Mater Dei upsets Sierra Canyon to advance to state championship

The Mater Dei High girls volleyball team had a lot to play for after coming within one win of its third straight Southern Section title.

The Monarchs quickly turned the page and set their sights on the state championship. They now find themselves one win away from achieving that goal after defeating No. 1 Sierra Canyon (20-25, 25-16, 25-22, 25-16) in the Southern California Regional Open Division final Tuesday night in Chatsworth.

Outside hitter Westley Matawao led the way with 18 kills and then greeted her cousin on the opposite side of the net, the Missouri-bound setter, and fellow junior Lucky Fasawala.

“We're a family, I love her as a person, she comes to play every game and she knows how to run the offense,” said Matavao, a UCLA starter. “We wanted it so bad after losing to them last time and we came out with a bang tonight.”

Addison Coady's thunderous kill capped the third set and Mater Dei opened up a seven-point lead early in the fourth, ensuring the home team couldn't come back.

“We played with a lot of confidence and our energy showed through,” Matavao added. “We have specific exposure goals, so we focused on that and were in a great position to block.”

Mater Dei will try to capture its third state open division title Saturday at 6:30 p.m. at Santiago Canyon College in Orange, where the Monarchs (34-5) will face Northern California champion Rocklin (37-4), which upset top-seeded Archbishop Mitty in five sets on Tuesday.

Leili Ostovar had 14 and 21 steals, Emma Kingston had 10 kills and six blocks, Lizzie Robinson had 19 digs, Kalea Lee 24 assists, Sam Capinpin had 17 assists and Jael Smith had six blocks.

The Monarchs not only avenged their section final loss, but also ended Sierra Canyon's 19-game winning streak and handed the Trailblazers (41-4) their only loss in California all season.

Mater Dei won its first nine head-to-head meetings with Sierra Canyon before falling in four sets in the Southern Section Division I final Nov. 8 at Cerritos College. It was the Trailblazers' fourth section title and stopped Mater Dei's bid for a three-time title under head coach Dan O'Dell.

Mater Dei won its first state open division title in 2018 and its second in 2023.