member from last season’s team, suffered a knee injury during the club season and never became a key contributor this season. She quit the team after the section finals, Rapp said, and the Eagles went on to win nine of 10 games in the state tournament.

Before Santa Margarita’s first Serra League match with eventual league co-champion Mater Dei, Mosich violated a team rule and was suspended for the match. Since that match, the Eagles have won 14 of 16 matches, the only losses coming in the Santa Barbara Tournament of Champions.

And Mosich has returned with a changed attitude and more purpose.

“Anna’s playing the best she has all season,” Rapp said. “Her recent play and leadership demonstrate this team’s unselfishness.

“Not to say that the last two years’ teams were selfish. But the focus of this group has always been to bring the team together and ‘What can I do to help the team?’ The last two years were great, but this group is ready to take that next step.”

*

Newport Harbor (25-1), the top-ranked team in the state, will play Stockton Lincoln (24-5) at 7 tonight at Cypress College in a rematch of last season’s Division I state final, which Newport Harbor won, 15-11, 16-18, 15-5, 19-17.

Newport Harbor, led by USC-bound outside hitter April Ross, is trying to become the first team to win consecutive Division I state titles since Corona del Mar in 1992-93. Irvine also won consecutive Division I titles in 1987-88.

In Division V, St. Margaret’s (23-1) will try to win its first state title when it plays Ripon Christian (22-5) at 9 a.m. The Tartans, who won their first Southern Section championship two weeks ago, are led by Allison Bendush and Marissa Balak.

(BEGIN TEXT OF INFOBOX / INFOGRAPHIC)

Girls’ Volleyball

* What: State finals

* When: Today

* Where: Cypress College, 9200 Valley View St., Cypress

* Schedule: Session 1, 9 a.m.--Division V: St. Margaret’s (23-1) vs. Ripon Christian (22-5); 11--Division IV: Los Angeles Notre Dame (24-3) vs. Atherton Menlo (31-6); 1:30 p.m.--Division III: Torrance Bishop Montgomery (31-3) vs. Forestville El Molino (22-9). Session 2, 5 p.m.--Division II: Santa Margarita (21-6) vs. Mountain View St. Francis (26-1); 7--Division I: Newport Harbor (25-1) vs. Stockton Lincoln (24-5).

* Tickets: Separate admissions will be charged for each of two sessions, and the gym will be cleared after the Division III match. Single-session tickets are $8 for adults and $5 for students with ID, seniors 60 or older and children under 12. All-day passes are $10 and $7.