Mira Costa Returns to the Top

The inspirational notes that Coach DaeLea Aldrich carries with her serve as a reminder of what can happen if the Manhattan Beach Mira Costa girls’ volleyball team takes success for granted.

The latest evidence that the notes work came Saturday night when Mira Costa defeated Northern California powerhouse San Jose Mitty in four games to win the Santa Barbara Tournament of Champions at Santa Barbara High.

The nearly two-hour, 27-29, 28-26, 26-24, 28-26 victory featured several intense rallies and highlight-reel plays. It was the third tournament title of the season for Mira Costa, and it helped re-establish the Mustangs (17-3) as one of the state’s top teams.

There had been doubt about that status after an Oct. 5 Bay League loss to South Torrance, the team’s first league loss in 19 years. Since that loss, Mustang players have been writing the notes.

Every player writes a new one before each game. Aldrich has each player read them before they play to remind them that past success means nothing this season.

“There wasn’t really doubt on our part, but we definitely needed to work on some things,” said junior setter Taylor Carico, who was selected most valuable player. “We were very motivated by that loss.”

This latest victory came in a tournament that featured three of the top 30 teams in the nation, according to prepvolleyball.com. Mitty, ranked No. 6, is the defending state Division II champion.

“This is an important win for us because we’ve been so up and down this season,” said Aldrich, whose team began the season No. 2 in the nation but has dropped to No. 30. “It’s good for us to get this type of competition this late in the season.”

Carico had 39 assists to go along with her eight kills and 16 digs in the championship match.

In the fourth game, Carico hit over on two for a kill that tied the game, 25-25, then she gave the Mustangs a 27-26 lead with a left-handed kill.

That was Mira Costa’s first lead since a 17-16 advantage, and Jessica Hardy wasted little time putting the match away with a game-winning kill on the next point.

Sophomore hitter Alix Klineman had 23 kills and 22 digs in the final match. Hardy had 11 kills and 16 digs.

Long Beach Wilson finished third with a 25-21, 25-22, 25-19 victory over Santa Barbara San Marcos. Cynthia Barboza had 19 kills and Genie Francisco had 25 assists and four aces for Wilson (21-6).

-- Peter Yoon

Football

Coach Marijon Ancich of Santa Fe Springs St. Paul is two wins from tying the state record for career victories after a 57-14 victory Friday over North Hollywood Harvard-Westlake.

Ancich has 336 victories, two behind recently retired Herb Meyer, who coached at Oceanside and Oceanside El Camino. Meyer finished with a 338-150-14 record.

Ancich (336-121-10), who coached at St. Paul from 1961 to 1991 and returned in 2003 after coaching at Tustin, could break the record in the first round of the Southern Section Division III playoffs.

St. Paul must first beat West Hills Chaminade and Mission Hills Alemany in its final two Mission League games.

Coach Kevin Rooney of Sherman Oaks Notre Dame joined the 200-win club Friday when the Knights defeated Alemany, 56-14, in a Mission League game.