Mira Costa Wins the Big Title

The future, it turns out, is now.

At least it is for the Manhattan Beach Mira Costa girls’ volleyball team, which scored a 25-12, 22-25, 25-19, 25-19 victory over Grass Valley Nevada Union to win the Division I state title Saturday at Cypress College.

Mira Costa (29-3) entered the season with enough to be ranked among the state’s top teams, but a roster filled with sophomores and juniors left questions about whether it had the experience to win big matches.

The fourth state championship in school history -- the first since 1989 -- provided a resounding answer.

“We wanted to do this now because you can’t count on anything down the road,” Coach DaeLea Aldrich said. “Our senior class isn’t the most talented we have had, but we knew we could have something special with our juniors and sophomores.”

Aldrich has coached all four Mira Costa state championship teams in her 22-year career but acknowledged she has discussed handing over the reins to assistant Lisa Arce, even though the team, with only one senior in the regular rotation, would be an odds-on favorite to repeat next season

“Lisa and I are talking about it,” she said. “But we haven’t made a decision.”

Sophomore Alix Klineman, named Division I championship game most valuable player, had 20 kills, 11 digs and unleashed a devastating jump serve to record five aces.

She served seven consecutive points in the fourth game that turned a 7-6 deficit into a 13-7 lead that the Mustangs did not relinquish.

Junior setter Taylor Carico also caused fits for Nevada Union (37-3). She effectively used a dump -- hitting the ball over on the second hit -- to record 12 kills. She also had 42 assists.

Junior Jessica Hardy added 12 kills and 14 digs and sophomore Lauren Bledsoe had 11 kills and three blocks for Mira Costa.

The Mustangs, who won prestigious tournament titles at Las Vegas Durango and Santa Barbara, ended the season with a 22-match winning streak and were forced into a fourth game only twice during the playoffs.

“Something clicked for us when [the playoffs] started,” said junior Lindsay Gardner, who had five kills and three blocks. “It’s like we were unstoppable.”

San Jose Mitty d. Santa Ana Mater Dei, 16-25, 25-22, 25-23, 25-27, 15-13 -- Loyola Marymount-bound senior Erin Downey had 21 kills and nine blocks and Amanda Gil had eight kills and 10 blocks as Mitty (36-2) defended its title in a rematch of the 2003 Division II state final.

Mater Dei (28-5) saved seven game points in the second game before dropping it, then fell behind, 24-20, in the fourth game and held off four consecutive match points before winning.

In the fifth game, Mitty jumped to a 12-8 lead, but again the Monarchs fought back, only to lose when Gil, a 6-foot-5 freshman, ended an intense rally with a kill to the middle of the floor.

Mallorie Croal had 17 kills and 22 digs and Chelsea Pavlik had 15 kills and 15 digs for Mater Dei.

Lake Arrowhead Rim of the World d. San Francisco Sacred Heart Cathedral, 25-18, 25-13, 25-19 -- Sonja Newcombe had 13 kills, Cassie Engelgau had 11 and Cassie Ells had 10 for Rim of the World, which won the Division III title, its first state championship since 1983.

The Fighting Scots (29-1) used a decisive size advantage to dominate the net against the defensive-minded Fighting Irish (38-7), who were making their first appearance in a state title match.

“We knew we were bigger so I told them to just go play their game,” Coach Linda Pattison said. “We knew they were scrappy, so we had to just keep coming and coming and coming at them.”

Newcombe was named Division III most valuable player.

In the other two state finals, San Diego Parker defeated Garden Valley Golden Sierra, 25-18, 25-16, 25-9, in Division IV and San Rafael Marin Academy defeated Solana Beach Santa Fe Christian, 19-25, 25-19, 16-25, 25-23, 15-11.