The Lady Cobras from the Chula Vista Learning Community Charter School are having quite a season. Actually, make that two seasons.
The Lady Cobras won last year’s San Diego Section Division V championship. They will play in Friday’s Division IV championship game against top-seeded Maranatha Christian.
Game time is 7 p.m. at Canyon Crest Academy in Del Mar.
Second-seeded CVLCC takes an imposing 23-1 record into the division title matchup. The Lady Eagles are 28-1 and riding the momentum of 12 consecutive wins.
The Lady Cobras have won 18 in a row — all by 3-0 shutouts.
CVLCC, this year’s Frontier-Summit League champion, defeated third-seeded Southwest El Centro 25-15, 25-20, 25-19 in Tuesday’s semifinals to advance to Friday’s division final.
Maranatha Christian, the defending Division IV champion, eliminated fifth-seeded Mira Mesa in Tuesday’s semifinals 21-25, 25-13, 25-11, 25-10.
South Bay League champion Lady Spartans fall in CIF semis
The Chula Vista High School girls volleyball team set a school record for wins (18) this season en route to capturing its first league championship in school history.
But the Lady Spartans could not overcome visiting Palo Verde Valley in Tuesday’s San Diego Section Division V semifinal playoff match, falling 3-1 in games to end their season.
“We exceeded our expectations — no one expected us to win league this year,” CVHS head coach Joey Espinoza said. “Our motto this year was to find a way to win and want it more than the other team. We just had an off day tonight.”
The sixth-seeded Lady Yellow Jackets (18-16-1) won the first game 25-18 and were up 8-4 early in the second game before the reigning South Bay League champions found their rhythm and stormed back to win 27-25.
The visitors reeled off an early 10-3 lead in the third game before the second-seeded Lady Spartans (18-5) again challenged before coming up short 25-18.
Chula Vista faced an early 7-1 deficit in the fourth game before rallying in an eventual 25-16 loss.
Palo Verde Valley advances to Friday’s division championship match against top-seeded Liberty Charter (19-7). Game time is 5 p.m. at Canyon Crest Academy.
This was the farthest that a Chula Vista HS girls volleyball team has ever advanced in the section playoffs, Espinoza said.
The Lady Spartans defeated seventh-seeded Morse, 3-1, last Friday in the quarterfinals. Chula Vista dropped the first game but won the next three to advance.
“We lost the first game — that was more or less expected because we had a bye in the first round,” Espinoza said.
Espinoza said unforced errors cost his team in the semifinal loss.
“We rallied but unforced errors hurt us,” the CVHS coach said. “That was a good team we played. They were among the best teams we played all year.”
Middle blocker Malia Perry recorded 23 kills against Palo Verde while teammate opposite hitter Monserrat Barron had 17 kills.
Liberty Charter defeated fifth-seeded Ocean View Christian Academy (17-5) 3-1 in games in Tuesday’s other semifinal matchup, winning 24-26, 25-16, 25-20, 25-9.
