Los Amigos girls’ volleyball loses, still controls fate for rare league title
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SANTA ANA — Los Amigos’ first girls’ volleyball league title in more than four decades will have to wait a couple of weeks and will require an uncertain victory at the finish, but the Lobos still control their path after dropping Thursday’s showdown at Santa Ana Valley.
A victory would have assured them at least a share of the Orange League title with two games to go, but the Falcons dominated at the net and overcame a first-set collapse to cruise to a four-set victory and pull even with Los Amigos at the top of the standings.
Junior outside hitter Karla Oliva delivered 17 of Santa Ana Valley’s 42 kills — Los Amigos, as a whole, managed just 18 — to pace one-sided wins in the second and third sets, and a strong close in a tight fourth completed the 22-25, 25-16, 25-15, 25-21 triumph.
Los Amigos (10-5, 8-2) was deeply disheartened not to ensure its program’s first league championship since prevailing in the Garden Grove League 42 years ago.
“I couldn’t tell you [what wasn’t working],” said 11th-year head coach Valerie Herndon, who has all but officially guided the Lobos to the CIF Southern Section playoffs for the second time in three years following a drought dating to last century. “They just weren’t gelling like they normally do. ... It was just back on your heels, playing more reactive than proactive.”
Santa Ana Valley (8-8, 8-2) took advantage, with senior Jackie Gil adding eight kills, sophomore Natalie Flores another seven and junior Monzerrat Merino five more. The Falcons now have the simpler path to the Orange League crown; they just need to finish season sweeps next week of Magnolia and Savanna, which have collectively won just five times in 35 games.
Los Amigos is home against Savanna (1-16, 0-9) on Tuesday and a week later against third-place Anaheim (11-11, 6-4), which last week pulled out a 3-2 triumph over the visiting Lobos. The Colonists remain alive, technically, for a first-place tie, but it would require unfathomable results.
Santa Ana Valley appears a lock.
“We’ll celebrate in two games,” Falcons head coach Damian Corradino said. “Let’s get those two first.”
Los Amigos has real work to do.
“Honestly, it’s [disappointing]. We really wanted to go and [clinch today],” said senior outside hitter Catalina Guardado, who led the Lobos with seven kills. “We lost last Thursday, and I think that motivated us down. And Tuesday’s win [at Magnolia] didn’t motivate us enough.
“Our communication or energy went low after the first set,” Guardado continued. “We just played to play, and that’s what showed on the court. We’re not talking to each other. We’re not hyping each other up. We didn’t want to attack. We just played their game, and then they just kept hitting on us. We just rallied it back and forth instead of trying to kill it.”
Los Amigos, which won the first two meetings in five sets, battled back from a 9-2 first-set deficit — its 10-4 finish led by sophomore Favour Macauley’s two kills, Cruz Vega-Sanchez’s kill and service ace, and a Guardado ace — to grab a lead that disappeared in long Santa Ana Valley runs (12-0 in the second set, 8-0 and 7-0 in the third).
Los Amigos was in command much of the fourth set after a 5-0 start but couldn’t stop the Falcons at the net down the stretch. A 12-5 run, all but one point coming from a kill or ace, and it was over.
Now they must win twice for the title.
“These girls are fighters, and they’re going to fight until the end,” Herndon said. “We’ve just got to finish strong for the season.”
