ALISO VIEJO – It is difficult to think that Aliso Niguel could play any better than it did Tuesday night.
Led by Lindsey Ruddins 19 kills, the top-seeded Wolverines turned in one of its most dominating performances of the season as they rolled past Martin Luther King (Riverside), 25-14, 25-6, 25-10, in a CIF-Southern Section Division 1A semifinal playoff game at Aliso Niguel High.
“There’s no way I thought we would win like this,” said Wolverines coach Don Pedro Butler. “But I didn’t think the girls would take control like they did. That was rad.”
The victory not only solidified its place as the best girls volleyball team in school history, but also advanced the Wolverines (28-1) to their first section championship game on Saturday at 5 p.m. at Cerritos College. Aliso Niguel will take on No. 2 seed Santiago (Corona), which ousted Villa Park Tuesday night, 25-15, 25-19, 25-21.
“Santiago is a nasty opponent,” said Butler. “We’re going to have to bring our A game because it will be a dogfight.”
If Aliso Niguel’s A game is anything like the game it played Tuesday night, the Wolverines should be in good shape. Aliso Niguel never trailed in any of the three games in the 66-minute match, and built huge leads in impressive fashion.
“We couldn’t stop them tonight,” said Wolves coach Sondra Lough. “They had great ball control, and their combination plays were just too fast for us to handle.”
Martin Luther King (28-9) played without two starters, including Oregon signee Lauren Page, who missed the final month of the season with a shoulder injury.
“I think it would’ve been a different match with them, but I can’t take away anything from the girls that got us here,” said Lough.
Contact the writer: magarcia@ocregister.com
