What Westridge volleyball doesn’t know doesn’t hurt it

PASADENA — Westridge volleyball player Carmen Costa and her coach, Otto Lacayo, are at opposite ends of the spectrum when it comes to knowing about their opponent.

Costa would prefer to not be too familiar with Westridge’s foe, whereas Lacayo will take any information and begin to digest it immediately.

Costa hardly let her opponent effect her, as she recorded a team-high 23 kills Monday night to lead host Westridge to a 24-26, 25-19, 25-14, 25-22 victory against Sonora in a CIF Southern Section Division II-A wild-card match.

Westridge, making its first playoff appearance since 2008, will next meet third-seeded Oxnard in a first-round road match at 7 p.m. Tuesday. Sonora finished 12-13-2.

“It’s all about the unknown,” said Costa, who closed out the match with a kill. “We did a little research on Sonora, and we knew a couple of things they like to do.

“Not knowing much about Sonora helped us quite a bit. We still had to go out there and play. It’s about how far we can go.”

The Tigers, who finished fifth in the Prep League and received an at-large berth, provided Costa with plenty of support. They got 46 assists from setter Cate Hurley and 21 digs from libero Michelle Aguirre to turn back the Raiders, who were awarded an at-large berth out of the Freeway League.

Lacayo said the Tigers struggled early in the first game before regrouping.

“I think we gave them the first nine points,” said Lacayo, whose team, trailed, 9-2. “We were able to get back into the game, and then I think we were able to take control the rest of the way.

“I like to know about who we are going to play. I knew that Sonora has a smart team with some good players.”

In the fourth game, Sonora took a 22-21 on a kill by Clarisa Vargas. Lacayo called timeout and the Tigers responded by closing out on a 4-0 run.

An ace by Hurley gave the Tigers a 23-22 advantage before kills by middle blocker Natalie Martinez and Costa sealed the victory.

Westridge overcame an early 6-4 deficit and used an 8-1 streak to take a 12-7 lead in the third. The Tigers wrapped up the game on a 10-2 run, capped by a block by middle blocker Meagan MacPhee (nine blocks and nine kills).

“Meagan is one of our fastest players,” Lacayo said. “She sees what’s going on and she can get after it.”

Sonora took an 11-8 lead in the second game on a kill by Kylie Rodriguez. Following a Westridge timeout, the Tigers went 8-2 run to take a 16-13 lead. Westridge finished on a 9-6 run, as it grabbed the final five points.

Martinez finished with eight kills for the Tigers.