ORANGE — Immanuel (Reedley) swept
Bell Gardens 25-17, 25-11, 25-15 on Friday in the opening of six California Interscholastic Federation state champions at Santiago Canyon College.
Dominant from the first set on, the Eagles captured their first state title with a thunderous kills by freshman
Addison Semper, closing out the third set on the fourth attempt after three hitting errors.
"I'm super proud of how we played," coach Alyssa DenHaratog said. "Our defense was good, our serving was tough and we took some big swings."
The Eagles (25-21) had a balanced attack with junior
Spencer Horn and Semper each pounding eight kills while Semper added nine digs. They also had 13 blocks as a team as Bell Gardens could sustain any momentum in any of the three sets.
Tori Visser had 16 assists and
Addie Krause added 11 assists.
Immanuel held a 17-14 first-set led before a Semper kill sparked a run that saw the set end in the 25-1`7 victory.
In the second set, Bell Gardens jumped out to an early 4-1 lead and then 8-6 on a
Maggie Chairez kill.
But a 10-point serving run by libero
Mary Degraw, the lone senior on Immanuel, flipped the match as the Eagles suddenly led 17-9.
"Our goal was to win CIF (section title) and we did," Bell Gardens coach
Caleb Ortiz said. "We just wanted to keep extending the season and we
did that."
Degraw again helped Immanuel break open the final set as her five-point run opened up a 15-8 lead as the Eagles ran to the 10-point win and the school's first volleyball title.
