Archbishop Mitty defeated Los Altos Tuesday to advance to Saturday's state title match against Santiago.
Photo by Douglas Stringer
Three California teams recorded semifinal victories on Tuesday night to earn a familiar place in Saturday's California Interscholastic Federation's High School State Girls Volleyball Championships.
Archbishop Mitty (San Jose),
Parker (San Diego) and
Branson (Ross) will attempt to defend their state titles at Santiago Canyon College in Orange on Saturday.
In addition,
Los Alamitos (35-5) won the Southern California showdown of D-I powers with a 3-0 blanking of Mater Dei (Santa Ana), 25-20, 25-23, 25-16, and will move on to the title game against unbeaten
Granite Bay, ranked No. 3 in the most recent
Xcellent 25 Volleyball Rankings.
Crissy Jones, Los Alamitos
Photo by Heston Quan
It was the third time this season Los Alamitos and Mater Dei played, with the Griffins winning the last two. MaxPreps All-American
Crissy Jones saved her best performance against Mater Dei for the last one, with 22 kills in the three-set sweep.
Meanwhile in the Northern California D-I finals, Granite Bay, 44-0, had a barrage of kills (46) in defeating rival St. Francis (Sacramento), 3-0 (25-23, 25-8, 29-27) for the fourth time this season.
Mitty, the Northern California champion, will take on unbeaten and nationally ranked
Santiago (Corona) in the D-II state title game. Led by MaxPreps All-American
Clare Powers, Mitty (42-4) defeated Los Altos, 3-0 (25-20, 25-12, 25-14) to return to the state finals.
Powers showed no signs of an ankle injury as she recorded 14 kills and 12 digs in the straight-set victory.
Led by setter
Jessie Prichard, Santiago (40-0) reached the title game with a a 3-0 (25-7, 25-16, 25-12) thrashing of Westview (San Diego) in Tuesday's Southern California final. In winning, No. 6 Santiago ran its record to 40-0 and has lost just one set this season while winning 98.
Parker (28-5) reached Saturday's D-IV title game against 32-5
Menlo (Atherton) with a 3-1 win over Saddleback Christian on Tuesday night in the Southern California title game.
Mlchaela Dews led Parker with 19 kills, including five of the final eight in the final set.
Menlo beat Sonora, 3-2 (25-21, 22-25, 25-15, 22-25, 15-7) to win the Northern California title. Led by outside hitter
Maddie Huber (19 kills), Menlo had four players with a dozen kills or more. Middle blocker
Morgan Dressel had 16 kills and three blocks.
Northern California champion Branson returns to the D-V title game for a fifth straight season by defeating St. Joseph's Notre Dame (San Francisco), 3-0 (25-16, 25-16, 25-20). Branson, 35-6, will play Southern California champion
La Jolla Country Day, a Tuesday night winner over Minarets, 3-0 (25-12, 25-13, 25-7).
Branson was led by
Sarah Wallace, who had 13 kills and 13 digs. Teammate
Jordan Winters added nine kills.
In the D-III title game, Northern California champion
Valley Christian (San Jose) will face Southern California titlist
Central Valley Christian (Visalia).
Winners of 24 of its last 25 matches, Valley Christian, 35-8, beat Sacred Heart (San Francisco), 3-0 (24-18, 25-17, 25-23) to advance to the finals. Central Valley, 37-4, beat Sage Hill, 3-1 (25-23, 25-21, 20-25, 25-23), to win the Northern California title.
