CHATSWORTH — The Sierra Canyon volleyball team has plenty of individual talent, but it’s been their collective volleyball IQ that has impressed head coach Stefanie Wigfall the most during their CIF Southern Section Division 1 playoff run.
“They’ve just been so impressive with taking what we’ve been asking them to do after we’ve broken down film and just sticking to the plan and executing it,” Wigfall said. “They’re playing so much older and mature than typical (teenage) players.”
The Trailblazers executed their game plan on Tuesday night to sweep Marymount 25-17, 25-19, 25-20. It was their third win over Marymount of the season and second straight sweep in the playoffs, which bodes well for the team if pool play resorts to a tiebreaking procedure.
Sierra Canyon, the top-seeded team in Division 1, is 2-0 in Pool A after first two rounds of pool play. It will host fourth-seeded Mira Costa in the third and final game of pool play Saturday at 6 p.m. Mira Costa is 1-1 in pool play, having lost to Marymount 3-2 in the first round of pool play.
Eva Jeffries led the Trailblazers offensively with 12 kills in addition to four digs, two blocks and one very important ace on Tuesday night.
Sierra Canyon was leading 23-19 in the second set against a well-rounded Marymount team when Jeffries served up an ace to set up a match-point situation. The Trailblazers forced a Marymount hit to go long to win the set and take a 2-0 lead in the match.
“Those are pressure situations and I don’t think we missed too many serves tonight, which was a big deal,” Wigfall said. “I really enjoyed the way we played today. It all starts over again on Saturday. Matchups are crazy in volleyball.”
Lucky Fasavalu recorded 22 assists and alternated at setter with Olive Shum. Both setters are sophomores. The two support each other well and make each other better through their communication and keeping a high standard for their physical play.
“When one is off and one is on, we look for who’s open, what’s working, what’s wrong,” Fasavalu said. “And I think that helps us a lot because we just want the best for each other and we want to win.”
Fasavalu also had three aces and two kills in the match. Lauren Lynch had nine digs and Hanna McGinest finished with eight kills, seven digs and three blocks.
Having balanced contributions from a variety of players builds the confidence of the group and shows depth that could be valuable as Sierra Canyon continues to strive for the Division 1 championship game, which will be held Nov. 9 at Cerritos College.
“We’re working as a team, building that connection,” Fasavalu said. “We love each other. We honestly just want the best for each other and I think that connection helps us win. We’re so synchronized.”
