St. Joseph Academy captures first-ever CIF title in girls volleyball

OCEANSIDE — O’Farrell Charter had trouble this girls volleyball season with one team in particular — Mountain Empire.

So when the teams met in the CIF Division 5-AA championship match Thursday at MiraCosta College and Mountain Empire won the first two sets, the Falcons made one strategic move — do nothing.

Top-seeded O’Farrell (21-5) put together a historic comeback to top the Redhawks, 13-25, 19-25, 25-21,25-19, 15-10, for the program’s first CIF championship and only the second CIF title in any sport in school history.

“All we did as a coaching staff is tell them to remember all the work you put in to get here, don’t let the moment get too much and enjoy it as much as you can,” Falcons coach Santos Plaza said. “We play better when we’re having fun, and we got back to it.”

The Falcons were led by Naomi Carrillo’s 10 kills. Aiwa Wibowo added eight kills and Clarissa Carrillo had six and two aces. Alisha King and Jazmin Catapang each had four aces.

The Redhawks (26-8) got a team-high 10 kills from Bibi Caceres, who also added two blocks. Breeza Valdez and Kailey Quintana each had four kills.

The Redhawks were in control the entire night until the comeback. They held the lead the entire first set and stayed within two points of the lead for the entirety of the second set. It was 20-19 Mountain Empire in set two when the Falcons made five consecutive errors to close out the set. It was 20-20 in set four when Clarissa Carrillo had a kill and back-to-back aces to fuel the reverse sweep.

In the earlier Division 5-AA match, top-seeded St. Joseph Academy (12-22) used a well-rounded attack to top The Cambridge School, 25-19, 17-25, 25-20, 25-20, for the program’s first CIF title.

“We played some really hard teams all the way through,” Crusaders coach Ryan Hanson said. “Went through some huge hurdles. The girls never put their heads down all season. Always had their eyes on the prize.”

Senior setter and captain Adley Fontaine led an offense that saw five players record at least four kills, led by freshman Kristen Elsner’s seven kills. Fontaine had six kills from her setter spot and notched four aces.

The Crusaders had 10 aces as a team, led by Elsner and Malia Sampson’s four apiece. Fontaine and Lauren Elsner each had three. Milena Williams added six kills.

The Cambridge School (8-11) was making its second title match appearance, coming up short despite a well-rounded attack that saw six players earn kills, led by Eva Bagat’s 10.

“I’m really proud of the girls,” Griffins coach Robyn Buller said. “I don’t think any of us had the expectation to be here. We put up a good fight. I couldn’t be prouder.”

Tessa Foust added eight kills, Evelyn Ho had six kills and three aces and Audrey Zhou chipped in with five kills and an ace. The Griffins had 13 aces in all, led by Kaitlyn Sheldon’s four and Anita Cherian’s three.

Set one was tied 6-6 when the Crusaders went on an 14-5 run to take complete control, the final point in that run coming on a Lauren Elsner ace. Elsner finished the set with a kill in transition.

The Griffins came out aggressive in set two, jumping out to an 11-5 lead on Ho’s ace. A 5-0 run by the Crusaders followed, but the Griffins kept the pressure on to take a 15-10 lead. The Crusaders fought back to trail, 18-17, but Eva Bridget’s two kills down the stretch fueled the Griffins to the final seven points of the set.

A back-and-forth fourth set proved to be exactly what the Crusaders needed. Sampson had four kills and three aces in the set. Her two aces down the stretch sealed it.

“I’m so proud of the girls I work with,” Fontaine said. “Seeing them grow has been amazing. I knew from the beginning we could achieve it. Through all the hard work we’re here now, and I’m so proud of us.”