The Culver City High School girls’ volleyball team started their quest for a CIF 3AA Division championship on Tuesday night. They swept Brethren Christian of Huntington Beach, 3-0, inside the Del Goodyear Gym on campus. The Centaurs are 25-6 and are hoping to make a statement in the playoffs.
Next game is tonight. As this was posted, the game site had not been determined.
The CIF playoffs traditionally are a hard formula to figure out. If the Centaurs play on the road, they will travel to Riverside or Apple Valley. If they win a coin toss, they will play at home at 7. Call the high school.
When teams play schools they are supposed to beat, sometimes the superior team gets bored and plays down to the competition. Brethren Christian came into the game with a 12-11 record. They were the fourth best team in their league.
Culver City did not have that problem on Tuesday night. Their opponent never reached double figures in points in three games. “I knew coming into this game that their best hitter was injured,” said Culver City coach Joe Manzo. “I felt really feel bad for them. We were bigger and stronger, so I expected to win. This game gave us the opportunity to work on small things that we are not doing well.”
Brethren Christian coach Larry Overton praised the Lady Centaurs as “a very good team. They have great servers.”
Overton made a prediction.
“They have an opportunity to go a long way in the playoffs,” he said.
Culver City’s Coach Manzo hopes the girls can stay focused and win the title for the school, the community and especially for the seniors.
“The seniors have worked so hard for four years,” he said. “It would be nice to see them walk away with a championship.”
Manzo said the playoffs “are not an easy road to climb to the top. We have a chance if we take it one at a time.”
Senior Armani Moultrie thought the game on Tuesday was slow but the Centaurs stayed focused. “We have to keep our level of play up,” she said. “As a senior, I need to be a good leader, a good teammate. I have really enjoyed this season. We have a strong team. We are like a family.”
Another senior who hopes to hold the championship trophy at the end of the playoffs is captain Mina Grant, one of the best setters and diggers in the 3AA division. “We work well as a team,” Grant said. “We can go far in the playoffs if we put our minds to it.”
Mr. Finley may be contacted at sfinley50@aol.com
