Southern California excessive colleges have lengthy been a breeding floor for school volleyball recruits and maybe no league is loaded with as a lot Division I expertise this fall because the Bay League.
Lots of the women play membership collectively, however once they placed on their faculty jerseys the rivalries are intense, the rallies are lengthy and the stakes are excessive.
A playoff environment exists each time the groups face one another as a result of every result’s essential towards figuring out postseason seedings.
Redondo Union coach Tommy Chaffins in contrast the competitiveness in Bay League volleyball to that of the Trinity League in soccer. Palos Verdes coach Lacy Minzlaff stated it’s the finest league within the nation, and Mira Costa’s Cam Inexperienced admitted that within the Bay League there isn’t any such factor as a straightforward match.
The margins are slight however the respect is immense.
Redondo Union’s Abby Zimmerman flexes after successful a degree.
(Steve Galluzzo / For The Instances)
Seventeen gamers within the five-team league are dedicated to Division I schools, and that quantity may improve by season’s finish. Heading to Stanford is senior outdoors hitter Kaci Demaria of Palos Verdes, the No. 7 recruit in her class. Two different Sea Kings seniors, twin sisters Mallory and Molly LaBreche, are primed to play seaside for his or her respective universities — Mallory goes to UCLA and Molly to LSU — after they gained the Southern Part pairs match in Might.
Redondo Union, which avenged a five-set loss within the first spherical of league play with a four-set victory over Palos Verdes on Wednesday and edged Mira Costa in two shut units in Hawaii in August, boasts a lineup that options junior outdoors hitter Abby Zimmerman, an early decide to Cal, senior setter Bella Jones (San Diego State), junior center blocker Taylor Boice (UC Irvine) and twins Addison and Avery Junk, juniors dedicated to play seaside at Florida State. Addison is a defensive specialist and Avery is an reverse hitter for the Sea Hawks.
Mira Costa is making an attempt to defend the title and the Mustangs from Manhattan Seaside have gone undefeated in league play up to now, paced by Wisconsin-bound junior hitter Audrey Flanagan, who pounded a team-high 330 kills by means of the squad’s first 25 matches.
Mira Costa junior setter Milly McGee is all smiles when celebrating after the Mustangs gained a degree.
(Steve Galluzzo / For The Instances)
Two Mustangs are dedicated to play indoor at USC — junior setter Milly McGee, who has proved a worthy successor to the graduated Charlie Fuerbringer, who’s now at Wisconsin, and senior libero Taylor Deckert, who averages 5.2 digs per set.
Inexperienced, a 1992 Mira Costa alum, has a number of different gamers on his roster who’ve made verbal commitments as juniors: setter Reese Stringer (Penn), center blocker Bridget Blu (Cal Poly San Luis Obispo), outdoors hitter Simone Roslon (Stanford) and reverse Ruby Cochrane, who has opted to play seaside for the Cardinal. Exterior hitter and starter Cayenne Ceman (daughter of former Stanford All-American and AVP Tour participant Canyon Ceman), additionally a junior, has a number of provides.
In April, Flanagan paired with Giselle Yau on the No. 1 spot to assist Mira Costa repeat as CIF seaside champion with a 4-1 victory over Redondo Union as the 2 rallied to defeat Zimmerman and her accomplice Victoria Henkel, 18-21, 21-19, 15-12. Within the first spherical of the Bay League seaside pairs bracket, the LaBreche twins beat the Junk sisters and within the remaining they ousted Deckert and Mira Costa teammate Olga Nikolaeva.
To not be neglected are El Segundo junior outdoors hitter Macy Ludwig, who’s dedicated to play seaside at Cal Poly San Luis Obispo, and Torrance senior center blocker Kalyssa Blackshear, who’s headed to Louisville, which is presently the No. 4-ranked indoor program in NCAA Division I ladies’s volleyball.
Palos Verdes is led by senior setter Mallory LaBreche, who has dedicated to UCLA for seaside volleyball.
(Steve Galluzzo / For The Instances)
Host Torrance held off El Segundo in 4 spirited units Wednesday after sweeping the Eagles on their dwelling courtroom within the groups’ first league assembly Sept. 17.
Mira Costa is ranked No. 2 within the newest Southern Part Division 1 ballot, Palos Verdes is No. 8 and Redondo Union is the top-rated group in Division 2.
Redondo Union and Mira Costa met within the finals of the Redondo Energy Basic on Saturday afternoon, and the Sea Hawks overcame a 19-14 deficit within the second set to prevail 25-22 to finish a sweep, taking the championship of their two-day match for the primary time since 2019 with out dropping a set.
Zimmerman was named Most worthy participant after a roof on match level and becoming a member of her on the All-Match group have been Boice and Sea Hawks junior libero Rowan DeVore. McGee and Deckert made all-tournament for the Mustangs.
League motion resumes Tuesday when Palos Verdes hosts Mira Costa and El Segundo hosts Redondo Union.
Bay League Division I volleyball commitments
Participant; College; Grade; Pos.; School
Macy Ludwig; El Segundo; Junior; OH; Cal Poly (seaside)
Audrey Flanagan; Mira Costa; Junior; OH; Wisconsin
Milly McGee; Mira Costa; Junior; S; USC
Taylor Deckert; Mira Costa; Senior; L/DS; USC
Bridget Blu; Mira Costa; Junior; MB; Cal Poly
Reese Stringer Mira Costa Junior S Penn
Ruby Cochrane; Mira Costa; Junior; OH; Stanford (seaside)
Simone Roslon; Mira Costa; Junior; OH; Stanford
Kaci Demaria; Palos Verdes; Senior; OH; Stanford
Mallory LaBreche; Palos Verdes; Senior; S; UCLA (seaside)
Molly LaBreche; Palos Verdes; Senior; L/DS; LSU (seaside)
Abby Zimmerman; Redondo Union; Junior; OPP; California
Addi Junk; Redondo Union; Junior; L/DS; Florida St. (seaside)
Avery Junk; Redondo Union; Junior; OPP; Florida St. (seaside)
Taylor Boice; Redondo Union; Junior; MB; UC Irvine
Bella Jones; Redondo Union; Senior; S; San Diego St.
Kalyssa Blackshear; Torrance; Senior; MB; Louisville
