Saddleback Valley Christian girls volleyball coach Carmen Stratton acknowledged there was a method to the scheduling madness she put her team through this season.
The Warriors faced a daunting nonleague schedule that included matches against several Division 1 schools, including eventual CIF-SS Division 1A champion Aliso Niguel.
“We certainly wanted to keep the girls engaged and make it competitive,” Stratton said. “We were looking long-term and we wanted to face opponents that would challenge us, and when we got into the postseason, it wouldn’t be a complete shock.”
The Warriors’ challenges started with the Queen’s Court Tournament, a preseason tournament that didn’t count on the record but is viewed as the final test before the start of the season. SVC finished fifth in the Elite Division.
There were regular-season matches against Trabuco Hills, St. Margaret’s, Dana Hills (scrimmage), JSerra, Irvine, Aliso Niguel and Mission Viejo.
SVC also competed in the 64-team Durango Tournament in Las Vegas against some of the top teams in the country.
The experience gained from the challenging schedule helped get the Warriors to where they are today.
Saddleback Valley Christian (33-5) will face Sacred Heart Cathedral of San Francisco (36-3) in today’s CIF State Division III final at Santiago Canyon College at 3 p.m.
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Preview: CIF State girls volleyball championships
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The Warriors aren’t new to success on the court. They were CIF-SS finalists in 2012 (Division 4AA), champions in 2013 (4AA) and this year (Division 3A).
“I sat back with the other coaches after the (Southern California Regional) win against (Sage Hill) and reflected on how far we’ve come,” Stratton said. “The other part is that we have a lot of talent and that definitely helps.”
There is an extra level of maturity surrounding this year’s team as well. Last year, SVC captured the CIF-SS title but was eliminated in the regional final.
“Our main goal last year was CIF and they did it,” Stratton said. “We got to state and we weren’t super motivated.
“This year, we made sure we were in this for the CIF run and also to try and make the best possible state run as well.”
The run for a spot in the CIF State final has been paved with road matches. SVC hasn’t played a home match since the second round of the CIF-SS playoffs.
“The girls have been awesome and they’ve been able to deal with everything,” Stratton said. “They’ve stayed motivated and never lost their composure.”
An example of SVC’s growth this season came in the second round of the SoCal Regional when the Warriors met Canyon Crest, which had defeated them early in the season. In the regional match, SVC won in five sets, giving them momentum they used to defeat Sage Hill in the regional finals.
“That win helped our confidence going into the Sage Hill match,” Stratton said. “Getting that big win, I think it proved to them that they can do it.”
Stratton credits the trio of Heidi Dyer, Jaelyn Greene and Shannon Geraty for being the team’s leaders, and says Sydnee Martin and Jamie O’Brien give the team “a solid foundation.”
“It has been a long postseason,” Stratton said. “Going this far has been awesome and winning (a state title) would be the icing on the cake for this group.”
Contact the writer: dcalhoun@ocregister.com
