For the first time in school history the Avalon Lancers Girls Volleyball will be playing the CIF-SS Finals. The Lancers advanced to the championship game with a thrilling five set victory, 24-26, 25-17, 23-25, 25-22, 15-13, over Mesa Grande Academy in the semifinals on Tuesday. After falling behind two sets to one, the Lancers trailed by seven points in the fourth set, before rallying to avoid elimination.
“These girls have been working hard for four months for this moment they played their hearts out tonight and to have the whole community behind us was something truly special last night,” Coach Carlos Martinez said. “It’s a moment none of them will forget.”
Sophomore opposite hitter Daniella Moreno had 13 kills, 14 digs, and 8 serve receives. Junior libero Yuliana Vega had 28 digs, 22 serve receives.
Outside hitter Giselle Alvarez had 9 kills, 7 digs and 3 aces. Hannah Hoefs chipped in 8 kills, 14 digs and 2 blocks. Sophomore setter Virginia Soto had 11 kills, 31 assists, 12 digs, 4 blocks and a pair of aces.
Gisselle Rodriguez came up big on the service line with 7 aces and 6 digs. Senior Alexa Dwelley had 5 kills and Jazmine Cruz had 3 kills. Now the season comes down to the top two teams in Division 9. The Lancers will host Cornerstone Christian of Wildomar on Saturday at 11 a.m. at Avalon School.
Cornerstone Christian ended the season at 23-1 and was the No. 1 ranked team in the CIF-SS Div. 9 poll. Avalon (34-6) was ranked No. 2 in the final poll. Both teams came out of their side of the bracket to make it to Saturday’s championship game. Cornerstone has yet to lose a set, sweeping all of its matches 3-0. But the Lancers have been playing like a team of destiny.
“These girls have an incredible bond and great chemistry with each other. The way they treat each other as teammates and how they believe in each other is pretty amazing,” Martinez said.
