Top-Seeded Mater Dei Stops Huntington Beach

HUNTINGTON BEACH — Top-seeded Mater Dei ended Huntington Beach’s hopes of repeating as state champions, defeating the Oilers, 15-6, 15-6, 15-10, in the quarterfinals of the Division I-A girls’ volleyball playoffs here Saturday.

Despite losing in three games, the Oilers (13-8) battled the Monarchs for more than 1 1/2 hours, including the first game, which saw the teams rally through 54 sideouts.

Leading, 5-4, Mater Dei (20-1) finally broke through the stalemate and took a 12-4 lead, scoring five consecutive points on Katie Rice’s serve. The Monarchs put the game away on a Lindsay Pavlik kill.

Middle hitter Pavlik, a sophomore, led the Monarchs with 12 kills, 18 blocks and five digs.

In the second game, the Oilers took a 5-3 lead before Mater Dei rallied to tie the score, 6-6. The Monarchs shut down Huntington Beach the rest of the way to win the game, 15-6.

Mater Dei jumped to a 10-4 lead in the third game before the Oilers came back to get as close as one point, 11-10. But the Monarchs prevailed, putting the match away on a block by junior middle hitter Lauren Warner.

Warner finished the match with 14 kills and senior teammate Amy DeCinces had 11 kills, eight digs and two blocks. Rice finished with 48 set assists.

“Our team played well,” Oiler Coach Rocky Ciarelli said. “But Mater Dei just has too many weapons.”

The Monarchs will play fourth-seeded Fountain Valley Tuesday in the semifinals.

“We have to beat the entire Sunset League to win this thing,” Monarch Coach Ron Cheser said. “That tells you something about that league.”

In other Division I-A matches:

Fountain Valley 3, Palm Springs 0--Natalie Snowden had eight kills in the 15-5, 15-1, 15-1 victory for fourth-seeded Fountain Valley (17-2).

Marina 3, San Gabriel 0--Lindsay Phillips had 19 kills and only one error as third-seeded Marina ended the Matadors’ 14-match win streak with a 15-5, 15-12, 15-0 victory.

Chanda McLeod had nine kills and 12 digs and Ashlee Phillips had 40 assists. The Vikings will face Simi Valley Royal in the semifinals.