Bishop Montgomery Is Good Enough

Both sides agreed there were too many errors to go around Friday night at Cypress College.

But if Southern Section girls’ volleyball championships only have to be won, not necessarily played to perfection, then credit Torrance Bishop Montgomery for rallying from a two-games-to-none deficit for a five-game victory over North Hollywood Harvard-Westlake in the Southern Section Division III-A title game.

The 13-15, 10-15, 15-3, 15-12, 15-11 victory was the sixth section title for Bishop Montgomery (24-8) in the last nine years. Harvard-Westlake (24-5), making its seventh finals appearance in an eight-year span, had beaten Bishop Montgomery each of the last two seasons for the crown.

Outside hitter Jamie Crawford had three kills and served for a couple of points late in the rally-scoring fifth game to help the Knights win a title for the first time since 1999.

“This was not our best game,” Bishop Montgomery Coach Kim Willeman said. “We can be better. We have more building and improvements to do.”

The fifth game started with the teams trading service errors. Match point came suddenly when a block that was dropping out of bounds off the hands of Knight middle blocker Noelle Quinn was inadvertently touched by one of the Wolverines.

Time and time again, Bishop Montgomery gave up points on unforced errors in the first two games. But the Knights came out blasting in the third and Harvard-Westlake got rattled.

“Our passing got away from us in that game,” Wolverine Coach Jess Quiroz said.

L.A. Marymount d. Flintridge Sacred Heart, 15-11, 10-15, 15-5, 15-13 -- It didn’t go quite as expected in the Division IV-AA final at Cypress College, but Marymount regrouped after Sacred Heart knotted the match at one-game apiece.

Marymount buried the Tologs in the third game and then held on to win the fourth for its second section title in the last three years.

-- Paul McLeod

Van Nuys d. Woodland Hills Taft, 15-12, 15-8, 15-9 -- They might have been the defending champion but Van Nuys still felt it had something to prove in the City Championship final on Friday night at Occidental College. And the top-seeded Wolves played that way in sweeping the previously undefeated Toreadors.

After needing five games to win in both the semifinals and finals a year ago, Van Nuys (18-1) did not lose a game in four playoff matches.

“I honestly don’t think it was easier this year because everyone was out to get us,” said senior outside hitter Hala Hadawar, who lead Van Nuys with 10 kills and five aces. “It was actually more of a challenge. But this team is more experienced, we play as a team and we are all really close. Me and my sister are so happy to win it together.”

Junior setter Hana Hadawar had 32 assists and three aces. The Wolves served 18 aces to Taft’s nine.

Tara Teslaa had eight kills and Brooke Troung added five. Troung served eight consecutive points to give Van Nuys a commanding 12-4 lead in game three.

Second-seeded Taft (15-1) took a 10-6 lead in the first game, but Van Nuys responded with a 5-0 run and eventually won the game on a Hala Hadawar block. Troung blocked Taft outside hitter Ann Kukhta to end the second game.

“We have always been good at coming back,” said senior outside hitter Taylor Burras, who led the Toreadors with 10 kills and five aces. “We lost the first game to Sylmar in the [semifinals] too.

“We play our best when our backs are against the wall. I don’t know if it was the pressure of the moment or what, but tonight our skills seemed to break down after that first game.”

Middle blocker Danielle Fernandes added six blocks and five kills for Taft.

Van Nuys’ only defeat was in a nonleague match against Sherman Oaks Notre Dame, a Southern Section school.

L.A. Roosevelt d. Cudahy Elizabeth, 15-7, 6-15, 15-4, 15-5 -- Paola Zamudio had 30 kills and Edylyn Ortiz added 12 as the Rough Riders (14-5) won their sixth lower-division title with the City Invitational victory. It was their first title since 1986.

-- Steve Galluzzo