Mira Costa Gets Easy Victory Over Irvine

Irvine’s attempt to make the Southern Section Division I-A girls’ volleyball finals an all-Orange County affair ended abruptly Tuesday.

Top-seeded Manhattan Beach Mira Costa rolled over the visiting Vaqueros 15-6, 15-11, 15-3, to advance to the Division I-A championship match Saturday against Mater Dei.

“We knew how good they were coming in,” Irvine Coach Mark Mednick said. “We battled, but it just wasn’t meant to be.”

The second game saw the Vaqueros’ best chances to get into the match. Irvine jumped out to a 5-1 lead behind the play of Krystle Davis and Olivia Waldowski, but Mira Costa scored five consecutive points to take the lead.

Irvine regained enough momentum to take an 8-6 lead, but the Mustangs rattled off the next six points and eventually led 14-10. Irvine staved off two game points before Mira Costa’s Brooke Donahue and Teryn Spragg teamed to block a Davis spike attempt and secure the game, and essentially the match.

“We made some blocking errors and had some ball-control problems in the first game, but we played better the second game,” Mednick said. “But their defense and ball control were too much.”

Mira Costa Coach DaeLea Aldrich knew going in exactly what she needed to do to slow down Irvine: stop the Vaqueros’ big guns of Waldowski and Jody Carlson.

The Mustangs executed her plan perfectly.

“[Waldowski and Carlson] are very talented, and we wanted to keep the ball away from them,” she said.

Irvine finished the season 17-2. Mira Costa is 25-1.