After defeating Eagle Rock in the semifinals, the Gondo volleyball team was set to play Chatsworth at the Roybal Learning Center on Nov. 21 for the Division II City Section title. The girls varsity volleyball team unfortunately came home with a loss.

“I think we did good because we made a lot of improvements which helped us get our revenge on Eagle Rock as well as making it to City finals,” said Junior Sophia Howling.

In the first set of the championship, Venice started off slow, scoring only 9 points. The girls then scored 17 points in the second set and 21 points in the third set. Chatsworth scored 25 points in all sets for the victory.

In the first round of playoffs, on Nov. 9, Venice was matched up with Marquez High. The Gondos won all sets and allowed the Gladiators to score no more than 12 points in a single set. Venice then advanced into the quarterfinals and defeated Bravo 3-0.

After defeating Bravo in the quarterfinals, the girls moved onto a competitive team, Eagle Rock. Although Venice may not have Eagle Rock on their league schedule, the Gondos lost a quarterfinal playoff match last year to Eagle Rock. Venice also lost an earlier tournament match against Eagle Rock on Oct. 30 and were defeated 2-0.

This year, however, Venice defeated Eagle Rock in the semifinals and won all sets 3-0, bringing home the win and advancing to the Division II City Section championship at the Roybal.

“The girls came together as a unit,” said Head Coach Allen Hunt. “They respected and loved one another. They played hard together which resulted in a championship game.”

“I feel proud how we played our last game at City. We knew Chatsworth was going to be our toughest game, but overall we played well,” said Senior Melissa Mondragon.

The Los Angeles City Section places volleyball teams into certain divisions based on student enrollment numbers. Venice has been in Division II due to its enrollment size. Next year, the Los Angeles City Section will be placing volleyball teams into divisions based on performance, according to Coach Hunt. Venice will be entered into Division I for the start of the 2016 season.

Venice has been a known contender for the Division II City section championship. Its rise to power began in 2012, where Venice defeated Taft and brought home the victory. In 2013, Venice returned to the championship, but lost to Taft 3-2. In 2014 Venice was stopped by Eagle Rock in the quarterfinals with a final score of 3-2.

Right before playoffs began, Venice entered two tournaments, one on Oct. 30, and one on Oct. 31. The girls matched up against Garden Grove, and Righetti on Oct. 31 and Eagle Rock, Crescenta Valley, Taft, and San Gabriel on Oct. 30. The girls defeated Righetti and Garden Grove.