November 9th 2024.
St. Ignatius High School's girls volleyball team had quite the journey to reach the Central Coast Section Open Division finals. They had already beat one of the top teams, and now they had to face another in order to claim the title.
Just three days prior, the San Francisco school had pulled off an incredible comeback against the number one seed and defending champion, Archbishop Mitty, in the semifinals. Their next challenge would be against St. Francis on Saturday evening at Palo Alto High School. This was just one of ten volleyball finals being held across the Bay Area News Group's coverage area in both the CCS and North Coast Section.
Among the other matchups, Homestead would be taking on Salinas in the CCS Division I final at Palo Alto, while Campolindo would travel to Tamalpais for the NCS Division I crown. However, all eyes were on the anticipated rivalry between St. Francis and Mitty, who had dominated the season and had beaten St. Ignatius three times each without a loss.
But in the semifinals, St. Ignatius caught fire. Mitty had been leading the match early, breezing through the first two sets. However, the Wildcats refused to back down and won the third and fourth sets. In the decisive fifth set, SI pulled off a stunning victory with a score of 16-14. This ended their 13-match losing streak against Mitty dating back to 2019. It was a true test of resilience for the San Francisco school, who had only won six sets in their previous losses against Mitty.
Senior Carol Manu led the team with an impressive 20 kills, while Eileen Pfeffer, Boyd Killion, and Neve Harlan also contributed with nine, eight, and eight kills respectively. Lauren Nip had 18 digs and Gia McManigal had four blocks for the Wildcats.
Now, St. Ignatius would face another tough opponent in St. Francis, who had won an impressive 18 CCS titles, most recently an Open crown two years ago. In their semifinal match, St. Francis defeated Palo Alto with a score of 25-21, 21-25, 25-21, 25-16.
Saturday's championship schedule included ten games, with St. Ignatius and St. Francis facing off in the CCS Open Division final at Palo Alto High School at 5:30 p.m. Other matchups included Salinas against Homestead in the Division I final, Aragon against Monta Vista in the Division II final, Soquel against Sacred Heart Cathedral in the Division III final, and Sacred Heart Prep against Harbor in the Division IV final. In the NCS, Campolindo would face off against Tamalpais in the Division I final, University against Head-Royce in the Division II final, Bethel against St. Joseph-Notre Dame in the Division III final, and Pinole Valley against Fort Bragg in the Division V final.
It was sure to be an exciting day for high school volleyball fans all across the Bay Area News Group's coverage area. The question remained, who would come out on top and claim the coveted titles in each division? St. Ignatius was determined to end their seven-match losing streak against St. Francis and capture their second CCS championship in program history. But St. Francis was a formidable opponent, with a long history of success in the sport. Only time would tell who would emerge as the victors in this year's CCS and NCS finals.
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