Two-time defending girl volleyball state champion Redondo has had a bullseye on its back this season while being tested by some of the best teams in the nation, but one of the team’s most important matches will come Thursday when the Sea Hawks host Mira Costa in the first of two meetings between the rivals.
The 7 p.m. contest is expected to draw a standing room only crowd with the victory taking the driver’s seat in the race for the Bay League championship. The teams meet again at Mira Costa on Oct. 25.
“The fans can expect large turnouts for both sides, future college stars on both sides, and some intense competition that only your rival brings out,” Redondo head coach Tommy Chaffins said. “I know both sides circle the dates of both matches.”
Redondo entered the week with an 11-7 ranked No/ 9 in CIF-Southern Section Division 1 and, prior to hosting Palos Verdes on Tuesday, faced stiff competition at the 8th Annual NIKE Tournament of Champions in Phoenix, Ariz. where 96 elite teams in the nation showcased their talents.
Redondo finished second in its pool with hard-fought victories over Wyoming’s top-ranked team Cheyenne East (25-21, 23-25, 15-5 and Basha of Chandler, Arizona 25-22, 25-23 but falling to Walton (Marietta, Georgia) 25-19, 25-22.
Competing in the Gold Division, Redondo lost to South Carolina’s top-ranked team Dorman 25-21, 25-22, Florida’s No. 1 team Bishop Moore (Orlando, Florida) 25-16, 25-5, Millennium (Goodyear, Arizona) 29-27, 25-15 and Santa Fe Christian (Solana Beach) 25-20, 30-32, 15-10.
“I’ve liked my team’s performances this season,” Chaffins said. “We are young. Most of the year thus far, we have started two freshman, two sophomores, one junior, and two seniors.”
Sophomore Kyla Doig and senior Maddie Relaz are returning starters who have led the Sea Hawks to a 21st-place finish at the prestigious Durango Fall Classic in Las Vegas and a tough five-set loss to Mater Dei, the top ranked team the Max Preps national poll and in CIF-SS Division 1.
Redondo will most likely play the rest of the season without the services of junior Brooklyn Schirmer, a USC commit who transferred from Lakewood but has not been cleared to play.
“Brooklyn still helps us every day in the gym in practice, and on the bench for matches,” Chaffins said. “We get to practice every day against one of the premier players in the nation, which makes our practices that much more fun and intense.”
Mira Costa will provide another stiff test for Redondo, putting a team on the court that entered the week with a 16-5 record and ranked No. 8 in the state by MaxPreps and No. 4 in the CIF-SS Division poll.
The Mustangs had an impressive 7th-place finish at Durango and have victories against Edison (No. 3 in CIF-SS Division 1), Santa Margarita (No. 5, Division 1) twice and a sweep over Bay League challenger Palos Verdes (No. 8, Division 2).
“Our girls should be very well prepared to face a tough Redondo team after strong competition in the season so far,” Mira Costa head coach Hayley Lawson-Blanchard said. “We have faced tough teams on the road and at home, and in both comeback wins and tough losses the girls have learned a lot about themselves and about what is needed from each player to make our team work as one unit. While Redondo lost many starters last year, they have a lot of young talent who we know will come out fighting, and our girls are excited to play at the top of their game on Thursday. We shared the Bay League title last year after conceding it to Redondo for many years before that, and our goal is to claim it all this year.”
