Burroughs secures crown

GLENDALE — It wasn’t one of its best-played matches of the season, but the Burroughs High girls’ volleyball team will take it nonetheless.

Ending a three-year reign by Arcadia, the Indians earned a 25-21, 25-15, 25-16 sweep against host Hoover on Thursday to clinch their first Pacific League championship since 2007.

Burroughs (17-3, 13-0 in league) — which has won 17 matches in a row — can end its league season with an undefeated record when it hosts cross-town rival Burbank on Tuesday.

“We’re definitely not done yet,” Burroughs senior setter Catarina Emerson said. “We really want to be undefeated in league. We are motivated to do that. We are not going to take Burbank lightly at all.”

The league title for the Indians, who are ranked No. 4 in CIF Southern Section Division II-A, is only their second in 17 years. In 1994, coach Linda Murphy guided Burroughs to a title in the Foothill League.

The Indians were able to break the stranglehold Arcadia has had on the championship for more than three decades. The Apaches have won 29 titles in 34 years.

“We put the time in practice and these girls went a long time without having a day off,” said Burroughs Coach Edwin Real, who also won a title in 2007. “They have dedicated themselves to the program and they have worked very hard to accomplish the goal of a league championship.”

The Indians didn’t put up big numbers against Hoover (2-14, 2-11). Laura Howard paced the team in kills with 11 and Megan Stephenson and Caitlin Cottrell added eight apiece. Keana Figueroa had eight aces and 12 assists, Emerson had 15 assists and Daniela Gonzalez added six kills.

Burroughs, which clinched a tie for the league title with a four-game win Tuesday against Pasadena, didn’t have an easy time against the Tornadoes.

Hoover tied the score at 21 in an opening game, as some of the Indians starters were relegated to the bench. However, Howard tallied three kills down the stretch to help Burroughs pull out the game.

That proved to be the closest game of the contest, as the Indians weathered a few feeble Hoover comeback attempts in the final two games.

“Those guys played hard,” Real said of the Tornadoes. “I don’t know what we were thinking; like it was going to be easy for us. We were having a hard time passing, and we really didn’t play our best. But we won, and I guess that’s all that matters.”