Mira Costa outside hitter Skylar Caputo said it best.
After an emotional win over defending champion Marymount and looking ahead to going into a hostile environment at Los Alamitos, Caputo remarked “Standings don’t matter in this division.”
The junior’s words rang true Saturday when seventh-ranked Mira Costa fell just short of upsetting top-seeded Los Alamitos and second-seeded Redondo Union was eliminated by tenth-ranked Great Oak in Temecula.
With only three seniors on its team, Mira Costa gave Los Alamitos all it could handle in a classic girls volleyball match in the CIF Southern Section Division 1-AA quarterfinals.
The Mustangs fought off nine set points in a 25-23, 27-29, 20-15, 27-25, 15-7 loss before a raucous crowd.
Underdog Mira Costa (24-9) left it all on the court, fighting back after a 24-20 deficit in the first set, going ahead two games to one, taking a 19-16 lead in the fourth set and tying the state’s seventh-ranked team 5-5 in the fifth set before the Griffins put the match away.
Lan Nguyen saw her prep career as a Mustang come to an end, but not without scoring a team-high 18 kills.
Skylar Caputo recorded 16 kills, Katie Rethmeyer posted 13 kills and three aces, Phina Leilua added six kills and two blocks and Erin Sagisi contributed four kills.
With quality playoff wins over perennial power Long Beach Poly and rival Marymount, the Mustangs have a lot to build on with so many players returning for the 2014-15 season. Mira Costa began the season with very little starting experience.
“The girls fought hard to improve and really bought into the team aspect,” Mira Costa head coach Lisa Zimmerman said. “Throughout the season, they filled holes and filled to roles. It was a selfless team that learned a lot of lessons playing in big games in front of big crowds.”
Los Alamitos (30-5) advances to play No. 5 Orange Lutheran (24-8), a 3-2 winner over fourth-seeded Lakewood in the semifinals on Tuesday.
In Temecula, Redondo (30-6) was stunned by Great Oak 17-25, 25-16, 25-21, 27-25 when the Wolfpack won its 19th consecutive match to reach the semifinals for the first time in school history. Oaks Park’s three playoff wins this season are also a first for its girls volleyball program.
The heavily-favored Sea Hawks did not go down without a fight. The third set was tied 11 times and the fourth set had 15 ties. Redondo held a 24-22 lead in the fourth set before Great Oak rallied to put the match away.
Yaasmeen Bedart-Ghani led Redondo with 18 kills and Abril Bustamante posted 15 kills. Four-year starter Briana Lanktree recorded 14 kills and 10 digs, Katie Barkley had 15 digs and setter Norene Iosia posted 54 assists.
“Great Oak is the best team we have played this year,” Redondo head coach Tommy Chaffins said. “We went wire to wire the first set, but then momentum shifted at the start of set two, and we made way to many errors. Set three was a high level set, with Great Oak making a few defensive plays late to win the set. The fourth set we turned a 15-18 deficit to a 24-22 lead for us to make the match go five, but didn’t close the deal. It was a tough loss to end our season far earlier than we had hoped, but that is life in the 1AA division, the best of the best.”
Great Oak (27-1) advances to face No. 6 Mater Dei (31-5). Great Oak is No. 9 in the MaxPres.com state rankings while Mater Dei holds the No. 4 spot. Going into Saturday’s quarterfinal action, Redondo was ranked No. 5 in the state.
In Division 2-AA, No. 6 South Torrance advanced the semifinals for the third straight year with a 25-23, 25-21, 25-20 win over visiting Rancho Cucamonga. The Spartans (25-10) will host second-seeded Oaks Christian (29-5) on Tuesday.
Fifth-ranked North Torrance (22-7) lost a heartbreaker at second-seed Los Osos (26-9) 20-25, 25-18, 25-19, 23-25, 18-16.
In Division 2-A, Chadwick (17-8) saw its season come to an end with a 25-19, 13-25, 25-22, 25-22 loss at fourth-seeded Troy (32-4).
Vistamar (29-8) also had its season end, falling to top-seeded Laguna Blanca (16-2) at home by a score of 25-17, 25-18, 25-15.
