Swept in a Round 1 Regional on Nov. 23, the No. 3-seed San Diego Mesa College women's volleyball team got a second chance when #14 Long Beach City had to forfeit its win over the Olympians due to using an ineligible player. On Monday night, SD Mesa took advantage of its change in fortune, defeating #6 Moorpark, 25-20, 25-19, 23-25, 25-19, in a SoCal Regional final to advance the PCAC champions to its first state tourney appearance in 15 years.
Led by All-Region hitter Hailey Henderson with 18 kills, four aces and 13 digs, the Olympians (22-4) offically stretched their winning streak to 13 matches in defeating Moorpark for the second time this season (also a 4-set victory on Sept. 15). The Raiders (18-7) received a sterling performance from Second Team All-American Janesa Valoaga, who blasted 23 kills in 69 swings (hit .261) with 12 digs as she did her best to try to advance Moorpark.
Mesa led the opening set, 18-12, but Moorpark cut it to 19-18 on a Tyler Mobley kill. The Olympians responded with back-to-back kills by Maddie Harris and capped the first-set win on the fifth kill of the set by Sofia Jarosz. In set 2, the Raiders lost an 8-7 lead as Henderson went on a kill-and-destroy mission with five kills to give Mesa a 14-11 advantage. Mesa's All-Region MB/opposite Isabelle Bakken picked up the slack with two kills and a block that increased the Olympians' lead to 21-14. A Henderson kill for set point gave Mesa a commanding 2-0 sets lead.
Moorpark's Halle Perkins scored a kill to give the Raiders a 7-5 lead in the third set, then she went on a 6-0 serving run, including two aces, as Moorpark built the lead to eight points. Mesa eventually cut it to 22-20, but Valoaga rifled two kills. Still, Mesa fought off three set points before a stuff block by Valoaga and Olivia Shaw gave the Raiders the set 3, 2-point win.
In the fourth game, Valoaga caught fire with four straight bombs to put Moorpark up 4-1. Leading 14-9, the Raiders had the momentum, but Henderson's serve got hot with two aces and a Harris ace tied it at 15-15. Mesa led 19-18, then Bakken recorded two kills as part of a 6-1 run to give the Olympians the victory. Harris scored the kill for match point.
Overall for Mesa, Bakken totaled 13 kills (hit .429) and six blocks while setter Antoinette Trochanova dished out 43 assists with 15 digs. Jarosz added 12 kills and Kei Uchiyama was a defensive dynamo on 22 digs. Perkins had a productive match for Moorpark as she totaled 25 digs, six kills, four blocks and three aces, and Eleanna Laba led all defenders with 28 digs. The match featured plenty of long rallies as 10 different players (five from each team) reached double digits in digs.
In a little bit of irony, SD Mesa head coach Bobbi Jo Stall was playing for the Olympians the last time they made the state tournament in 2006, which also was played in Fresno at Fresno Pacific University as part of the state's Fresno-based State Festival of Championships.
Release by Robert Lewis, CCCWVCA SID