Just call them the Road Warriors.
For the third consecutive match, Saddleback Valley Christian’s girls volleyball team walked into an opponent’s gym and walked out with a win, this time a 27-25, 17-25, 25-23, 25-14 victory over CIF-SS Division 3AA champion Sage Hill.
The Warriors earned a berth into the CIF State Division III championship game at Santiago Canyon College on Saturday at 3 p.m.
Last season, the Warriors made it to the Southern Regional final in Division IV.
“We schedule a tough preseason on purpose and we tell our opponents that we’ll play in their facility,” SVC coach Carmen Stratton said. “We do that intentionally to prepare for these moments.”
SVC (33-5) thrived in big moments, rallying from a 24-20 deficit to take the first set, 27-25. After Sage Hill won the second set, the Warriors overcame a comeback by the Lightning to cap the third set, before cruising in the fourth.
Stratton said the five-set match against Canyon Crest Academy of San Diego in the regional semifinals helped prepare SVC for Tuesday’s match.
“It reminded me of old-school volleyball, there were a lot of great rallies tonight,” Stratton said. “The girls kept fighting, and as the match went on I think we started picking up on some tendencies.”
Senior setter Heidi Dyer again keyed SVC with 15 kills and 25 assists. Jaelyn Greene led the way with 18 kills and Jamie O’Brien added 13 assists for the Warriors.
Sage Hill (25-4) came out strong to start, maintaining a five-point lead for the majority of the first set behind the powerful swings of outside hitter Kekai Whitford.
Late in the first set, the Warriors made their move. Dyer connected with Greene and Sydnee Martin through a 7-1 run to take the first set.
“I think having a game advantage gave us a lot of confidence because we had a little room for error,” Dyer said. “We’ve never been this far and we did it a division higher, which makes it a lot sweeter.”
Errors plagued SVC in the second set, while Lightning setter Madeleine Abbott connected with four hitters as Sage Hill tied the match.
Madeleine Abbott finished with 42 assists for Sage Hill, while Whitford led the team with 17 kills. Senior Halland McKenna added 11 kills.
SVC’s adjustments were key in the final two sets. The Warriors controlled the net, scoring eight points off blocks and forcing pressure Sage Hill’s outside hitters.
After SVC’s close third-set win, Martin’s serving led the Warriors to a 10-1 lead in the fourth set.
“They got us a little off-balance and great teams do that, they put pressure on you,” Sage Hill coach Dan Tomassen said. “I thought our girls might have been a little too aggressive, and when our passing broke down, their blocking got better.”
