Mater Dei loses Dave Mohs final to familiar foe

HUNTINGTON BEACH – For the second time in less than a week, the Mater Dei girls volleyball team faced off against Redondo.

Just like last week, Redondo (16-3) got the best of the Monarchs (13-4), this time winning 25-15, 26-24 in the finals of the Division 1 bracket of the Dave Mohs Memorial Tournament at Edison High on Monday.

Last Thursday, Redondo defeated Mater Dei in four sets in a nonleague match.

In the second set Monday, Mater Dei took a 24-21 lead on block by Jaden Pickell. Redondo wouldn't go away, fighting back to survive three game points and tie the score at 24-24.

Skylar Dykstra gave Redondo a 25-24 lead before the match ended on net violation, giving the Redondo the title. This was the first time since 2001 that Redondo has played in Dave Mohs.

Sara Hughes and Frankie Shebby were all-tournament selections for the Monarchs, who took over the county's No. 1 ranking this week.

"Our whole goal was to get in the finals," Mater Dei coach Adam Cutrell said. "I'm pleased with that. I would have loved for us to play a little bit better, maybe take a game off of them (Redondo), but they played great."

Dykstra had 10 kills, 17 digs and three blocks for Redondo. She was selected tournament MVP.

"When we have great next-play focus and have great effort on defense, then we're a good team," Redondo coach Tommy Chaffins said. "There are a lot of good teams. I sincerely feel that there are 12 teams that can win (CIF-SS) Division 1AA.

"We're going to give the girls a couple of days off, but then we have to go back to the office and fine-tune our game."

In the latest CIF rankings, Redondo is ranked No. 1 in Division 1AA. Mater Dei is third.

Also in the Dave Mohs Memorial Tournament:

In the Division 2 final:

Whittier Christian 2, Yorba Linda 1: The Heralds extended the match by overcoming a six-point deficit in the second set, eventually winning the match 21-25, 25-22, 15-13 at Edison High.

Whittier Christian's Kylee Wolfe earned MVP honors.

"It was exciting to see our girls fight," Whittier Christian coach Shawn Hunter said. "We showed a lot of resiliency against a very good Yorba Linda team."