Westley Matavao shines for Mater Dei at game's most prestigious tournament.
Mater Dei (Santa Ana, Calif.) grabbed its second straight Durango Fall Classic title Saturday with a thrilling 25-18, 24-26, 28-26 victory over
Marymount (Los Angeles, Calif.).
The Monarchs are the fourth team to go back-to-back at Durango, which has been the preeminent high school volleyball tournament in the country for nearly 30 years.
Assumption (Louisville, Ky.),
Mira Costa (Manhattan Beach, Calif.) and
Torrey Pines (San Diego, Calif.) are the other programs that have repeated at the event.
Held at four high schools in the Las Vegas area, this year's event featured nearly a dozen nationally-ranked teams among a field of 64.
Highlighted by Mater Dei and its sophomore star, we present news, notes and observations from two days at Durango:
The transfer from Orange Lutheran just became eligible and could be the difference-maker for the Monarchs in their quest for a second straight Open Division state title and beyond. As coach Dan O'Dell noted, his team's losses to Torrey Pines,
Redondo Union (Redondo Beach, Calif.) and
Cathedral Catholic (San Diego, Calif.) were without Matavao and
Layli Ostovar (resting her shoulder).
Durango Fall Classic MVP Westley Matavao has been a difference maker for Mater Dei since becoming eligible. The sophomore transfer from Orange Lutheran hits a heavy ball and had added to the Monarchs' already potent arsenal of hitters. (Photo: Jann Hendry)
• The Monarchs are stacked with hitters, including Ostovar, the MaxPreps Sophomore of the Year,
Presley Kiffin,
Preslie Saunders and the middle tandem of
Addison Coady and
Emma Kingston. They tallied 45 kills as a team against Marymount with all-tournament selection
Sam Capinpin and
Soraya Dennis each tossing up 17 assists.
• The past three Durango winners have gone on to be crowned MaxPreps National Champions: Marymount in 2021, Cathedral Catholic in 2022 and Mater Dei last year.
• Speaking of Marymount, the Sailors jumped into this week's MaxPreps Top 25 on the heels of their Durango run after beating
Archbishop Mitty (San Jose, Calif.),
Palo Verde (Las Vegas, Nev.) and
Rancho Cucamonga (Calif.) in pool play before getting to the Championship Division bracket with a qualifying win over No. 17
Cathedral Catholic (San Diego, Calif.).
"We just wanted to get to the big gym (the Durango High gym) after not making it last year," coach Cari Klein said. "Then we wanted to play as many matches as possible."
The 20-3 Sailors avenged their two previous losses, beating
Cornerstone Christian (San Antonio, Texas) in the semifinals and Mira Costa in the opening bracket game. In both the semifinal and final, Marymount showed its scrappiness coming back from a 1-0 hole.
"We talked about grit last week," Klein said on pre-tournament conversations with the players. "We started to see it last week."
It was on full display on Saturday as Marymount was 0-4 in the second set to Mater Dei and could have packed it in and been satisfied with a decent tournament run. Instead, they battled for a 26-24 win capped by a
Samantha Destler ace.
Destler was one of three all-tournament picks along with setter
Olivia Penske and 6-foot-5 middle
Elle Vandeweghe, who was an imposing figure and immovable object over the two days.
Ryan Gilhooly and libero
Declan Eastman also stood out over the two days.
Sam Destler of Marymount led the Sailors to the championship match against Mater Dei and into the MaxPreps Top 25 rankings. Marymount displayed a grit that coach Cari Klein had asked of her team in the week leading up to the Durango tournament. (Photo: Jann Hendry)
•
Prestonwood Christian (Plano, Texas) came in as national No. 1 and top seed. The Lions started slow with a tough win over
Mercy (Louisville, Ky.) but seemed to be rolling as they reached the semifinal.
The Prestonwood-Mater Dei battle equaled the other semifinal in intensity and non-stop action. The Lions dropped to No. 6.
Texas commit
Macaria Spears, like Matavao, can bring the thunder. Whenever the reigning TAPPS 6A champions needed a kill, they looked to their senior leader. She along with setter
Taylor Cook (Kansas commit) were all-tournament picks.
Texas commit Macaria Spears imposed her will at times for Prestonwood Christian. Even with a semifinal loss to eventual champion Mater Dei, Spears was an undeniable force on offense for the Lions. (Photo: Jann Hendry)
• While a handful of teams looked to compete for the Durango title, others used it as a measuring stick and preparation for state title runs.
Carrollwood Day cruised through pool play only to be without its star and MaxPreps National Freshman of the Year
Lydia Chinchar on Saturday.
Coach Doug Chinchar said she was battling a bug but the Patriots didn't use that as an excuse, going three sets with Sierra Canyon in the qualifying round before beating Marist and taking Los Alamitos to three sets in the semifinals.
Junior
Elena Dibbs-Frantz and senior middle
Lorelei Church paced the offense while
Jansen Warbritton fed the pair hittable balls.
Skutt Catholic (Omaha, Neb.), which has won nine straight Nebraska Class B titles, finished tied for 15th after a run that included wins over
Long Beach Poly (Long Beach, Calif.),
Kamehameha Kapalama (Honolulu, Hawaii) and
Bishop Manogue (Reno, Nev.). The SkyHawks lost all three matches Saturday but those were comparatively "good" losses to No. 17 Cathedral Catholic, Branson and
Casteel (Queen Creek, Ariz.).
• Casteel was one of the biggest Championship Division surprises and perhaps the most spirited bunch in the gym. The Colts came in 8-8 against a tough schedule with Durango and Volleypalooza on the docket. Two losses are to No. 16 Xavier College Prep and No. 9
Dripping Springs (Texas).
All-tournament pick
Brooke Harwood led Casteel along with great play from sophomore
Kendall Omoruyi and freshman
Izzie Penrose. Setters
Kennedy Thompson and
Fara Bronson kept the offense in synch.
Kendall Omoruyi was a force in the middle for Casteel, which made a run in the Championship Division. The 6-5 sophomore was disruptive at the net for the Colts. (Photo: Jann Hendry)
•
Xavier College Prep (Phoenix, Ariz.) jumped eight spots to No. 16 in the MaxPreps Top 25 after winning the Silver Division title. The Gators ran through Cathedral Catholic, Branson and Los Alamitos in bracket play as sophomore
Tessa Larkin showed she is the real deal. The 6-1 hitter displayed an arsenal of shots from thunderous pin hits to back row kills. Freshman middle
Amari Frazier also stood out and showed the Gators' future is bright.
• While the stars were shining on the court, there was some star power off the court as volleyball dads Willie McGinest and Jared Jeffries were in attendance watching
Hanna McGinest and
Eva Jeffries shine with
Sierra Canyon (Chatsworth, Calif.). McGinest is best known for his three Super Bowl wins with the Patriots while Jeffries played 11 years in the NBA.
Eva Jeffries had seven kills in the middle and Hanna McGinest added six kills in a loss to Mater Dei.
Former professional athletes Willie McGinest and Jared Jeffries watched their daughters Hanna McGinest and Eva Jeffries shine on the court for Sierra Canyon. (Photo: Jann Hendry)
