San Pedro Topples Venice for City Title

Three of the teams that made it to the semifinals of this year’s City Section Championship division of the girls’ volleyball playoffs were from the Marine League, but in the end, it was the least-regarded of the three that finished with its head above water.

Samantha Taylor registered 12 kills and Courtney Lyons chipped in with five aces and 22 assists to lead third-seeded San Pedro to a 25-20, 25-22, 24-26, 21-25, 15-7 victory over visiting Venice on Friday at Occidental College.

San Pedro (15-3) took a 2-0 lead in games and seemed primed to put the Gondoliers away when it led, 23-19, in the third game, but fourth-seeded Venice outscored the Pirates, 7-1, the rest of the way thanks to four consecutive kills by Ashley Legerretta.

The Gondoliers (15-3) led by as many as 11 points in the fourth game and put the Pirates away on a kill by Legerretta to tie the match at 2-2, but they were unable to carry the momentum into the decisive game.

San Pedro jumped to a 5-0 lead in the fifth game and never looked back, winning its second title in four years.

Top-seeded Carson and second-seeded Harbor City Narbonne, both from the Marine League, lost to Venice and San Pedro, respectively, in the semifinals.

The title match will be televised on a tape-delayed basis by LA36 at 5 and 9 tonight and 9 p.m. on Sunday. It will also be shown at 8 a.m. today on KLCS 58.

In the City Invitational final, Cynthia Arizon had 15 kills, 24 digs and three aces and Laura Rosales had 10 assists to lead Sylmar (13-5) to a 25-21, 17-25, 24-26, 25-18, 15-13 victory over Woodland Hills El Camino Real at Occidental College.

Vanessa Grijalva had 15 kills for El Camino Real (8-10), which went 0-13 last season.

Mayar Zokaei

*

In Southern Section finals:

Corona del Mar d. Nipomo, 25-20, 25-23, 25-17--Lindsey Ensign had 12 kills and 16 digs and Jordan Smith had nine kills and 16 digs for top-seeded Corona del Mar, which won the Division III-A final for its first section title since 1997.

Corona del Mar (26-5) redeemed itself for a loss to Torrance Bishop Montgomery in the section final last year. Its front line, which averages 6 feet, dominated a scrappy defensive team that has only one player taller than 5-9. Corona del Mar had 14 team blocks.

Setter Traci Lawson had 17 assists for Corona del Mar, which broke open a tight third game with an 8-0 run to make the score 24-16. The Sea Kings apparently won on a rotation violation, but the teams replayed the final point. Kelly Christian ended the match with a kill down the left line.

*

Santa Monica Lighthouse Christian d. Santa Maria Valley Christian, 25-17, 25-12, 25-21--Stephanie Sommer had 10 kills, Jaymie Jimenez had six kills and eight digs and Emily Hamilton had 30 assists for Lighthouse Christian, which won the Division V-A title for its first section volleyball title.

It was the second appearance in a final for Lighthouse Christian (21-3), which lost to Hemet Baptist Christian in the 2001 Division V-A final. The unseeded Saints did not lose a game in four playoff matches. Second-seeded Valley Christian (14-5) was making its first section final appearance.

-- Peter Yoon