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Centaurs’ co-captain Taylor Selfridge, right, hits the ball down the line against Valley View. Photo, George Laase.
Culver City High School’s girls volleyball team advanced to Tuesday’s semifinals at Windward by sweeping three consecutive sets from Valley View on Friday.
None was close, 25-19, 25-13 and 25-18.
With Mina Grant, their best digger, out of action, Taylor Selfridge and Lindsey Tanita filled in remarkably.
It was the 10th straight victory for the Centaurs, the No. 1 seed in the CIF Division AA playoffs.
Some are puzzled that the top seed is going on the road for the Windward (22-7) game.
“We worked hard in our practices, and now it is paying off,” said Centaur senior Cassidy Paperny, the team leader in kills with 175 and a kill percentage of 47.3.
“We were a little shook up at first. But we regrouped and settled down. We knew we had to push mistakes on them rather than the other way around. Everybody played hard. McKenna (Maxwell) got good blocks, and she did well in the middle.”
Co-CaptainSelfridge, second on the team with 127 kills, sees a potential title in the near future.
“If we keep doing what we need to do,” she said, “moving our feet a little better, we’ll go all the way to the finals and win the championship.”
Culver City Coach Joe Manzo commended his players for outhustling Valley View, “a good defensive team. They have a great outside hitter, and we neutralized her. That probably was the difference.”
Culver City did not breeze.
“We had a little trouble at first with their short set in the middle,” Mr. Manzo said. “But once we figured it out, we did okay.
Alluding to Ms. Grant being sidelined, “We are playing through injuries,” said the coach. “But our bench is deep, and it really helped us this time.”
Ms. Maxwell, a senior middle blocker, was delighted by the three-set sweep. “We played like a team,” she said.
Echoing her coach, Lindsey Tanita acknowledged having “trouble with their short set early. Once we settled on our blocking assignments, though, we were good from there.”
Sophomore Adili Rikondja said said the match was the “most intense I have ever played. It was exciting to get out there and help the team.”
Freshman Katrina McCoy, middle blocker/outside hitter, whose favorite shots are down the line and down the net, said that beating Valley “was so much fun.”
Valley View had qualified by beating Norwalk, winners of the Suburban League, three straight in the second round.
Mr. Laase may be contacted at GMLaase@aol.com
