Marymount Volleyball Has Stellar 2016 Season

11/2/2016

The 2016 Fall Season for the Marymount High School Volleyball Program propelled the Sailors towards numerous victories and hard-won battles that only Sailor Volleyball can achieve!

VARSITY VOLLEYBALL IS UNSTOPPABLE IN 2016

Varsity Volleyball started to lay the ground work early this year to prepare for a Championship season. In July athletes were training hard in the gym, on the beach and in the weight room. It was during those practices, Coach Cari Klein felt that “our blockers really committed to swing blocking and the setters found their consistency”. By August the girls continued to work on conditioning and started to focus on six on six team play. They were able to coordinate the defense to complement the new improved block. This opened up practice planning to feature more game like drills. The girls were focused and ready to start the season SailorStrong.

Heading into September preseason play, the Sailors faced a tough Durango Fall Classic (DCF) in Las Vegas. They were challenged immediately by top ranked teams in the nation; Kamehameha out of Honolulu, HI and Assumption out of Louisville, KY. Looking back, Coach Klein felt Assumption “might have been the best team we played this year”. By finishing 2^nd in the Bronze Division at DCF, the Sailors came back wanting more. They spent hours working on passing balls faster than 50 mph from the ball machine, honing in on serving harder- the coaches challenged the team to increase the speed of their serves. The Sailors answered, and saw the effort pay off with an increased passing average and the fast serve recorded at 48 mph. The goal that month was to keep improving in all skills. By the end of September, the girls were ready to face the toughest league in California, The Los Angeles Athletic Associations Mission League.

October rolled around and the Sailors were more motivated than ever. They controlled the Mission League by staying undefeated in the first half of league play. As they headed in to Torrey Pines, they quickly found themselves right in the thick of it when they faced the Division I top ranked team in CIFSS, Santa Margarita in the Semi Finals of the Torrey Pine Tournament. In a heated battle, the Sailors dropped the game and picked up their fourth (and hopefully last) loss of the season. The Sailors didn’t hang their heads for long, instead they came charging out of the weekend by picking up a win vs. non-league foe Redondo Union High School and took home the championship from the Redondo Power Classic Tournament. They finished league play undefeated and were crowned Mission League Champions. For the 15^th year in a row our Sailor Volleyball team will be able to raise a League Championship Banner in the Terry Leavey Lemons Pavilion.

As the Sailors head into post season play, all the hard work, long hours and dedication will pay off. They were granted a bye in the first round of CIFSS Division IAA play offs and will host Long Beach Poly Thursday, November 3^rd @ 6:00pm vs. the winner of Long Beach Poly or Vista Murrieta. Come out to cheer on these dedicated athletes and be part of the SailorStrong!

Make sure to keep up to date during playoff time by following @MHSLAAthletics on twitter and Instagram.

JV VOLLEYBALL WRAPS A VICTORIOUS SEASON

The JV Volleyball team wrapped up another victorious 2016 season as undefeated Mission League Champions and Champions of both Redondo Championship Tournament and the Lava Classic Tournament.

The Sailors found individual success at the Redondo Championship Tournament when Emma Klein 19’ and Addie Edwards 20’ were named to the all-tournament team and Caroline Douglas 19’ was crowned tournament MVP. Rounding out individual awards, the Sailors took home all-tournament team honors for Caroline Douglas 19’ and Addie Edwards 20’ and the Tournament MVP award for Amara Aimufua 20’ at the Lava Classic.

Coach Heather Lowe saw tremendous growth within the team this season. “Each player improved greatly over the course of the season and the girls became very cohesive as a team,” commented Coach Lowe. Coach Lowe even exclaimed that “many of the plays were pure poetry.”

Coach Lowe felt that Emma Klein 19’ and Alouette Nwapa-Jourdan 20’ became extremely effective on the middle attack mixing in new hits especially the back one. She also saw Jacqueline Kortekass 19’ and Grace DiNapoli 19’ become very fluid in distributing the sets creating obstacles for the opponents in their attempts to set up a block. By the end of the year, Coach Lowe had confidence in Addie Edwards 20’ as one of the Sailors’ go-to hitters, whose rhythmic, consistent and dependable play in long rallies came through time after time. Throughout the season, the Sailors stressed the importance of improving each day; Coach Lowe saw particular improvement in Amara Aimufua 20’ when she started to swing high over the block. The team relied on the spark of Caroline Douglas 19’ in tight games with her ability to bring fire and vocally corral the team as a unit. Hustle plays came from Sophia Globe 20’, with her impressive lay out digs. Mary McGeagh 19’ “could be counted on to play whatever position was needed, she was able to rise to the challenge each time and set a great example for her teammates”, Coach Lowe commented. Rounding out the team, Madison McMahon 18’ was able to improve her aggressive attack and quickness to the ball this season, which helped to lift the Sailors in competitive situations. Taylor Ladwig 20’ began to line up the block to help the middles and Olivia Devereux 19’ worked hard all season to develop her speed on her hit, which was apparent when she began hitting with more determination.

Coach Lowe knows the future is bright for these young Sailors. She looks forward to the next few years as they continue to add talent to the program.

FROSH/SOPH VOLLEYBALL HAS UNDEFEATED YEAR AGAINST THEIR COMPETITON

The Marymount Freshmen Volleyball team finished an incredibly successful 2016 season. The Sailors ended with an undefeated record of 19-0 against other Frosh/Soph teams, and only experienced defeat vs. JV teams in the Redondo Tournament. They also clinched a league title, a second consecutive undefeated league record, and a 1^st place finish at the South High School tournament, beating strong programs like Santa Margarita, Corona Del Mar, Mater Dei, and Redondo Union in the process. They managed to do so while only going to a third set two times.

This sailor team endured a short and intensive season that lasted from camp week on August 15 to senior night on October 20. In that time the girls were constantly in the gym or in the weight room, honing their skills and getting stronger. The girls made drastic improvements in every facet of their games, while also coming together as a unit on the court. Standout moments from the season include their first win against Santa Margarita, a thrilling three set away win over Harvard Westlake to keep the undefeated streak alive, and a three set victory over Marlborough JV in the Redondo Union JV tournament. Topping off the year was a 25-14 win over Mater Dei in the semis of the South tournament, which Coach Tim Favreau felt, “was easily the best game the sailors played all season”.

Freshmen Coach Favreau and Coach Ashley Paillet had a blast coaching this unique group and are looking forward to seeing big things from them as they continue through the program.

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