Girls’ volleyball, 35–9 overall, will continue their reign going into the Open Division CIF-LACS playoffs after ousting the Cleveland Cavaliers, 3–1, this Wednesday in a quarterfinal matchup.
Coach Raul Aviles said that the team performed “pretty well,” but “were a step off” where they usually should be at the end of the season.
“We did well enough to win today,” he said. “Despite this, we’re going to carry on, continue working hard and practice and carry that momentum going into the next match on Monday.”
The Gondoliers will be playing against the Taft Toreadors, the 39–10 West Valley League Champions, in the semifinals.
“I know they’re going to be great—they’re going to game plan very well against us because we have played against them before,” Aviles said. “So it’d be a fun competitive match.”
The Gondoliers will have to “play their usual game,” going into playoffs, according to Aviles: “Play hard on defense, and do our best to win the ball control game.”
Senior Tinoa Woodward-Hart, a co-captain with junior Pauline Lao, said that through the leadership of their coaches
and their team connections, they “really do have a chance of having a deep run in the playoffs.”
“During our practices, we’ve been really dialing in on all the little details that we need to clean up,” Woodward-Hart said.
With volleyball being the “ultimate team sport,” Aviles noted that he would be badly mistaken if he didn’t mention
Lao and Woodward-Hart, who lead the defense.
Woodward-Hart complimented her co-captain. “She’s a beast,” she said.
“She’s such a good energy to have support, always super uplifting and you can always count on her in the high pressure situations.”
The team won the 11th Annual Chatsworth Valley Invitational October 14, defeating Vegas-based Faith Lutheran in the Gold Division Finals.
The invitational included over 28 teams from across the Los Angeles area & San Diego.
“Perhaps one of our greatest accomplishments this year,” Aviles said.
Ammara Emran contributed to this story
