El Toro Wins Wild-Card Match

El Toro went on two 14-0 runs and beat host Corona Santiago, 11-15, 15-8, 15-9, 15-3, in a Southern Section Division I-AA girls’ volleyball wild-card playoff match Monday.

After splitting the first two games, El Toro (13-4) fell behind 9-1 in the third game and 3-1 in the fourth. Both times, however, the Chargers scored 14 straight points to take the games and the match--El Toro’s first playoff appearance in six years.

Junior Kim Wilson led El Toro with 17 kills, and Katherine Varin, the Chargers’ only senior starter, had 12. El Toro also got five aces from setter Jennifer Hampton and six blocks from Krista Kimble. Jessica Rogers had 19 kills for Santiago.

El Toro, which has won four in a row and six of its last seven matches, takes on Mt. Baldy League champion Alta Loma in a first-round match at Alta Loma tonight at 7.

In another Division I-AA wild-card match:

Los Alamitos 3, Rancho Cucamonga 0--After a slow start in the first game, Los Alamitos came back to defeat Rancho Cucamonga, 15-12, 15-7, 15-2.

Rancho Cucamonga looked sharp early in the first game, matching the Griffins point for point. But the Cougars were unable to build a lead bigger than one point. Easy scoring opportunities that got away came back to haunt them when both teams ran out of substitutions.

Things went downhill after that for the Cougars, who struggled with their passing. Los Alamitos made its move quickly, spreading the ball around to all of its hitters. Four different players had at least seven kills for Los Alamitos.

The biggest advantage was in the middle, where the Griffins out-blocked Rancho Cucamonga, 6-0. Meaghan Goria had a match-high 13 kills and Dezari Munjoy added five for Los Alamitos. Rancho Cucamonga’s Kellie Kriege and Audrey Eckle combined for just four kills.

Los Alamitos (13-8) travels to play Palmdale Highland in a first-round matchup tonight at 7.