Whittier Christian pushed, but advances in state playoffs

The situation wasn't so familiar, for it had been 12 matches since Whittier Christian lost a game before Tuesday night.

However, after splitting the opening two games, the Heralds recovered in time to defeat Upland Christian Academy of Rancho Cucamonga in four games, 25-9, 22-25, 25-18, 25-20, in first-round play of the Division IV CIF State girls volleyball championships at Whittier Christian High.

It was the 17th consecutive victory for Whittier Christian (27-2), which captured the CIF-SS Division IV-AA title last Saturday. It was the first loss of the season for the Eagles (19-1), who were the Division IV-A champs.

Stephanie Sinohui spread out 37 assists to guide the balanced Heralds attack. She also had 16 digs. Hannah Nabbout finished with a team-high 17 kills. Rebecca Schaffer and Joy Miley combined for 18 kills and Arika Zwack posted four blocks.

"Overall, it was a great win," Heralds coach Shawn Hunter said. "We struggled with those guys. We took Game 2 for granted after we did so well."

After a dominating first game in which the Heralds served tough, Upland clawed back into the match behind strong play from middle blockers Hannah Wagner and Danielle Maxwell. They combined for 21 kills, but it wasn't enough to overcome the Heralds' all-around attack.

"Balance is key to our offense," Hunter said. "I have six girls I have total confidence in. Their two middle blockers did a great job. We had trouble with them all night. It's something we need to work on in practice."

Games 3 and 4 were both tight early, but gradually Whittier Christian gained separation in both. The Heralds will face No. 2 seed The Bishop's School of La Jolla on the road Saturday.

"I'm glad we had to fight with somebody," said Hunter about facing some adversity in preparation for that match.

In Division I:

Huntington Beach 3, No. 2 La Costa Canyon 2: The Oilers pulled of the road upset in five games, 17-25, 25-23, 15-25, 25-20, 17-15. Huntington Beach will face No. 3 Newport Harbor, which swept Granada Hills, 25-17, 25-13, 25-23, on Saturday.

No. 1 Dos Pueblos of Goleta 3, Los Alamitos 2: The Griffins lost for the second time this season in five games to the Chargers, 25-18, 25-21, 11-25, 20-25, 15-3, at Dos Pueblos. Los Al also rallied from two games down in the previous meeting. The Griffins had a chance to split the first two games Tuesday. They held a 20-19 lead in Game 2 before falling.