SHP Falls in State Volleyball Finals
Sierra Canyon-Chatsworth 3, Sacred Heart Prep 0
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“I think we always play for the girls next to us,” the player said, sobbing uncontrollably. “No matter what the score, we always had the mindset to play for the girl next to us.”
In response to their teammate’s show of emotion, the Gators — many of who were tearful themselves as they gathered in the postgame conference room — laughed in unison at her sobs. On paper, this might seem a terrible reaction, but in real time it was an endearing moment, insight into an inside joke perhaps, that showed just how tightknit this SHP team is.
“This is a group of 13 totally different characters that believed in our outcome,” SHP head coach Ali Magner said, “which was to get to this [state championship]. To see how they’ve handled this ... is the epitome of what Gator volleyball is.”
It was indeed a special year for the Gators (29-9 overall), who won the program’s first Northern California championship since 2012. Led by senior outside hitter Cate Desler, SHP overcame a third-place finish in the West Bay Athletic League Foothill Division to storm the Northern California Division II bracket as the No. 3 seed, upsetting No. 2 Notre Dame-Belmont in the Nor Cal semifinals and top-seed Carlmont in the Nor Cal finals.
In Saturday’s state championship at Santiago Canyon College, however, the Gators ran into the volleyball machine that is the Sierra Canyon Trailblazers, a team that waltzed through the Southern California Division II bracket as the No. 1 seed while dropping just one set through three match wins.
Sierra Canyon (38-7), despite having just one senior on roster, runs its offense like a college team. Three premium attackers — junior May Pertofsky, junior Zoie Stewart and sophomore Jaylen Jordan — each totaled double-digit kills. And the mix of their attacks, as it was for 37 others teams the Trailblazers defeated this season, simply overpowered the Gators.
“[Pertofsky] is a big hitter,” said Caroline Caruso, SHP’s senior libero who shared the match-high with 11 digs. “She definitely found a way to get touches off our block. She found holes. She’s a really great player.”
Pertofsky worked the left side with the most powerful swing on the floor. The 6-1 junior scored a team-high 16 kills while hitting at a .371 clip, and added two blocks, both in Game 2, including the finisher by rejecting an attempt through the middle to cap a remarkable comeback from 21-14 down to win it in extra points.
Desler responded with a match-high 24 kills, and turned in a double-double by adding 10 digs. And even as the clock seemed to be winding down on SHP’s season, down two sets and 22-17 in Game 3, Desler maintained an upbeat demeanor on the court, rallying for three kills in those closing points, responding to each one with her patented double fist-pump as she brought a head nod and a smile back to the team huddle in the middle of the court.
“I know this is a hungry team,” Desler said. “We can do anything we put our minds to. ... We came back at the end. We were almost winning. You never know what’s going to happen.”
Game 3 saw SHP shuffle their offense, but the strategy showed up in the errors column. SHP committed 25 attacking errors in the match, and totaled 12 unforced field errors in the final set. Gators outside hitter Ally Polverari was a bright spot though, totaling six of her nine match kills in the set.
“Amazing decision by a young lady that didn’t want to give up on her team,” Magner said.
But Sierra Canyon showed more varied firepower, and from the outset. Through Game 1, the Gators hardly ever looked comfortable in their serve receive. The Trailblazers capitalized firing four service aces in the set, all by the time they’d built a 13-7 lead.
SHP looked reinvigorated to start Game 2, opening with a 6-0 run. When junior middle Elena Radeff roared over the net to put down a kill, upping the lead to 19-12, the Gators looked certain to draw even in the match. The advantage maintained to 21-14, and then to 23-17, but from there the Trailblazers went on a 6-0 run of their own to tie it.
Pertofsky’s back-row kill deadlocked it 23-23. SHP responded to force its only set point of the match on a block by junior middle Alexa Bartlett. Sierra Canyon freshman Taylor Simpson got in on the scoring act though with an equalizer kill, then the Trailblazers forced three set points before Pertofsky blocked a Radeff attempt to end it.
“They always seemed to be there to get that dig, or to get that block,” said Haley Martella, SHP’s senior setter who totaled a match-high 39 assists. “You’ve got to hand it to them. They’re a very good team.”
Back
ORANGE — Just minutes following the CIF State Girls’ Volleyball Championships Division II match, one of the Sacred Heart Prep Gators players during the postgame press conference was asked to elaborate on a personal highlight from her team’s 25-19, 28-26, 25-22 loss to Southern California powerhouse Sierra Canyon-Chatsworth.
“I think we always play for the girls next to us,” the player said, sobbing uncontrollably. “No matter what the score, we always had the mindset to play for the girl next to us.”
In response to their teammate’s show of emotion, the Gators — many of who were tearful themselves as they gathered in the postgame conference room — laughed in unison at her sobs. On paper, this might seem a terrible reaction, but in real time it was an endearing moment, insight into an inside joke perhaps, that showed just how tightknit this SHP team is.
“This is a group of 13 totally different characters that believed in our outcome,” SHP head coach Ali Magner said, “which was to get to this [state championship]. To see how they’ve handled this ... is the epitome of what Gator volleyball is.”
It was indeed a special year for the Gators (29-9 overall), who won the program’s first Northern California championship since 2012. Led by senior outside hitter Cate Desler, SHP overcame a third-place finish in the West Bay Athletic League Foothill Division to storm the Northern California Division II bracket as the No. 3 seed, upsetting No. 2 Notre Dame-Belmont in the Nor Cal semifinals and top-seed Carlmont in the Nor Cal finals.
In Saturday’s state championship at Santiago Canyon College, however, the Gators ran into the volleyball machine that is the Sierra Canyon Trailblazers, a team that waltzed through the Southern California Division II bracket as the No. 1 seed while dropping just one set through three match wins.
Sierra Canyon (38-7), despite having just one senior on roster, runs its offense like a college team. Three premium attackers — junior May Pertofsky, junior Zoie Stewart and sophomore Jaylen Jordan — each totaled double-digit kills. And the mix of their attacks, as it was for 37 others teams the Trailblazers defeated this season, simply overpowered the Gators.
“[Pertofsky] is a big hitter,” said Caroline Caruso, SHP’s senior libero who shared the match-high with 11 digs. “She definitely found a way to get touches off our block. She found holes. She’s a really great player.”
Pertofsky worked the left side with the most powerful swing on the floor. The 6-1 junior scored a team-high 16 kills while hitting at a .371 clip, and added two blocks, both in Game 2, including the finisher by rejecting an attempt through the middle to cap a remarkable comeback from 21-14 down to win it in extra points.
Desler responded with a match-high 24 kills, and turned in a double-double by adding 10 digs. And even as the clock seemed to be winding down on SHP’s season, down two sets and 22-17 in Game 3, Desler maintained an upbeat demeanor on the court, rallying for three kills in those closing points, responding to each one with her patented double fist-pump as she brought a head nod and a smile back to the team huddle in the middle of the court.
“I know this is a hungry team,” Desler said. “We can do anything we put our minds to. ... We came back at the end. We were almost winning. You never know what’s going to happen.”
Game 3 saw SHP shuffle their offense, but the strategy showed up in the errors column. SHP committed 25 attacking errors in the match, and totaled 12 unforced field errors in the final set. Gators outside hitter Ally Polverari was a bright spot though, totaling six of her nine match kills in the set.
“Amazing decision by a young lady that didn’t want to give up on her team,” Magner said.
But Sierra Canyon showed more varied firepower, and from the outset. Through Game 1, the Gators hardly ever looked comfortable in their serve receive. The Trailblazers capitalized firing four service aces in the set, all by the time they’d built a 13-7 lead.
SHP looked reinvigorated to start Game 2, opening with a 6-0 run. When junior middle Elena Radeff roared over the net to put down a kill, upping the lead to 19-12, the Gators looked certain to draw even in the match. The advantage maintained to 21-14, and then to 23-17, but from there the Trailblazers went on a 6-0 run of their own to tie it.
Pertofsky’s back-row kill deadlocked it 23-23. SHP responded to force its only set point of the match on a block by junior middle Alexa Bartlett. Sierra Canyon freshman Taylor Simpson got in on the scoring act though with an equalizer kill, then the Trailblazers forced three set points before Pertofsky blocked a Radeff attempt to end it.
“They always seemed to be there to get that dig, or to get that block,” said Haley Martella, SHP’s senior setter who totaled a match-high 39 assists. “You’ve got to hand it to them. They’re a very good team.”
Sacred Heart Schools Atherton
Founded by the Society of the Sacred Heart, SHS is a Catholic, independent, co-ed day school for students in preschool through grade 12
