St. Margaret's back on top with Div. 4-AA title

CYPRESS – St. Margaret's is back on top, and for girls volleyball coach Susie Maga the Tartans' championship performance Saturday couldn't have been prettier to witness or more enjoyable to experience.

The top-seeded Tartans swept Academy League foe Brethren Christian, 25-8, 25-18, 25-14, to capture the CIF-SS Division 4-AA title at Cypress College. It is the program's first championship since winning four straight from 1999-2002. The Tartans finished runner-ups in 2005 and 2007.

"There was a lapse there (between titles) so it's nice to get the monkey off my back," Maga said. "It was really fun to see everyone step up and play well at the right time. When we play well we are tough to stop. All the girls played great the whole match."

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PHOTOS: CHAMPIONSHIP SATURDAY SLIDE SHOW

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St. Margaret's (18-3) is likely to continue its season when the state championship pairings are released Sunday. The Tartans should be a Southern California Division 4 selection.

"The whole season has been lining up for us," Maga said. "It's not anything we expected."

Setter Emily Moore (28 assists) put down the overpass to end Game 3 and the match and deliver the CIF title with it. It was the finishing touch on a dominate effort that saw the Tartans serve nine aces, including five from senior libero Brooke Grogan.

"We were definitely not expecting anything this year, but halfway through the season we thought maybe we could do this," Grogan said. "It feels amazing. We couldn't have done it without every girl."

Brethren Christian's playoff run was even more unexpected than St. Margaret's. The Warriors (16-6) finished third place in league to qualify for the playoffs.

Brethren Christian then upset Laguna Blanca of Santa Barbara in the quarterfinals and Serra of Gardena in the semifinals to reach the finals for the first time in school history. Perhaps nothing was more indicative of the team's improvement than sweeping Laguna Blanca, the same team that swept the Warriors in September.

"I'm so proud of the girls for us getting this far," Brethren Christian coach Patricia Daughtery said. "St. Margaret's played amazing. The ball wouldn't hit the floor.

"During the playoffs we had a different mind-set. Our mental toughness is what got us here."

St. Margaret's will graduate three seniors from Saturday's roster – Grogan, Shayna Kerry and Erika Page – and returns five starters next season. They include Saturday's kill leader, Ali Robinson (10 kills), and Gigi Morally, Ashley Torok, Shelby Deck and Moore.

"It's really exciting," Maga said of the future. "We want to continue the success."