Girls’ Volleyball: Sage edges rival
SAN JUAN CAPISTRANO — Every time the Sage Hill School girls’ volleyball team is on the cusp of staying in first place all by itself it drops a big Academy League match.
It has happened three times in the program’s history, and each time the setback cost Sage Hill an outright league title. It happened last year at Crean Lutheran in October, forcing Sage Hill to share the league crown.
Two sets into Tuesday’s match at rival St. Margaret’s, it appeared Sage Hill would move into a first-place tie with the Tartans. Sage Hill’s undefeated league record appeared in jeopardy. The Tartans won Games 1 and 2 by identical scores.
After the teams switched sides, Lightning Coach Dan Thomassen didn’t bring up what was slipping away. He only talked about winning the third set, and Sage Hill ran away with it.
Things got dicey in the next two sets. The team overcame a four-point deficit late in Game 4, and a two-point deficit early in Game 5. Every time Sage Hill took the lead in the last two sets, it never trailed again, rallying for a 22-25, 22-25, 25-13, 25-22, 15-11 win.
The top-ranked team in the CIF Southern Section Division 3AA poll remained perfect in league. Three senior captains, Halland McKenna, Kekai Whitford and Maddy Abbott, led the way for Sage Hill (12-3, 7-0 in league) against the No. 5 Tartans (17-3, 5-2).
Abbott, a setter, gave Sage Hill its first point in the decisive fifth set, dumping a ball for her fifth kill. Abbott then fed her outside hitters, McKenna and Whitford, and amassed 49 assists.
McKenna dropped in three winners in Game 5, leaving her with 23 kills. Whitford produced the most kills (four) in the final set and match (24), including the game-winner.
The trio wants to make history in delivering Sage Hill’s first outright league championship. Five league matches remain, and none of the next opponents should challenge the Lightning.
“They wanted this on their shoulders, and they got better and better as the match went,” Thomassen said of McKenna, Whitford and Abbott, who finished with 25, 17 and 11 digs, respectively.
“We’re pretty excited about [possibly finishing in first by ourselves], especially when we [beat] teams like St. Margaret’s, [which] always, always finds a way to [compete]. You know, maybe on paper we look like a more experienced team, but we know [the Tartans are] going to be great, especially at home.”
The Tartans didn’t resemble the team that Sage Hill swept on Sept. 26. They played well in the first two sets, topping a Sage Hill program that has appeared in three straight CIF Southern Section finals, winning it all twice.
Peighton McRobie jumpstarted St. Margaret’s, recording half of her 14 kills in the opening set. Gabby Benck reeled off three service aces late in the set, before Alex Vandenburg stuffed a Whitford shot to give St. Margaret’s Game 1.
Sage Hill never led in Game 1, and it failed to take a lead in Game 2. Benck halted a late comeback by the Lightning, hammering one of her 10 kills.
The match changed in the third set. Sage Hill began to dictate points, getting two aces from McKenna, who finished with six, and Whitford served up a winner. Freshman Jade Blevins also came alive with a couple of her eight kills, to go with 12 digs and two aces.
Sage Hill also saw the return of Sophia Mossman. Thomassen said the middle blocker missed the previous five weeks with a shoulder injury. The last time she played Sage Hill also competed in a five-set match on Sept. 9, losing at Santa Margarita and losing Mossman to a torn shoulder.
Mossman helped Sage Hill overcome a two-set deficit and win this crucial five-set match. The junior added one of her five kills late in the fifth set, putting her team up, 13-9.
“She came back, and, you know, was a little bit out of the flow, but got a big kill in Game 5 and some really nice blocks,” Thomassen said. “She still makes a difference.
“This was a lot like the [Division 3A section] finals of two years ago, except St. Margaret’s won Game 5 [that year], and this time we won Game 5. We love coming here to battle. We know it’s going to be a spirited crowd. I think we’re going to see them in the playoffs, maybe even in the finals.”