They might seem, on the surface, at opposite ends of the spectrum: the Eastlake Lady Titans in Division I and the Southwest Lady Raiders in Division V.
But both teams put up the same hard work over the course of the season to become champions — Eastlake in the Metro-Mesa League and Southwest in the Metro-Pacific League.
That hard work and dedication to excellence didn’t stop there as both local squads reached the pinnacle of the sport in the San Diego Section by winning divisional championships this past weekend.
Second-seeded Eastlake (26-11) defeated ninth-seeded Rancho Bernardo (19-18) in a 3-0 sweep 25-17, 25-13, 25-23 last Friday at Southwestern College to earn the right to hang this year’s Division I banner in its gymnasium while top-seeded Southwest (18-16) topped second-seeded Orange Glen (15-14) by scores of 24-26, 25-18, 25-20, 25-23 Saturday at MiraCosta College in Oceanside to claim the Division V title.
The CIF championship is the history-making first for the Lady Titans while the Lady Raiders are CIF champions for the second time in program history.
The Lady Titans tuned up for league play (and beyond) by playing four of the eight Open Division teams. The locals did not flinch.
“We were all staying together through the season,” EHS coach Lizbeth Lau said. “The challenging schedule helped us become more mentally tough. We played as a team throughout.”
Senior outside hitter Ivanna Rivera Vargas led Eastlake with 11 kills in the final while receiving ample support from senior setter Kenidee Wax, senior Ariel Chime (nine kills, two blocks), junior Sepora Hayes (six kills, one block) and senior Elizabeth Heath (five kills).
The Lady Titans’ run to the final included victories over 15th-seeded Vista (first round), 10th-seeded Pacific Ridge (quarterfinals) and 11th-seeded Pt. Loma (semifinals).
Southwest did not let a 24-26 loss in the final’s first set derail them by sweeping the Lady Patriots in the next three sets.
Junior Brianna Hernandez led the Lady Raiders with 10 kills while the team recorded 12 service aces.
Southwest coach Alexys Ramirez took a break from coaching after winning a CIF title in 2018 to support her daughter in her own high school volleyball career. “Now I’m happy to be back with this group of amazing girls,” the Lady Raiders coach said.
The Lady Raiders previously defeated eighth-seeded Castle Park (quarterfinals) and fifth-seeded Kearny (semifinals).
The top-seeded Rock Academy also won its first CIF championship in program history after eclipsing the second-seeded Monarch School in five sets.
Both Eastlake and Southwest qualified for the Southern California regional playoffs — Eastlake as the No. 5 seed in Division II and Southwest as the No. 14 seed in Division V.
The Lady Titans defeated 17th-seeded Campbell Hall from North Hollywood in four sets 25-16, 25-17, 19=25, 25-17, in Tuesday’s opening round. Eastlake advances to meet No. 4 San Dieguito Academy (x) in an all-section quarterfinal matchup on Thursday.
San Dieguito Academy eliminated No. 13 Rancho Bernardo on Tuesday. Campbell Hall finishes 22-14.
Southwest also won to advance to Thursday’s quarterfinals, defeating host No. 3 seed San Fernando Vaughn (13-8-3) in a 3-0 sweep by scores of 25-19, 25-23, 25-22. The Lady Raiders will play at No. 11 Woodlake (19-15) after the latter’s 3-2 upset of No. 4 Valley Academy of the Arts and Sciences (11-10).
The top-seeded Rock Academy also won its first CIF championship in program history after eclipsing the second-seeded Monarch School in five sets.
San Diego Section Girls Volleyball Finals
Open Division
(1) Cathedral Catholic def. (2) Torrey Pines 25-18, 25-23, 25-15
Division I
(2) Eastlake def. (9) Rancho Bernardo 25-17, 25-13, 25-23
Division II
(5) University City def. (2) La Jolla Country Day 25-20, 25-22, 20-25, 25-19
Division III
(2) Brawley def. (5) Santana 27-25, 20-25, 25-21, 25-22
Division IV
(2) High Tech High Mesa def. (1) Lincoln 17-25, 25-22, 25-21, 15-25, 25-11
Division V
(1) Southwest def. (2) Orange Glen 24-26, 25-18, 25-20, 25-23
Division V-AA
(1) Rock Academy def. (2) Monarch School 25-16, 15-25, 25-16, 25-27, 15-4
Eastlake stymied in CIF girls field hockey semifinals
The San Diego Section girls field hockey championships were originally scheduled Saturday at Eastlake High School, then switched last week to Bonita Vista High School.
While the sport will get a deserving South County showcase, it’s showcase team will not be in the lineup after third-seeded Eastlake (20-3) dropped a 2-1 decision to second-seeded San Dieguito Academy (19-2) in Tuesday’s Division II semifinals.
Instead, the Lady Mustangs will meet top-seeded Mission Bay (12-4) in Saturday’s Division I final at 1 p.m.
Saturday’s lineup includes three championship games.
The Division I championship game is scheduled for 3:30 p.m. Semifinals were scheduled on Wednesday. The division’s Final Four included third-seeded San Marcos (12-10-2), fifth-seeded Poway (11-11), seventh-seeded University City (5-14-3) and eighth-seeded Mt. Carmel (10-12-1).
Mt. Carmel upset top-seeded Rancho Bernardo (13-7-2) in double overtime in last Saturday’s quarterfinals.
University City upset second-seeded Clairemont (13-7) by a 1-0 score also in the quarterfinals.
The Open Division final pitting top-seeded Bishop’s (22-1) and second-seeded La Jolla (15-5) will round out the day at 6 p.m.
Eastlake, the reigning Metro-Mesa League champion, defeated sixth-seeded Rancho Buena Vista, 2-1, in double-overtime in the quarterfinals. Senior Sabrina Jonason and sophomore Gwendolym Goold each scored one goal while senior Kyelin Straukas had two assists.
Senior goaltender Camila Gabrian was credited with five saves.
A total of three Metro Conference teams gained entry into this year’s playoff field. Olympian, the Metro-Mesa League runner-up, received the No. 8 seed in the Division II bracket while Bonita Vista (Metro-South Bay League champion) was seeded ninth in the bracket.
Olympian (12-6) defeated Bonita Vista (12-8) by a score of 2-0 in the opening round but fell short, 3-0 in the quarterfinals against Mission Bay.
Eastlake finished 8-0 in league play. Team leaders included Jonason with 46 points (20 goals, six assists), freshman Emily Burgon with 40 points (12 goals, 16 assists), Straukas with 29 points (10 goals, nine assists), junior Samara Maldonado with 28 points (seven goals, 14 assists), sophomore Neisha May with 20 points (eight goals, four assists), Goold with 16 points (six goals, four assists) and senior Jeneen Ibrahim with 16 points (seven goals, two assists).
Gabrian posted a 14-1 record in 17 games with 13 shutouts.
Olympian finished 6-2 in league play. Team leaders included senior Sarai Rodriguez with 18 points (eight goals, two assists), sophomore Alexandra Perez with 13 points (five goals, three assists), junior Allysen Florendo with 13 points (six goals, one assist), senior Jenna Garcia with 12 points (four goals, four assists) and sophomore Makayla Stainaker with 12 points (four goals, four assists).
Senior Laura Martinez posted a 10-2 record with one shutout in 14 games.
Metro-Mesa League standings
League/Overall
Eastlake 8-0 20-3
Olympian 6-2 12-6
Otay Ranch 3-5 5-10
Helix 1-6 4-15
Hilltop 1-6 3-13
Metro-South Bay League standings
League/Overall
Bonita Vista 8-0 12-8
El Capitan 5-2 7-8
Granite Hills 4-4 7-8
Castle Park 2-5 2-14
Southwest 0-6 0-7
San Diego Section Playoff Scoreboard
Boys Water Polo
Division I
Quarterfinals
Saturday, Nov. 9
(10) Vista 16, (2) Eastlake 15 (3OT)
(1) Valhalla 13, (9) Coronado 7
Division III
Quarterfinals
Friday, Nov. 8
(3) Hilltop 10, (6) Mission Hills 6
(1) San Pasqual 12, (9) Otay Ranch 5
Semifinals
Monday, Nov. 11
(2) University City 17, (3) Hilltop 12
(1) San Pasqual 13, (5) Scripps Ranch 2
