When Lisa Arce-Zimmerman played for Mira Costa in the mid-1980s, competition for the school’s dominant girls volleyball program was hard to find within the Bay League. Mira Costa was often required to travel to other counties in order to face high-quality opponents and rivalries were built with teams such as Newport Harbor, Corona Del Mar and Hueneme. That is no longer the case with the emergence of the Mustang’s natural foe — cross-town rival Redondo.
Since the California Interscholastic Federation (CIF) — the state’s governing body of high school athletics — began holding playoffs for girls volleyball in 1972, Mira Costa has consistently been among the elite programs in the state. Setting the pace with a win over Bishop Montgomery in the inaugural CIF champion match, the Mustangs have amassed an unmatched record of 24 championship appearances and 15 CIF titles. Fifteen of its players have been selected as CIF Players of the Year.
Currently ranked No. 5 in the CIF Division 1-AA poll, Mira Costa’s road to another championship begins next week with the ensuing playoffs. But the Mustangs aren’t looking ahead. With playoff seedings at stake, they can’t afford to overlook Redondo, a team that would like nothing more than to earn a share of the Bay League title with a victory when the two teams square off Thursday in a 7 p.m. contest at Mira Costa. Redondo is ranked No. 7 in the same division and the talent level is so close that the Mustangs and Sea Hawks are ranked 45th and 46th, respectively, in the prepvolleyball.com Century Club National Rankings.
Although the Sea Hawks have been the Bridesmaids of the Bay League for years alongside Mira Costa, the program has become one of the top in the division since Tommy Chaffins took over in 2001, providing a formidable league opponent, much to the delight of Zimmerman.
“It’s nice to play someone tough in league,” Zimmerman said. “Tommy has produced more consistency, increased parent involvement and added club players. When I played at Mira Costa, we usually faced Redondo during the time our school celebrated rivalry week. Our team would get fired up from the pep rally, which was mainly geared for the football team.”
Chaffins recalled a memorable match early in his coaching career. At the time, the CIF used the side-out scoring system where a team had to be serving to earn a point. It took 15 points to win a set and each set had to be won by two points. In 2003, the CIF switched to rally scoring where a point is awarded after each serve and it takes 25 points to win a game with the exception of the fifth game, where 15 points will earn the victory.
“I had a goal in my first year as coach to improve our point total each match,” Chaffins said. “We scored nine points the first year against Mira Costa and in the second year, we lost 15-12. I knew our chances of beating Mira Costa were next to nothing but knew we were going in the right direction. After that, I wanted to increase the time it took to play each match.”
In recent years, neither team has needed the use of a pep rally to gather inspiration. Despite the lopsided record of Mira Costa victories, each home-and-away series draws sellout crowds and Thursday’s match will be no different. The contests between the rival schools have become so popular within the volleyball community that each match doubles as a fundraising event. This year, Redondo’s home match raised money for Dig for the Cure. Proceeds from Thursday’s match at Mira Costa will benefit the Susan G. Komen For the Cure foundation.
“Our record isn’t as glamorous as Mira Costa’s but the match is a big event and you never know what’s going to happen. It gives me a lot of pleasure knowing that Redondo-Mira Costa is a premier match in Southern California. The South Bay fans are the most educated fans on the planet. They recognize talent and appreciate the skills of the players. So many of the players who have participated in the rivalry have gone on to play at the collegiate level,” Chaffins said.
Mira Costa is coming off a rare 11th place finish at the Santa Barbara Tournament of Champions after a 4-game loss to Newport Harbor who is ranked just ahead of the Mustangs in Division 1-AA. Mira Costa hopes to right the ship against Redondo, a team that is playing its best ball of the season. The Sea Hawks finished second in their Redondo Power Classic last weekend, losing to the division’s second-ranked team, Long Beach Poly in a close three-game contest.
Thursday’s match will includes extra incentives for both teams.
Mira Costa will be looking to increase two active CIF records, both of which began in 1985 during Zimmerman’s junior year of high school. The Mustangs have won 25 straight league championships and hold the longest league winning streak in CIF history with over 200 victories.
Redondo, meanwhile, hopes to avenge an earlier home loss when the Mustangs swept the Sea Hawks 25-22, 26-24, 25-23 in a hard-fought battle before an electrifying crowd. Chaffins said it was the first time Redondo had ever been ranked higher than Mira Costa at the time the two teams met.
Mira Costa’s latest victory over Redondo left an indelible impression on many members of the Mustang squad.
“Throughout my whole high school career, the game we played two weeks ago at Redondo will be one that I’ll remember forever,” said Mira Costa middle blocker Ella Rosenfeld. “The fire in the gym, the fire our team had, we were like a whole different team. We’ve always been like the steady, stable team and expected to win the Bay League, but we came out with a whole different persona. It was magical. Each game could have gone either way and we closed out each time.”
For more than a handful of seasons, Zimmerman has had the luxury of coaching two of the top-ranked players in the nation. Alix Klineman was a three-time CIF Player of the Year, Gatorade National Player of the Year and now a standout outside hitter at Stanford. Last season, outside hitter Falyn Fonoimoana was listed as the nation’s top recruit by prepvolleyball.com and is currently playing for USC as a freshman.
“This year’s match at Redondo was rewarding and relaxing at the same time,” Zimmerman said. “It was an all-around team effort for three games and was a more balanced win. We didn’t rely on one star to lead the team.”
South Bay powers
Since Redondo’s emergence as a top program in girls volleyball, other local schools have followed suit. Bishop Montgomery, North Torrance, South Torrance, El Segundo, Serra, Chadwick and Vistamar (El Segundo) have all developed winning programs. Zimmerman attributes this to the advent of club volleyball.
“At Mira Costa, it’s more or less understood that you play club volleyball if you want to make varsity,” Zimmerman explained. “In the ‘80s, there was a club in the South Bay and one in Santa Monica and Orange County was too far to travel. We were the only school around playing club. Now there is a club in almost every three-mile radius.”
Chaffins knew the importance of club ball when he took over the helm at Redondo.
“Club ball is the lifeline of a high school coach,” Chaffins said. “It’s the number one component to success at the high school level. There are a number of athletes who played club volleyball and are playing at the collegiate level who were not starters in high school.”
Chip Schulte, Director of Beach Cities Volleyball Club, believes the benefits of playing club volleyball go beyond the improvement on the court.
“The club volleyball program promotes players, both as volleyball players and by providing a foundation for them to become successful adults,” Schulte said. “Many of the players compete in college volleyball, but just as important, nearly every club volleyball player attends college, using the lessons learned in volleyball to initiate success in life. Our South Bay area is blessed with many strong clubs.”
“Club volleyball has been a major factor in the high school scene, possibly the major factor in the success of girls volleyball in the South Bay. In particular, Redondo Union High School, which has built up its program dramatically over the last several years under coach Tommy Chaffins, is now successful in large part because its players are part of Club Volleyball in the area.
Redondo Beach resident Joy Mckienzie-Fuerbringer has been Club Director for Mizuno Long Beach volleyball since its inception in 1994. Married to AVP star Matt Fuerbringer, Joy has been coaching girls club volleyball for more than 11 years in addition to coaching at the high school and junior college level.
“The benefits from playing club volleyball are that you can get high level training, develop their skills and technique and, as we do at Mizuno, strength train,” Mckienzie-Fuerbringer said. “Club seasons are seven months long with three practices a week and one tournament a month. Our goal at Mizuno is to not only prepare them for high school but for college.”
Under Chaffins’ guidance, the Sea Hawks have reached the CIF championship match four times, winning the Division 1-AA title in 2006 with a dramatic come-from-behind five-game victory over Mira Costa. The 16-25, 22-25, 25-23, 28-26, 15-13 win was the pinnacle of Redondo girls volleyball.
Not only did the upset give the Sea Hawks their first and only CIF title, it killed Mira Costa’s bid for a perfect season, snapped the Mustang’s 51-match winning streak and stopped Mira Costa’s 16-game winning streak over Redondo.
“Our student section and fans are so boisterous and we needed everyone — every coach, every fan, every player — to achieve that upset,” Chaffins said after the match. “We had to win the crowd. We couldn’t beat Mira Costa without the fan support.”
Redondo’s celebration lasted only 10 days, when Mira Costa came to the Sea Hawk’s gym and swept the hosts in the semifinals of the state championship tournament. Mira Costa advanced to beat Archbishop Mitty, of San Jose, in three games to win its third consecutive state title and the mythical national championship, after amassing a 36-1 record.
Mira Costa alum Kendall Bateman is a junior setter USC who led the nation with a 12.41 assists per set average in 2009. She recalls the most memorable game of her prep career.
“Of course the CIF games were big, but the game that stands out most is the California Southern Section match my junior year against Redondo after the ‘biggest upset of the year.’ Redondo’s gym was overflowing with people to see who would move on to the state championship. People were turned down and dying to see another upset. I remember hearing the fans cheering “that was easy” after the 3-0 victory for Mira Costa. It was the epitome of the rivalry. Passion before, during, and after the game was pouring out from both sides — players, parents, classmates, and fans included.”
Cross town rivals
Zimmerman likens the Mira Costa-Redondo rivalry to that of USC-UCLA and Cal-Stanford on the college level. The outcome of contests determine bragging rights between neighbors, friends and has been known to divide families – at least for a short time. Chaffins attended Mira Costa before transferring to Redondo after his freshman year.
In the sport of girls volleyball, the rivalry also pits teammates against each other.
Members of the Mizuno Long Beach team include Redondo players Tiffany Morales and Sade Mendez who play alongside Mira Costa veterans Maddie Klineman, Mandy Smith and Rosenfeld.
“I’ve played in club with a lot of Redondo players and know others through mutual friends so it’s fun to play against Redondo. It adds to the rivalry,” said Klineman, a junior outside hitter for the Mustangs. “It’s been a great rivalry and never a blow out either way. The games are always close and the atmosphere is always great to play in.”
“Even on the freshman and JV teams, the rivalry is big,” Rosenfeld added. “I played club with Blake O’Brien when I was a freshman and I know Lara (Dykstra) really well.”
Redondo senior Lara Dykstra is more than familiar with the rivalry having watched older sister Devon and brother Joey compete against the Mustangs. Her younger sister, Skylar, is a sophomore on Redondo’s varsity squad.
“The rivalry is very special to us,” Lara said. “It’s passed from generation to generation and not every school has a rivalry like that. When we play Mira Costa, it draws big crowds from the community and knowing your opponents always makes the matches more fun to play in. When I was younger, I played on the same team with (Mira Costa players) Emma White and Andi Zbojniewicz. We even went to the same elementary and middle schools.
“I love having my little sister on the team. Watching her grow and appreciate the rivalry has been really cool. It’s created a special bond between us.”
Bateman, who shared the 2007 CIF Player of the Year honors with Mira Costa teammate Falyn Fonoimoana, feels pride is the driving force of the rivalry.
“The Mira Costa-Redondo rivalry is one of the best high school rivalries in the South Bay,” Bateman said. “Even though Mira Costa has had had the upper hand in most of these volleyball contests, it is a rivalry that is hard to beat. When girls across the net from you are some of your closest friends or when you have played club volleyball against them since you were 10, the stakes become higher. Whoever wins will have bragging rights for the year and whoever loses will be reminded of the loss more often than not. Both teams always have great players, the build up for each game was always fantastic and the gyms were always packed with screaming fans. Bragging rights were always stake.”
“Mira Costa and Redondo matches symbolize pride in each school,” Fonoimoana said. “The matches I played against Redondo at home have always been packed full of people and the Mustang pride will always being a thing to remember. The Redondo gym is a bit bigger which gives many fans from both sides of town a chance to cheer and distract the other team.
“When I think back, the two CIF final matches against Redondo during my freshman and sophomore years stick out the most. I loved every moment of beating Redondo because I had my team feeding into the energy of the gym. Every year Redondo has a team to scrap up and give us a fight but Mira Costa will always end up on top with our execution of a program.”
Chaffins said he has fond memories of all his players but feels two in particular helped put Redondo on the map. He feels Rebecca Saraceno was one of the great talents to come out of the South Bay. The 2006 RUHS graduate was an All-American and the Big West Player of the Year as an outside hitter at UC Santa Barbara.
“Lauren Kirk was one of my favorite players of all time,” Chaffins said. “It was early in my career and I brought her up as a freshman to change our culture.”
Kirk, a 2005 graduate of RUHS, went to become a team captain while playing at Loyola Marymount University.
John Tawa, Owner/CEO of prepvolleyball.com believes the matches between Mira Costa and Redondo are great for the community but have yet to reach rivalry status – at least on the national level.
“It’s fierce and a Redondo/Mira Costa match can make converts out of novices to the game given the intensity of the action and the athletic talent on display,” Tawa said. “However, a traditional rivalry is one where the competitors have had near-equal histories of success. That isn’t the case here, where Mira Costa has won its league 25 years in a row, most with Redondo as fodder.
“These are things that the Redondo program has not come close to accomplishing. The Sea Hawks were irrelevant even locally until Tommy Chaffins took over as head coach of the girls’ program. His enthusiasm and an infusion of talent have put Redondo on the map locally and nationally. But they are not Mira Costa. Not yet. And until they are on par with the mighty Mustangs, it’s hard to characterize Costa/Redondo as a great national rivalry on the level of Assumption/Mercy in Louisville, Marist/Mother McAuley in Chicago or even La Costa Canyon/Torrey Pines down San Diego way.”
Chaffins’ view is more fan based.
“I think the Mira Costa-Redondo match is something the entire South Bay looks forward to,” Chaffins said. “We’re a volleyball-crazy community and it’s fun to come out and watch the future college and beach volleyball superstars.” ER
