Daily Pilot High School Athlete of the Week: Setter Sparks helps Edison to state finals

About a month ago, Lindsey Sparks believed that the season had come to an end.

The Edison High girls’ volleyball team had fallen to Manhattan Beach Mira Costa in the quarterfinals of the CIF Southern Section Division 1 playoffs.

Despite the loss, it was still the best finish that Sparks had experienced as a member of the Chargers. In the two previous seasons, the farthest that Edison had advanced was the second round.

As players draw nearer to their graduation year, it becomes harder to cope with the end of the season. Sparks, a junior and three-year varsity player, thought that she had fought her last battle with the team’s five seniors.

A week went by as sectional playoffs carried on. Then a surprise came.

Edison’s season was not over after all. The state tournament expanded by a round this season, and as a result, the Chargers were selected as one of the 16 Southern California teams to enter the draw.

Since she didn’t expect to get into the tournament, Sparks feels that her team is playing with house money. She is enjoying it, but that hasn’t changed her sense of urgency. The junior setter is determined to send off the seniors in grand fashion.

“This is the year,” she said. “I’ve been playing with these seniors since my freshman year. This is our last opportunity.”

Given new life, Sparks has done all that she can to spur her team’s remarkable run. The Chargers (35-8) have won four straight matches to advance to their first CIF State title match.

Edison will oppose Menlo Atherton (30-5) at Santiago Canyon College on Friday at 4 p.m.

In order to reach the final, Edison swept rival Huntington Beach, 25-18, 25-21, 25-13. The teams split their regular-season meetings, sharing the Sunset League crown.

“That was pretty awesome because I have quite a few friends on that team,” Sparks said. “Beating them definitely feels good.”

Among those friends is Cami Sanchez, whom Sparks has played beach volleyball with since they were 8 years old. Sparks is proud to claim the south side of the Huntington Beach pier as their home since they were old enough to play.

The longtime friends have secured college commitments. Sparks plans to play beach and indoor volleyball at Pepperdine.

Sanchez, a senior outside hitter for the Oilers, is committed to UCLA for beach volleyball.

What also made the semifinal matchup with Huntington Beach particularly enjoyable for Sparks was the astonishing efficiency with which she ran the offense.

Sparks assisted on 42 of Edison’s 75 points won in the match, which is a 56% clip. She also had 16 digs.

“I have my hitters to thank for that one,” Sparks said with a smile.

If not for the state berth, the Chargers may not have ever gotten the chance to play to the best of their abilities. Edison Coach Matthew Skolnik says that Sparks and senior Hannah Phair have been on the same page throughout the playoffs.

Phair, a 5-foot-10 outside hitter, has led the team in kills in each of the four matches of the state tournament. She has 57 kills in that span.

The connection between Sparks and Phair was instrumental to the team’s five-set, regional semifinal victory over Lakewood.

Sparks recorded 55 assists (55.5% of 99 points won), and Phair turned in 21 kills in that match.

“She recognized the hot hand and got a lot of balls to Hannah [Phair],” Skolnik said of Sparks. “She made some great decisions in the middle, too, late in the game that kind of gave us that lead, that little extra to get over the top.”

This is Sparks’ first season as the full-time setter. Although she played at the position in the past, she was also an opposite hitter for her first two years.

Skolnik has witnessed improvement in her decision-making, and he says that the team’s high hitting percentage in its last five matches is no coincidence.

“Her decision-making is really good,” Skolnik said. “It’s gotten a lot better as we’ve moved on, and I think she’s making all the right choices every single time.”

“She has really good hands and puts the ball into a good spot. The offense has been running really well, and Lindsey is a big part in that.”

Edison Athletic Director Rich Boyce took to Twitter to show his support for the Chargers’ girls’ volleyball team.

It has been a good year to be a Chargers fan. Boyce’s boys’ basketball team made it to the CIF-SS Division 2AA finals last year. Edison’s football team is also playing in the Division 3 championship game Friday night at La Mirada in Dave White’s 31st and final season at the helm.

Sparks says that widespread success in sports at Edison makes each team hungry to match or surpass the accomplishments of the others at the school.

“I think it just makes everyone want to succeed that much more,” Sparks said. “You see the other sports [and think], ‘Oh my gosh, they made it to the finals. That could be us.’”

With the girls’ volleyball state final at 4 p.m. and the football championship game at 7:30 p.m. on Friday, Sparks and her team will be trying to set the table for what could be a wonderfully memorable day for Edison athletics.

*

Lindsey Sparks

Born: Jan. 18, 2000

Hometown: Huntington Beach

Height: 5-foot-9

Weight: 130

Sport: Volleyball

Year: Junior

Coach: Matthew Skolnik

Favorite food: Fudge

Favorite movie: “Monsters, Inc.”

Favorite athletic moment: Sweeping Los Alamitos in the two Sunset League games last year, which included a five-set victory at home in the league opener.

Week in review: Sparks helped Edison advance to its first state final by contributing 97 assists over the team’s two victories against Lakewood (55) and Huntington Beach (42).