Los Alamitos Aces Final for I-A Title

Geena Urango and Rachael Moss were posed front and center in the Los Alamitos team photo that graced the game programs at the Southern Section girls’ volleyball championships.

It was the same way on the court.

Urango had eight kills and Moss notched seven to lead the top-seeded Griffins to an impressive 25-17, 25-20, 25-13 victory over second-seeded Lake Forest El Toro in the Division I-A championship match Saturday at Cypress College.

Los Alamitos (29-3), the Division I-AA champion last season, had no trouble with the competition in its new division, winning all five playoff matches in three games to earn its second title in a row and third in four years. The Griffins were playing in their fourth consecutive final match.

“I wanted to win again, to prove a point,” said Urango, a junior outside hitter who is a member of the U.S. youth national team. “I want to make a name for us in girls’ volleyball.”

Urango’s and Moss’ names kept popping up at key points against El Toro (23-5), which was victimized by its own errors. The Chargers were led by senior outside hitter Jackie Albright with eight kills and three aces and junior middle blocker Ashton Basch with seven kills and four blocks.

-- Lauren Peterson

In other division finals:

DIVISION II-AA

Alix Klineman had 29 kills, including 10 in the last game, to go with 19 digs and three aces for top-seeded Manhattan Beach Mira Costa, which defeated Bay League rival Redondo, 25-21, 22-25, 25-12, 25-13, to claim its 14th section championship and third in a row.

Most of Klineman’s kills came on cross-court smashes that hit either the angles or the Seahawks (29-9), who struggled throughout the last two games to return her shots from the front row and the back line. Klineman, a junior outside hitter, accounted for seven of Mira Costa’s last 10 points in the fourth game.

The Mustangs (31-2) also got eight kills, 14 digs and two blocks from Jessica Hardy and seven kills and three blocks by Lauren Bledsoe.

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Rebecca Saraceno had 17 kills to lead Redondo. Devon Dykstra added eight kills, and Megan Saraceno, Rebecca’s sophomore sister, had five kills and 12 digs. Setter Brittany Roderick had 29 assists.

DIVISION II-A

Senior outside hitter Stephanie Brandt had 14 kills and 11 digs and senior middle blocker Barden Cleeland made eight blocks as Irvine University (21-4) turned back West Covina South Hills rallies in the first and third games to win, 25-22, 25-12, 25-21.

University, making its first appearance in a final, took a 15-8 lead in the first game, but South Hills (29-6), appearing in its first final since 1999, pulled to within 19-15 and then 22-21. Brandt, who will play at UC Santa Barbara next season, responded with kills for University’s next point each time and accounted for five of the Trojans’ last 10 points to close out the game.

Natalia Gonzalez, a senior outside hitter who will play at Cal Poly Pomona, led South Hills with nine kills. Madison Compise added five kills, Karli Fowlkes made six blocks and Audrey Driscoll had 12 digs for the Huskies

-- Lauren Peterson

DIVISION III-AA

Senior outside hitter Sonja Newcombe of Lake Arrowhead Rim of the World was a little worried heading into the title game, especially after Coach Linda Pattison predicted, “You’re going to have the best game of you life.”

Newcombe made her coach’s statement come true, tallying 17 kills and four blocks to lead top-seeded Rim of the World (31-3) past second-seeded Santa Margarita, 25-21, 25-18, 25-21, for the school’s seventh section title.

Rim of the World, the defending state Division III champion, lost to the Eagles in four games in last year’s section final. Newcombe had plenty of help, with senior middle blocker Cassie Ells getting 10 kills and senior outside hitter Shannon Moody coming up with nine digs.

Senior outside hitter Dicey McGraw led the way for Santa Margarita (26-6) with 10 kills and senior Emily Andersen added nine kills.

DIVISION IV-AA

Junior outside hitter Kelly Irvin had 22 kills and 22 digs to lead top-seeded Los Angeles Marymount (28-7) to a 25-15, 25-23, 25-16 victory over Sunshine League rival Pasadena La Salle (23-10) and its fifth consecutive title, tying a section record set by Rim of the World from 1981 to ’85.

Marymount starter Jamie Sabol suffered what Coach Cari Klein believed was a concussion late in the first game, forcing Klein to move 5-foot-10 junior setter Claire Kinnan to the very unfamiliar middle blocker position.

But Kinnan adjusted flawlessly, recording five blocks as Marymount found success shutting down senior outside hitters Gillian Heydorff (seven kills) and Lauren Harding (eight kills) -- La Salle’s most potent offensive threats.

Junior outside hitter Megan Tryon had 17 kills and 18 digs and freshman Mattison Quayle had 18 digs for Marymount.

DIVISION IV-A

Outside hitter Cat Dailey had 23 kills, seven digs and four blocks to lead Newport Beach Sage Hill (27-8) to its first division title in the six-year history of the school against Academy League co-champion San Juan Capistrano St. Margaret’s (24-9) with a 28-26, 25-23, 25-20 win.

DIVISION V-A

Junior outside hitter Courtney Collings had nine kills and freshman outside hitter Allison Doyle finished with eight kills, five aces and five digs, carrying second-seeded Bermuda Dunes Desert Christian (20-2) to its first-ever divisional title in a 23-25, 23-25, 25-22, 25-21, 15-10 victory over top-seeded Santa Barbara Laguna Blanca (13-4).

-- Austin Knoblauch