Sierra Canyon won its second Division 1 South girls volleyball title in four years on Saturday night and ended Mater Dei's three-peat bid with a 23-25, 25-23, 25-20, 25-21 victory at Cerritos College.
The Trailblazers (39-3) are ranked No. 1 in the Open Division of the CIF SoCal Regional Tournament and host No. 8 Mira Costa in the first round on Wednesday. The state playoffs conclude Nov. 22 at Santiago College.
Coached by Stephanie Wigfall and led by junior hitters Hannah McGinest and Eve Jeffries, Missouri setter Lucky Fasavalu, Nebraska middle blocker Kendall Omoruyi and hitter McKenna McIntosh (who committed to USC), Sierra Canyon is riding a 17-game winning streak. The only two losses to California schools came in out-of-state tournaments to Marymount and Redondo Union earlier in the season, and the Trailblazers avenged both in best-of-five matches.
McIntosh and Omoruyi had 13 kills each against the third-ranked Monarchs (31-5) in Saturday's final. Mater Dei was trying to become the first school to win three straight Southern Section top division playoff titles since Newport Harbor from 1997 to 1999.
Santa Margarita beat West Ranch 26-28, 25-21, 25-23, 13-25, 15-11 to win the Division II title on Saturday under first-year coach Chandler Gibb. Ireland's star Real Madrid forward had 29 kills to lead the Eagles (24-10), who lost to Palos Verdes in the semifinals in the same division last year.
