Santa Margarita Hoping to Conquer State

Winning never gets old but losing sure does, even at the highest level. Just ask Eddie Rapp, the Santa Margarita girls’ volleyball coach.

The Eagles won their fourth consecutive Southern Section championship Saturday but have yet to win a state title.

Santa Margarita has lost to Mountain View St. Francis in the last two state Division II finals, a fact not lost on Rapp even in the afterglow of Saturday’s three-game victory over South Torrance in the Southern Section Division II-AA championship match.

“It’s the ultimate,” said senior middle blocker Monique Gerlach, after completing a sweep of section titles during her four years.

Although Rapp encouraged his players to enjoy the moment, he reminded them the season is not over.

“We still have some unfinished business,” he said.

Santa Margarita opens the Division II state tournament tonight with a home match against Bakersfield Highland. A rematch with St. Francis, winner of four state championships, is a long way off but it wouldn’t be a surprise.

St. Francis finished the regular season ranked second in the overall state poll, but it is not invincible.

Newport Harbor defeated St. Francis in five games Oct. 30 in the Santa Barbara Tournament of Champions final.

Rapp may have some inside information. He once played for and shared a house with Newport Harbor Coach Dan Glenn.

NEW LIFE

Although Corona del Mar was eliminated by North Hollywood Harvard-Westlake in the section Division III-AA semifinals, the Sea Kings still qualified for the state tournament, thanks in part to the lack of a Division III-A bracket in the section this season.

Corona del Mar opens the Division III state tournament at University of San Diego High tonight.

“We’re happy we have another chance,” Corona del Mar Coach Steve Conti said. “We only made the section semifinals. We have to play on the road and that’s fine. We have nothing to lose.”

MONARCHS’ ROUGH ROAD

Mater Dei also will travel for its first-round state tournament match, playing at Del Mar Torrey Pines, the San Diego Section Division I champion, after losing to Santa Barbara San Marcos in the Southern Section Division I-A final Saturday.

Mater Dei entered last week ranked second in the Division I state poll and would have secured a seeding for the state tournament with a victory Saturday. The four-game loss to the Royals also cost the Monarchs their first section title.

“If that wasn’t our worst, it was our second-worst performance,” Mater Dei Coach Craig Pazanti said. “We just didn’t show up to play. Maybe we can rebound in the state tournament.”

LASTING IMPRESSION

There are plenty of good reasons why San Marcos won the first section volleyball championship in Channel League history last weekend. One is 6-foot-2 middle blocker Jaima Ortega, who has committed to Pacific.

Her 25 kills and eight blocks in the four-game victory over Mater Dei in the Division I-A section final had plenty of coaches convinced.

“She’s the most physical player we’ve faced,” Pazanti said. “Newport Harbor’s April Ross might be the best all-around player we’ve seen, but Ortega is the most physically imposing.”

San Clemente Coach Rob O’Rear watched Ortega do similar things in a quarterfinal victory over his Tritons.

“You just don’t find players that big with those kind of hops,” O’Rear said. “She’s awesome.”

UH-OH . . .

Newport Harbor, the defending Division I champion, hosts Poway in a first-round state tournament match tonight.

Saturday, the Sailors became the first team to win three consecutive major division championships with a three-game sweep of Manhattan Beach Mira Costa. Newport Harbor didn’t lose a game during the Division I-AA tournament.

“It’s great winning CIF again,” Ross said. “But we have things we can improve on. I think we can play better in the state tournament.”

If you have an item or idea for the girls’ volleyball report, you can fax us at (714) 966-5663 or e-mail us at mike.itagaki@latimes.com