Tologs take all-league honors
GLENDALE — Once again, the Flintridge Sacred Heart Academy volleyball team proved to be one of the top teams in the competitive Mission League.
A combination of talented and skilled athletes helped lead the way for the Tologs to finish 22-10 and 7-3 in league for second place. They advanced to the second round of the CIF Southern Section Division I-AA playoffs.
The Tologs wound up having several players make differences throughout many of their league contests, evidenced by four Tologs earning all-league accolades.
Camille Coffey and Mary Schroeder were named to the first team while Alessandra Orlandini and Momo McDonald earned spots on the second team, as voted on by the league’s six coaches.
Coffey, a junior outside hitter, finished with a team-best 480 kills, 326 digs and 56 blocks to pave the way for Sacred Heart.
Sacred Heart Coach Shelli Orlandini suggested Coffey, who was named to the first team last season, should have been considered the league’s most valuable player. Megan Norton of Harvard-Westlake received the honor after leading the Wolverines to the league championship.
“I put her up for the MVP honor because I thought she had a good shot at getting it,” Orlandini said. “Her numbers were just as good as Megan’s, and she helped our team out a lot.
“When you look at MVP, you look at how much better you make your team. She was a key point for us.”
Coffey, who will look to possibly lead the Tologs to the league title next season, said there’s a good group of players in league.
“I feel very honored to get first team because there are a lot of good girls out there,” Coffey said. “To make it [on the all-league team] two years in a row is huge.
“But, that’s not why I play. I play for my teammates first and because I love the sport.”
Joining Coffey on first team was Schroeder. Schroeder finished the season with 313 kills and 103 blocks to provide the Tologs with a threat near the net.
Schroeder was named to the all-league second team last season.
“With Mary, we moved her from right-side hitter to middle blocker,” Coach Orlandini said. “She stepped up in her new spot.
“We put her in the middle because there were more opportunities for us to focus on offense. She got the big kills at the big times. Plus, she helped us out with blocking.”
Alessandra Orlandini, Shelli’s niece and a sophomore setter, proved she could handle the massive workload in terms of being the anchor to the Tologs’ offense. Orlandini, a first-time all-league representative, registered a team-high 659 assists and was third in digs with 189.
“She was really the only setter that we had,” Coach Orlandini said. “She stepped up to the table and her serving was phenomenal.
“She probably led the team with the most points from a service rotation, and she got a lot of digs.”
McDonald, a senior middle blocker, also received league recognition for the first time. She worked well with Schroeder at the net during key points in a contest.
McDonald had 59 kills and 68 blocks.
“We needed some leadership in the middle,” Coach Orlandini said. “You are playing in such a focused position and she took it on and did a great job.”
Get in touch CHARLES RICH covers sports. He can be reached at (818) 637-3228 or charles.rich@latimes.com.
