Monta Vista followed up an undefeated run to the Santa Clara Valley Athletic League El Camino Division championship with a victory over Andrew Hill in the Central Coast Section Division I playoffs.
After going 12-0 to beat out Lynbrook for the El Camino title and 22-4 overall, the Matadors received the No. 4 seed and a first-round home match against the No. 13 Falcons on Nov. 11.
The result, like 20 of their previous 22 wins, was a straight sets decision. The Matadors did not lose a game, as they dispatched Hill 25-7, 25-19, 25-17 behind junior Ellie Cary’s eight kills and seven service aces.
Monta Vista also received powerful hitting from junior Amanda Hua (six kills),
sophomore Alia Johnson (five) and junior Selena Liu (four).
The Matadors finished with 18 aces, including four from Johnson, three by Liu and two apiece from seniors Karissa Mi and Riku Jandu.
Senior setter Sydney Howard keyed the attack with 20 assists and freshman Phoebe Li bolstered the defense at the net with five blocks.
With the CCS win, Monta Vista moved into the quarter-final round three nights later and hosted No. 5 Carlmont of Belmont. The visiting Scots won the first game 25-21, but the Matadors recovered to take the second 25-22 and even the best-of-five contest at 1-1.
Carlmont went on to win the next two sets 25-21 and 25-19, ending Monta Vista’s season.
Cary (19) and Hua (11) once again led the Matadors in kills, while Liu and Hua paced the service game with a combined seven aces. Johnson delivered six blocks and Hua added three.
Howard came through with 33 assists and seven digs. Cary and Liu each had five digs and senior Michelle Wang added four.
Coach Colin Anderson’s squad finished 2015 with a 24-5 record, while Carlmont went on to finish second to Menlo-Atherton in the D-1 tourney and advance to Northern California regional play.
While Howard, Wang, Jandu, Mi, Vivian Lee, Cynthia Shen and Kirthi Gomatam played in their final high school matches, Cary, Hua, Liu, Johnson, Li and sophomore Kelly Chen could return for the Matadors next fall.
Lynbrook, which finished second to the Matadors in the El Camino standings with a 10-2 record, earned the No. 7 seed and a first-round home match in Division II.
Like Monta Vista, coach Serena Jenkins’ Vikings won their CCS opener, but lost in the quarterfinals to the eventual runner-up. Lynbrook defeated No. 10 Leigh in four games, 25-21, 25-17, 23-25, 25-11, but lost in straight sets at No. 2 Presentation.
Leigh had a tough time dealing with Lynbrook sophomores Amy Steinmetz (6-foot-1) and Sara Mandic (5-foot-11). Steinmetz delivered 18 kills, 13 blocks and four aces, while Mandic had eight kills and 11 blocks. Junior Morgan Wu added 11 kills and five blocks for the Vikings, while senior Alexa Ziegel supported with three kills and four blocks.
Junior Jiayi Shen set up her powerful teammates with 33 assists and added two service aces. Senior Esther Ho hit the floor to make 12 digs, Wu kept 10 balls alive with diving plays and sophomore Alice Cai dug out seven Leigh hits.
Lynbrook’s season ended at Presentation on Nov. 14, 25-11, 25-16, 25-20, but the future looks bright for the Vikings, who had eight underclassmen contribute to a 23-11 season. It was the final match for Lynbrook seniors Cate Hudepohl, Theresa Prada, Ho and Ziegel.
The King’s Academy competed in the Division IV tourney, after placing second in the West Bay Athletic League Skyline Division. Seeded No. 11, the Knights lost in the first round at No. 6 Santa Cruz 25-11, 25-15, 25-15 and finished the season with a 16-14 record.
Seniors on coach Philip Wang’s Knights were captains Alyssa Pablo and Sarah Byrne, along with Brooke Allen, Rebecca Wong and Christina Mullins. Other team members included juniors Anna Simoes, Autumn Awbrey, Aimee Fernandez, Julia Herbst, Olivia Martin and Synthia Wong, sophomore Emily Wagner and freshman Emily Park.
