Senior setter Britt Bommer couldn’t help but recall the feeling of disappointment the last time the Mira Costa girls volleyball team traveled to Hawaii to compete in the Ann Kang Invitational tournament.
The Mustangs reached the championship match in 2014 only to lose to Punahou, a perennial power from Honolulu. But Bommer used the loss as motivation leading Mira Costa to the championship with a 25-20, 25-21 victory over CIF-Southern Section Division 1 rival Santa Margarita.
Mira Costa finished the tournament with a 7-1 record, its only blemish coming in a hard-fought 25-18, 23-25, 15-10 loss to Santa Margarita in the final match of pool play.
The 16-team tournament included five teams from CIF-SS Division 1. Along with Mira Costa and Santa Margarita, Edison, Los Alamitos and Newport Harbor competed in the tournament.
“Beating Punahou was a key win to get into the finals,” Bommer said. “We knew Santa Margarita was a good team and we were going to see them again in the tournament so we didn’t let the first loss stick in our mind and hold us back.”
Bommer spread the ball around for the Mustang offense earning her the tournament’s Most Outstanding Player award. Outside hitter Amanda Sontag also was named to the all-tournament team.
“I’m very grateful for being selected Most Outstanding Player, it was all about giving 110 percent effort and staying focused,” Bommer said. “Because the team was so cohesive early in, it was easy to get to the next level of play and I’ve learned from past years at Costa that there is no ‘I can’t.’ When I was an underclassman the juniors and seniors inspired and pushed me to reach my potential and that’s what I hope we instill into our underclassmen for the future.”
The four seniors on Mira Costa’s team enter the season with plenty of experience and are expected to lead the younger girls, many who filled crucial roles.
Mira Costa began the tournament Thursday with three wins in pool play beating Boswell (Fort Worth, Tex.), Le Jardin Academy (Kailua, HI) and Newport Harbor.
On Friday, the Mustangs defeated the Hawaiian teams of Punahou, Iolani 1-AA and Moanalua before wrapping up pool play Saturday morning with their loss to Santa Margarita.
A 25-12, 26-24 victory against Edison in the semifinals set up the Mustang’s rematch with Santa Margarita.
“We had great competition over the course of the entire tournament. Starting off with Boswell from Texas, the girls took a set to get into their groove and get comfortable, but once they did they looked great.” Mira Costa head coach Hayley Lawson-Blanchard said. “Santa Margarita is an incredible team loaded deep with talent. We hadn’t seen their level of play in the tournament until Saturday morning, and I was most impressed with our team for not giving up after dropping the first set, adjusting to their opponents to win game 2 and fight hard in game 3.”
Mira Costa used its semifinal match against a weaker Edison squad to practice getting the middle player more involved in preparation for Santa Margarita.
“Hannah Scott hit around .400 for us on the right side on Saturday, Kelli Barry and Lea Ungar had some incredible digs against future Stanford, UCLA and Cal Players, Alexa Underwood was solid for us all the way around, and middles Abrielle Bross and Memphis Glasgow gave Santa Margarita’s block too much to handle,” Lawson-Blanchard explained.
Mira Costa opens the regular season Thursday, Sept. 1 at 6:30 p.m. with a home match against Flintridge Sacred Heart. The Mustangs went 30-5 in 2015, sharing the Bay League title with rival Redondo before losing to Mater Dei in the CIF-SS Division 1 quarterfinals.
