Preview: South teams add fresh spice to 3C2A State Women's Volleyball Championship
STATE CHAMPIONSHIP BRACKET SCHEDULE
WALNUT -- While it's true that the defending state champions are back in #2 seed San Diego Mesa College, the rest of the South Region field for this week's 2024 3C2A State Women's Volleyball Championship is made up three teams that haven't experienced a recent state tourney trip.
Long Beach City College, the #1 seed, hasn't made an appearance at state in 24 years, #4 seed Cerritos (originally #6 for the region) hasn't been at the event in 30 years while #3 Los Angeles Mission, a program that began in 2011, is making its first-ever journey to the 47th edition of the state tournament.
Mission is the first team to make a state debut since College of San Mateo in 2022 and first from the South to do so since San Diego City in 2017. LAM becomes the 62nd different college to play at state.
Meanwhile, the North Region has #3 Sierra returning to the Big Dance for the first time in eight years while #1 Fresno City, #2 American River, and #4 Feather River (also an original #6 seed from North) not only have a a front-of-the-line pass to state tournaments, but have each won state titles since 2018 including two by FRC (2019, 2022, as well as state runner-up last year).
The 3C2A State Championship runs Friday-Sunday, Dec. 6-8 for the second straight year hosted by Mt. San Antonio and the South Coast Conference. The SCC South co-champion Vikings and Falcons making it to state marks the first time two South Coast schools have advanced to the Elite 8 since 1998 when Long Beach and El Camino were the participants.
The state field features six All-Americans, and 11 members of the All-State/All-Region teams.
The following are capsules on the eight state tourney teams:
SOUTH
S1-LONG BEACH CITY
Record: 23-1, South Coast South Division Co-Conference Champions
State Final Regular Season Ranking: #2
Mascot: Vikings
Head Coach: Tyler Jackson
Road to Mt. SAC: swept #16 Bakersfield, defeated #8 Palomar in 4
State Tourney Appearance: 7th, also 1979, 1995-1998, last in 2000
Highest Finish at State Tourney: State Runner-Up in 1979, 1995, 2000
Record This Season v. State Opponents: 2-1, 1-1 v. Cerritos, 1-0 v. San Diego Mesa
Current Win Streak: 9
Sweeps: 15
5-Set Matches: 4-0 v. Orange Coast, Moorpark, SD Mesa, Mt. San Antonio
Top Players: All-American First Team, All-State setter-opposite Enaya Viealua, All-SCC South Libero of the Year Kaylani Moncada, SCC South Freshman of the Year opposite Tyreana Allen
Random Fact: LBCC is the last team that the state MVP came from a losing team as Juliana Guimares was the top player selected despite Golden West winning the state title in 2000.
Quarterfinals Matchup: Friday, Dec. 6, v. N4 Feather River, 7 p.m.
S2-SAN DIEGO MESA
Record: 25-1, Pacific Coast Athletic Conference Champions
State Final Regular Season Ranking: #3
Mascot: Olympians
Head Coach: Bobbi Jo Stall-Vest
Road to Mt. SAC: defeated #15 Ventura in 4, #10 Mt. San Antonio in 4
State Tourney Appearance: 6th, also 1994, 2004, 2006, 2021, last in 2023
Highest Finish at State Tourney: 3C2A State Champs in 2023
Record This Season v. State Opponents: 0-1 v. Long Beach (5 sets)
Current Win Streak: 16
Sweeps: 20
5-Set Matches: 1-1, win v. Palomar, loss v. Long Beach
Top Players: All-American First Team, All-State, PCAC MVP setter Jaiden Mojica, All-Region OH Halen Kiefer, All-PCAC First Team opposite Bella Town.
Random Fact: The Olympians will try to be the first back-to-back state champ from the South since LA Pierce won three in a row in 2010-2012. The coach of that Pierce dynasty is Nabil Mardini, who has returned to state for the first time since 2016, now directing LA Mission.
Quarterfinals Matchup: Friday, Dec. 6, v. N3 Sierra, 1 p.m.
S3-LA MISSION, 27-4, Western State Conference North Division 2nd Place
State Final Regular Season Ranking: #8
Mascot: Eagles
Head Coach: Nabil Mardini, SoCal Region Coach of the Year
Road to Mt. SAC: defeated #13 Saddleback in 4, #5 Orange Coast in 5
State Tourney Appearance: 2024 is the school's first
Record This Season v. State Opponents: 1-0 v. Cerritos (5 sets)
Current Win Streak: 2
Sweeps: 17
5-Set Matches: 3-4, wins v. Cerritos, Santa Barbara, Orange Coast, losses v. Ventura, Moorpark (twice), Santa Monica
Top Players: All-State setter Taylor Boone, All-WSC North OH Tawnie Ohrt, opposite Oluwatoyin Sunday
Random Fact: Coach Mardini is believed to be the first head coach to direct two different colleges to the state tourney.
Quarterfinals Matchup: Friday, Dec. 6, v. N2 American River, 4 p.m.
S4-CERRITOS, 20-3, South Coast Conference South Division Co-Champions
State Final Regular Season Ranking: #8
Mascot: Falcons
Head Coach: Kari Hemmerling
Road to Mt. SAC: swept #11 Grossmont, swept #14 San Bernardino Valley
State Tourney Appearance: 8th, also 1988-1994, last in 1994
Highest Finish at State Tourney: 1992 State Champions
Record This Season v. State Opponents: 1-2, 0-1 v. LA Mission, 1-1 v. Long Beach
Current Win Streak: 3
Sweeps: 17
5-Set Matches: 2-1, wins v. Palomar, Canyons, loss v. LA Mission
Top Players: All-American Second Team, All-State, SCC South MVP, setter-opposite Sydney May, All-SCC First Team OHs Monserrat Rodriguez, Jasmine Soto-Castro.
Random Fact: The father connection is here as SCC South Coach of the Year Hemmerling is the daughter of her assistant coach Tom Pestolesi, who happened to direct the state's last two undefeated state champion teams at Irvine Valley College in 2014 and 2017. May is the daughter of Cerritos men's basketball coach Russ May, who has coached nine SCC champion teams, and was an assistant coach on Cerritos' 1999 state champions.
Quarterfinals Matchup: Friday, Dec. 6, v. N1 Fresno City, 10 a.m.
NORTH
N1-FRESNO CITY, 28-4, Central Valley Conference Champions
State Final Regular Season Ranking: #1
Mascot: Rams
Head Coach: Kieran Roblee
Road to Mt. SAC: swept #16 Ohlone, swept #9 Merced
State Tourney Appearance: 10th, also 2002, 2005, 2008, 2012, 2016, 2018-21 (no season in 2020), last in 2023
Highest Finish at State Tourney: 2016, 2021 State Champions
Record This Season v. State Opponents: 1-2, 1-1 v. American River, 0-2 v. Feather River
Current Win Streak: 21
Sweeps: 21
5-Set Matches: 1-2, win v. Feather River, losses v. American River, Sierra
Top Players: All-American Third Team, All-State, CVC MVP setter Savanna FauntLeroy, All-NorCal Region opposite Ashlan VanGronigen, All-CVC First Team libero Phoebe Constable
Random Fact: When Fresno won its first state in 2016, it swept tourney host LA Pierce in the championship final. The coach of the Brahmas of course was Mardini. The only way the two coaches will meet up again is if both the Rams and LA Mission reach the 2024 final.
Quarterfinals Matchup: Friday, Dec. 6, v. S4 Cerritos, 10 a.m.
N2-AMERICAN RIVER COLLEGE, 27-4, Big 8 Conference Co-Champions
State Final Regular Season Ranking: #4
Mascot: Beavers
Head Coach: Carson Lowden
Road to Mt. SAC: swept #15 Santa Rosa, swept #10 Shasta
State Tourney Appearance: 13th, also 1981, 1984, 1986, 1993-95, 2013, 2018-2023, last in 2023
Highest Finish at State Tourney: 2018 State Champions
Record This Season v. State Opponents: 4-2, 2-0 v. Feather River, 1-1 v. Fresno, 1-1 v. Sierra
Current Win Streak: 12
Sweeps: 19
5-Set Matches: 4-0 v. San Mateo, Fresno, Cosumnes River, Sierra
Top Players: All-American Second Team, All-State OH Morgan Castaneda; All-Big 8 First Team right side Kyla Powell, MB Celestine Hayes
Random Fact: ARC's remarkable streak of state tourney trips is at six going back to 2018 (no season in 2020 due to pandemic). The last school to perform that feat was fellow Big 8 member Santa Rosa from 2007-2012 under then coach Kelly Wood.
Quarterfinals Matchup: Friday, Dec. 6, v. S3 LA Mission, 4 p.m.
N3-SIERRA COLLEGE, 27-5, Big 8 Conference Co-Champions
State Final Regular Season Ranking: #6
Mascot: Wolverines
Head Coach: Alanna Whitnack
Road to Mt. SAC: defeated #13 Cosumnes River in 4, swept #5 Taft
State Tourney Appearance: 3rd, also 2009, 2016
Highest Finish at State Tourney: 4th Place in 2009
Record This Season v. State Opponents: 4-2, 2-0 v. Feather River, 1-1 v. Fresno, 1-1 v. American River
Current Win Streak: 4
Sweeps: 18
5-Set Matches: 1-3, win v. Fresno, losses to San Mateo, San Joaquin Delta, American River.
Top Players: All-American First Team, All-State, Big 8 MVP setter Jordyn Deter, All-North Region, All-Big First Team opposite Taylor Stolz, All-Big 8 First Team OH Paige Skinner
Random Fact: In Sierra's two other state tourney appearances, it had the distinction of playing in the last 8-team, double-elimination championship at Delta in 2009 and the first 8-team, single-elimination formatted championship in 2016 at LA Pierce.
Quarterfinals Matchup: Friday, Dec. 6, v. S2 San Diego Mesa, 1 p.m.
N4-FEATHER RIVER COLLEGE, 28-7, Golden Valley Conference Champions
State Final Regular Season Ranking: #12
Mascot: Golden Eagles
Head Coach: Sarah Ritchie
Road to Mt. SAC: defeated #11 Coalinga in four, #3 San Joaquin Delta in four.
State Tourney Appearance: 8th, also 2008, 2014, 2017, 2019-2023, last in 2023
Highest Finish at State Tourney: 2018, 2022 State Champions
Record This Season v. State Opponents: 1-5, 1-1 v. Fresno, 0-2 v. American River, 0-2 v. Sierra
Current Win Streak: 9
Sweeps: 19
5-Set Matches: 1-1, win v. West Valley, loss v. Fresno
Top Players: All-State, GVC MVP opposite Lucy Ryan, All-GVC First Team OH Chloe Albiez, All-GVC First Team setter Maya Cann
Random Fact: Last year, FRC lost in the finals v. San Diego Mesa, and the only way they meet this year is if each reach the '24 finals.
Quarterfinals Matchup: Friday, Dec. 6 v. S1 Long Beach, 7 p.m.
Preview release by Robert Lewis, CCCWVCA SID, 2024 State Tourney SID