Mira Costa’s girls volleyball team made a strong statement Thursday night. The Mustangs are on a mission to reclaim dominance of the Bay League.
Mira Costa was firing on all cylinders, dominating rival Redondo in a 25-16, 25-19, 25-16 sweep at Sea Hawk Pavilion.
The win put Mira Costa (18-6, 5-0) in the driver’s seat after the first round of Bay League competition. The Mustangs – particularly seniors Britt Bommer, Amanda Montag, Hannah Scott and Alexa Underwood – are seeking the team’s first outright league championship since 2011. Mira Costa shared the title with Redondo last season with a five-set road victory over the Sea Hawks in the final match of the regular season.
“We came out firing from the beginning and took control of every game,” Underwood said. “Every player was consistent and we just kept pounding. Our defense played tough and the offense did the rest. It’s nice to take back control of the Bay League.”
Underwood recorded seven of her team-high 12 kills in the second set and Bommer spread the ball around recording 27 assists from the setter position.
“The girls came out with energy and confidence, Mira Costa head coach Hayley Lawson-Blanchard said. “All of our hitters had great games and Britt did a good job of mixing it up.”
In the first game, Redondo went ahead 9-8 but it would be the last lead the Sea Hawks would have in the match. Mira Costa proceeded to go on a 13-2 run led by Scott’s five kills and Montag’s four.
With the second set tied 8-8, Mira Costa had an 8-2 run. Redondo closed the gap 19-17 before the Mustangs pulled away.
The momentum carried over to the third set when Mira Costa jumped out to a 7-1 lead and never looked back.
Mira Costa’s defense was stellar, limiting Redondo sophomores Kyla Doig and Jasmine Davis to eight and five kills, respectively. Sea Hawk setter Kira Zimmerman recorded 12 assists but with Doig nursing an elbow injury and Redondo starting two freshman, Mira Costa’s experience and tenacity were too much for the two-time defending CIF State Division 1 champion to overcome.
“We came out with a lot of energy which was our plan,” Mira Costa libero Kelli Barry said. “This is our biggest game of the season and one we look forward to at every practice. Everyone did their job. Even when we were losing points we kept our energy level up which provided our momentum.”
Mira Costa is ranked No. 4 in CIF-Southern section Division 1 and, after a 5 p.m. home match with Peninsula on Monday and will host the division’s top-ranked team Mater Dei, who also hold the No. 1 in the MaxPreps national poll, on Wednesday at 6:30 p.m.
Redondo (12-9, 4-1) entered the Mira Costa match ranked No. 9 in Division 1. The Sea Hawks host Morningside Monday at 4:15 p.m. then Marymount (No. 8, Div. 1) on Tuesday at 4:30 p.m.
Mira Costa hosts Redondo in the regular season finale Tuesday, Oct. 25 at 7 p.m.
