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Wednesday, November 18
South Torrance swept aside in CIF volleyball semifinal
As the South Torrance players wiped away tears, they tried to find the positive in a match in which the outcome was predictable well before the ball dropped amid a group of Spartans for the final point.
"At least we fought hard and gave it out best," South senior Jackie Landers said.
The Spartans could be proud of their effort and the way they regrouped after a shaky start, but that wasn't enough to extend their season.
Third-seeded South was eliminated from the CIF Southern Section Division II-AA girls volleyball playoffs Tuesday night with a 25-16, 25-23, 25-21 semifinal loss at No. 2 Corona del Mar.
"I'm definitely proud of our team," Landers said of the Pioneer League champions. "We were blessed. I know our goal was to go real far in playoffs, so at least we accomplished that."
Landers was at the forefront of keeping the Spartans' hopes alive against a Sea Kings lineup that had dominated early.
Landers, an outside hitter, provided South's first three points of Game 3 to produce the Spartans' first lead of the night at 3-2. Her six kills in the game were as many or more than all but one Corona del Mar player had the entire match.
Landers finished with a match-high 17 kills. Fellow senior Brooke Fournier contributed 30 assists and 13 digs.
"I thought our seniors did a great job playing their guts out at the end," South coach Robert Kutsch said. "That's what you want from your leaders."
Dessi Koleva added 11 kills and 11 digs for the Spartans (26-11). Amanda Yamate had 12 digs.
A kill by Landers brought South within 22-20 in the final game, but that was as close as the Spartans would get, managing just one more point on an antenna violation.
The Sea Kings (25-5) used a calm, collected, business-like approach to take command early in Game 1, led by the play of Amanda Nickel and Claire Ham. The Spartans rallied from a five-point deficit to close within one at 13-12, but Corona del Mar claimed six of the next seven points to take control.
South managed its first tie of the match in Game 2. Sea King service errors helped keep South close much of the game, but it was a Spartans serve into the net that ended the contest after South had overcome a seven-point deficit to close within one at game point.
Morgan Boukather led Corona del Mar's balanced attack with 10 kills.
Teammate Madison Smith had 27 assists and 13 digs.
""You get to the semifinals, you know you're going to be playing good teams," Kutsch said. "All four teams were very good. It was great to be a part of it.
"It was an interesting matchup. Our strength was on the outside with out hitters, and theirs was in the middle, so it was going to be a matter of whose strength prevailed."
Sunday, November 15
Prep-JC Roundup: South advances in volleyball
Girls volleyball
Jackie Landers had 17 kills and Dessi Koleva had 14 kills as visiting South Torrance defeated St. Lucy's, 25-23, 25-23, 25-14, in a CIF Division II-AA quarterfinal. Brooke Fournier had 30 assists and five kills and Amanda Yamate had 18 digs for South (26-10), which plays at Corona del Mar in a semifinal on Tuesday.
Friday, November 13
South Torrance storms into CIF volleyball quarterfinals
Landers has 22 kills and Fournier steps up in sweep of Redlands
Aside from giving each Redlands player a traditional flower before Thursday night's matchup, South Torrance wasn't a very welcoming host in a 25-22, 25-19, 25-14 CIF Southern Section Division II-AA second-round playoff victory.
Led by standout Jackie Landers' 22 kills, South advanced to Saturday's quarterfinals at St. Lucy's after the resounding sweep of an overmatched Redlands (12-8).
Pioneer League champion South (25-10) didn't trail in the first or third games, and the biggest deficit it faced in the second game was one point.
In fact, the only time it even looked like Redlands was threatening came at the end of Game 1 when Redlands rattled off four unanswered points to cut South's lead to 24-22. But Landers put an end to that with a resounding spike that bounced off a defender's hand out of bounds.
"We felt like we were still in control at that point," Landers said of her team's only real scare. "I didn't actually feel like we lost control at all in that match."
Redlands got off to a good start in Game 2 and even tied the score, 9-9, when South's Tessa Fournier hit an errant serve. Setter Brooke Fournier answered with a kill and Landers added two of her own to push South's lead to 12-9.
Redlands coach Luis Chanure called timeout to help regroup, but South coach Robert Kutsch was the one who ended up rallying his team.
"Game 1 was closer than it needed to be, and it was the same in Game 2," Kutsch said. "When they called the timeout in the second game, I told our team we needed to focus and find the killer instinct to win this game."
South outscored Redlands, 13-10, to close out Game 2 and went on to comfortably win Game 3, 25-14.
"The obvious person who helped us win this match was Landers," Kutsch said, "but it was also (setter) Brooke Fournier. She has a tendency to be too unselfish and ended up with four kills on dumps. She became another offensive weapon that they had to account for and it opened up the outside for us."
Brooke Fournier finished the match with 37 assists, eight digs, four kills, and two aces. Dessi Koleva chipped in 12 digs and nine kills, and sophomore Katie Exum had eight kills and three blocks.
"We're excited to have an opportunity to play in the quarterfinals," Kutsch said. "We're just taking things one step at a time."
Tuesday, November 10
Landers thinks positive, leads South Torrance volleyball into postseason
Behind her blistering hits, South Torrance girls volleyball player Jackie Landers has a powerful secret.
No negativity.
Landers
tries to maintain a positive mentality, one that she derives from her
faith, her family and her teammates. She expunges all the negativity
she might encounter.
That's why when there was tension between herself and Coach Robert Kutsch, it affected her, on and off the court.
So
after South's shaky five-game victory over North Torrance on Oct. 22,
Landers and Kutsch had an hour-long heart-to-heart conversation that
proved to be a lightning rod for the final two weeks of the season.
"She got some things off her chest, and I got some off my
chest," Kutsch said. "It's like a weight has been lifted off her
shoulders. Now she's jumping higher, hitting harder and playing at a
different level."
Imagine her power now.
Landers helped South
close out a second straight Pioneer League title and earn the No.3 seed
in the CIF Southern Section Division II-AA playoffs.
When the Spartans begin their playoff journey tonight against visiting Corona/Centennial, Landers will be at the forefront.
"We're
definitely on the same page now after that talk, which is really good
with the playoffs starting this week," Landers said. "We talked about
our relationship as a coach and player, and how what we do affects
other people. It was good. I'm learning that each person makes up a
piece of the
puzzle that forms the team.
"I think it was more of me realizing how I needed to step up and finish the season strong."
Landers has certainly accepted that role, putting the Spartans on her back for the final two weeks of the season.
Landers
hopes to help South avoid a similar fate to last season when the highly
seeded Spartans were bounced in the second round.
When Landers is on, the 6-foot-1 star is one of the most lethal outside hitters in the South Bay.
"From
a pure volleyball standpoint, her power is incredible," Kutsch said.
"She is so strong, and she hits a heavy ball. Whether it's front row or
back row, when she gets a hold of one, she's hard to dig.
"And maybe the thing I've been most impressed with is her
play in the back row. Some people will say, `Let's just serve the big
girl,' but defensively she's really picked it up. She's even led us in
digs a few times."
Landers has always been a forceful hitter, but she's
learned to control her power more this season as a senior, cutting down
on her hitting errors.
In fact, she doesn't just try to reel back and hit it as hard as she can anymore. She is picking up the finer details.
"I
think I'm stepping into my potential as a player," Landers said. "I
play to win and I compete, and I pretty much play to give God glory."
Landers' Christian faith provides an incredible foundation for her, one that shows in all aspects of her life.
Landers
is the president of the school's Fellowship of Christian Athletes. She
works with the Christian-based EK-Kardia (which literally means "from
the heart") in their community service projects. She even took a
short-term mission trip to Mexico, helping kids in an orphanage and
painting buildings.
"I've been raised as a Christian, and it's in my life every
day," Landers said. "My teammates all know I'm a Christian. It's a part
of me. It's who I am. I pretty much get my strength from the Lord,
physical or anything else."
Landers even invites her teammates to pray with her, not forcing anyone's hand who might be uncomfortable with the situation.
"Jackie's
probably the most positive person I know," teammate and close friend
Katie McDonald said. "She's really stepped up as a leader and knows the
right things to say to the team.
"She's a big powerful girl, but she's just a sweet, sweet person."
Biola
University has already offered Landers a scholarship. Landers is also
looking at other Christian schools like Point Loma and Azusa Pacific.
"I'm waiting for the right door to open for me," Landers said.
Landers gets her faith and athleticism from her family.
Her
father, Bill Landers, played football at Kansas State at a time when
the Wildcats were a power. Her grandfather, Bob Hooks, played football
at USC.
Her oldest brother, Matt Landers, played high school and college baseball.
Another older brother, Steven Landers, did not play sports, but she said he is a talented musician and singer.
Then there's her older brother Ted, a football standout who attended Serra and is a priority walk-on at UCLA.
"Ted's really encouraging, but I'm really close with all three of my brothers," Landers said.
Landers
takes great pride that she has been part of back-to-back league
championship runs, and she said she hopes the Spartans can put together
a deep playoff run.
"It was pretty special - I feel fortunate to be part of something like that," Landers said. "It's a blessing."
Tuesday, November 10
Prep Notebook...
Change of pace
As the South
Torrance girls volleyball team prepared for the playoffs on Friday,
Coach Robert Kutsch decided against the traditional rigors of practice
for something a little more unorthodox: Team handball.
What ensued was a surprisingly competitive matchup of the
varsity and junior varsity players, letting off some steam after
winning their second straight Pioneer League title.
Kutsch said the team wanted to incorporate more
conditioning to the regular practice routine and tried team handball a
few weeks before.
"The girls really loved it," Kutsch said.
The Spartans seemed to respond to the idea when Kutsch first brought it back a few weeks ago.
Now
it gave the two-time defending Pioneer League champions a chance to
unwind heading into the CIF Southern Section Division II-AA playoffs,
where the third-seeded Spartans host Centennial/Corona today at 7 p.m.
"What we saw was a competitive spirit that we weren't expecting," Kutsch said. "It even carried into some of our matches."
Wednesday, November 4
Landers helps lead South Torrance volleyball to Pioneer title
South Torrance girls volleyball coach Robert Kutsch had a tall order in front of him on Senior Night on Tuesday: get all of his seniors playing time, clinch the Pioneer League title outright and send his entire team home happy.
Kutsch was able to accomplish the feat as South defeated El Segundo, 25-23, 25-23, 25-19, to capture its second consecutive Pioneer League crown at South High.
Kutsch went 14 years without a girls volleyball title before winning it last year. Now it's becoming a habit.
"That's the plan," he said.
Senior Jackie Landers, who was an all-tournament pick in the Redondo Power Classic last weekend, continued her dominant play with 21 kills and 17 digs.
"The last week and a half or so she's really stepped it up," Kutsch said. "I think the realization that it's her senior year and that she's playing her last high school matches has kicked in."
Landers made her presence felt often in the second game, when she had 10 of her kills. South (23-10, 7-0) trailed for most of the game, but consecutive kills by Landers gave South a 20-19 lead. A Landers kill also gave South a 22-21 lead. A dig by El Segundo's Shawna Lum on a Landers kill attempt gave the Eagles brief hope, but their ensuing kill attempt went into the net and South led, 24-22.
A kill by El Segundo's Toni Alugbue cut the lead to one, but Landers closed it out with her 10th kill of the game.
South also pulled away toward the end of Game 3, when Landers' flying tip fell for a point. She followed that with a kill to give the Spartans a 22-16 lead. South closed the game and the match when Dessi Koleva delivered a cross-court kill off a pass from Brooke Fournier.
Koleva had eight kills and 17 digs and Fournier had 29 assists and 16 digs for South.
Koleva and Landers have been a stellar one-two hitting punch for South all season, with Fournier spreading the ball around efficiently.
"Having two outside hitters that can put balls away was the key tonight," Kutsch said.
South is getting used to this business of winning league titles and looks to make it a tradition.
"It's really nice for the seniors to go out with two league titles, and I think they'll continue it," Landers said. "It's a really strong program now."
El Segundo (10-4, 6-2) has developed into a strong team this season under first-year co-coaches Carrie Dodd and Natasha Nguyen. The team has secured second place in the Pioneer League with Alugbue leading the way. Alugbue had 10 kills, two blocks and 12 digs and helped keep the first two games close. Sam Rummins had six kills and Keely Stevenson added 13 digs for El Segundo.
"We're not satisfied with second place, but we had goals of taking first or second place and getting to the CIF (Southern Section) playoffs, and the girls have responded well," Dodd said.
Sunday, November 1
Prep- JC Round up
South Torrance 2, West Ranch 0; Redondo 2, South 0; South 2, Sacred Heart 0: In the Gold Bracket at Redondo, South (21-10) defeated West Ranch, 25-17, 25-23, lost to Redondo, 25-17, 25-18, then beat Sacred Heart, 25-13, 25-21, to finish tied for fifth place. Jackie Landers had a combined 28 kills, Dessi Koleva had 18 kills and Brooke Fournier added 70 assists for South.
Sunday, November 1
Redondo wins its own volleyball tourney
McHugh and Gracee Gallarda were all-tournament for El Dorado. South Torrance's Jackie Landers, West Torrance's Cassidy Cooper, Valencia's Heidi Brown and Katie Hank, and Centennial/Bakersfield's Alyssa Gammel and Regan Richert also earned all-tournament honors.
Saturday, October 31
Prep-JC Roundup: South Bay volleyball clubs flex their power
South Bay teams won four of the eight pools in the Redondo Power Classic girls volleyball tournament on Friday night.
Host Redondo, along with West Torrance, Palos Verdes and South Torrance all won their pools and move on to the Gold Bracket today.
Redondo defeated Granada Hills, 25-15, 25-11, Azusa, 25-13, 25-11, and Valencia, 25-12, 25-18, to win its bracket. Lara Dykstra led the way with 18 kills and eight aces in two matches, Skylar Dykstra had 14 kills and six aces in two matches, and Arielle Manz had 14 kills in two matches for Redondo (19-7), which used all 17 of its players.
South (19-9) defeated Independence, 25-19, 25-15, Beverly Hills, 25-11, 25-13, and Sacred Heart, 25-21, 25-15. Jackie Landers led South with 28 kills, 17 digs and five aces, Dessi Koleva had 27 kills, 11 digs and four blocks, and Brooke Fournier had 54 assists and 12 digs in the three matches for South.
Palos Verdes beat Palisades, Santa Monica and Scripps Ranch to advance, and West Torrance defeated Long Beach Millikan, Notre Dame Academy and La Jolla to advance.
Gold Bracket matches take place today at West and Redondo, starting at 8:30 a.m. The Gold Bracket final is slated for approximately 4 p.m. at Redondo.
Thursday, October 29
Prep Roundup....
South Torrance 3, Torrance 0: Jackie Landers had 23 kills, Dessi Koleva had 15 kills and Amanda McArthur added 10 kills as host South (16-9, 6-0) won, 30-28, 25-15, 25-11.
Friday, October 23
South finds its form in nick of time
South Torrance's girls volleyball team cruised and struggled, seemingly with equal conviction, on Thursday against North Torrance, then relied on a familiar combination to pull out a 22-25, 25-14, 25-11, 23-25, 16-14 Pioneer League victory at North High.
North came out strong in the first game but looked beat after losing the second and third games by a combined score of 50-25.
But the Saxons returned to their Game 1 form in Game 4, when an ace by Noelle De La Torre and a kill by Elise Tizon helped close it out and force Game 5.
South (15-9, 5-0) raced to an 8-2 lead in the fifth game with kills by Jackie Landers and Dani Garcia keying the run.
But again North (11-8, 2-3) showed fight, going on a 6-1 run, capped by a kill by Channel Richardson to pull the Saxons to within 9-8.
Some bad passes and rule violations hurt South down the stretch. But after North tied the score, 14-14, on a kill by Holland Seymour off a pass from Jessica Shearen, Landers delivered a pair of kills off Brooke Fournier sets to win the game and the match for the Spartans.
"We have a tendency to ride the roller coaster," South coach Robert Kutsch said. "But we showed when we want to make plays we can. We just have to have the girls on the same page more often."
Landers had 16 kills, Dessi Koleva had 15 kills, Katie Exum had 10 kills and three blocks, and Katy McDonald had five kills and seven blocks for South.
"When Exum and McDonald are producing like they did today, it opens things up for Landers and Koleva," Kutsch said.
Fournier and Amanda Yamate added 16 digs each for South.
North was led by Richardson, who had nine kills. Seymour, Tizon and Ariel Richard had six kills each.
An important moment for North came after the third game, after the team lost a pair of lopsided games.
"I pulled the team outside and said, `You have to believe in yourselves,"' North coach Marc Pioch said. "You have to believe you belong at the same level as them. And in the fourth game they did. A bigger moment was when we were down, 8-2, in the fifth game. The old team would have shut down, but they came back."
Wednesday, October 21
Prep/JC Roundup: Girls Volleyball
In the Pioneer League ...
South Torrance 3, Firebaugh 0:
Amanda McArthur had 11 kills, three blocks and three aces, and Heather
Miller added 22 assists and five digs as host South (14-9, 4-0) won,
25-10, 25-13, 25-9.
Saturday, October 17
Prep-JC Roundup: South Torrance volleyball team wins Pioneer showdown
The South Torrance girls volleyball team put up big resistance at the net and kept on rolling in the Pioneer League with a 25-19, 25-20, 25-22 victory over El Segundo on Friday at El Segundo High.
Both teams came into the match undefeated in Pioneer League play, but only the Spartans left unbeaten.
South (13-9, 3-0) had a season-high 14 blocks, which limited El Segundo's outside hitting and was the key to the victory.
"We took their best hitter out of the game with our blocking," South coach Robert Kutsch said. "And that was big for us."
Dessi Koleva had 14 kills, 10 digs and three aces, Jackie Landers had 13 kills and five blocks and Brooke Fournier had 34 assists, 14 digs and four blocks for South.
Kelly Davis had four kills and five blocks and Keely Stevenson had 13 digs for El Segundo (7-3, 3-1).
The victory caps a stellar week for South, which defeated North Torrance on Tuesday and Torrance on Wednesday to open the first half of league play.
Thursday, October 15
South Torrance has a case of deja vu with victory
For the second straight day, South has to rally from a game down
For the South Torrance girls volleyball team, it was a mirror image of the match it had played just a day earlier.
The Spartans started slow and fell behind early, but just as they did the day before, charged back into the match and took it to their opponents, this time for a 23-25, 25-13, 25-14, 25-15 victory over host Torrance Wednesday in a Pioneer League match.
South (13-9, 2-0) was led by the strong play of senior outside hitter Jackie Landers, who had 20 kills and five blocks.
"I wish we wouldn't have dropped that first game," Landers said. "But it was nice to see how we came back after that and got control of the match."
South coach Robert Kutsch said it was a carbon copy of the match South had with North Torrance just a day earlier, when the Spartans opened their Pioneer League slate with a 23-25, 25-12, 25-17, 25-17 win.
"You can tell just by looking at the scores how similar it was," Kutsch said. "Today was another case of us dropping that first game and not starting like we want to but finding out groove as the match went on."
South jumped out to an early lead in the first game and led by as much as six points, holding the lead until Torrance (6-11, 1-2) clawed back to tie the game at 15. The team's traded points until Torrance pulled ahead by three after two straight service aces by Tori Takata.
From that point on, it was all South. The Spartans opened up big leads in the final three games and, unlike the first game, did not relinquish them. South led by as much as 12 in the second game, 11 in the third game and 10 in the fourth game.
"A lot of it is just mental," Landers said of the team's slow start. "We just need to get into a rhythm earlier in the match and don't let any mental breakdowns slow us down."
South got a big lift from setter Brooke Fournier, who had 23 assists, 12 digs, nine kills and two aces. Amanda Yamate had 20 digs and two aces.
"Once we got going, our defense really got to work and did a good job for us and we had nice balance on offense," Kutsch said. "Our big thing is just being consistent and not letting our guard down."
Torrance coach Nathan Jones said his squad's rally in the first game gives him some hope moving forward.
"The good thing about that first game is it showed me that this team has what it takes to win deep down inside," Jones said. "I just have to figure out how to bring that intensity out for the whole match and not just in spurts.
"We have to remember that they are the first place team in our league," Jones added. "They played great today and made life tough on us."
Katie Judd had 13 kills, nine digs and three aces for Torrance. Marissa Holguin added 26 assists and two aces
Wednesday, October 14
Prep-JC Roundup: South roars past North in Pioneer League volleyball opener
Sophomore outside hitter Dessi Koleva had 16
kills and 10 digs to help South Torrance overcome a sluggish start to
beat visiting North Torrance, 23-25, 25-12, 25-17, 25-17, in its
Pioneer League girls volleyball opener on Tuesday.
South (11-9, 1-0) found itself playing catch-up after a slow start that led to a loss in the first game.
"We
were sloppy in the first game," South coach Robert Kutsch said. "We had
something like seven hitting errors and weren't capitalizing on
opportunities."
South (11-9, 1-0) overcame the slow start and stormed back
to take control of the match, thanks to strong serving and solid play
from Koleva and senior outside hitter Jackie Landers, who had 15 kills.
Kutsch said picking up a victory in their first league match
was huge for the Spartans, who play at Torrance in another key league
tilt today.
"You can tell from our record that we had an up-and-down
nonleague season," Kutsch said. "The focus for the last week has been
coming out an starting strong in league like we did today."
Brooke Fournier had 36 assists, 10 digs and five aces to spark the Spartans' offensive attack.
Holland Seymour had 11 kills and Elise Tizon had seven kills to lead North (8-7, 0-2). Ashley Hotta added 14 digs for North.
Wednesday, October 7
Prep Round Up.....
Girls volleyball
Jackie Landers had 11 kills and three blocks and Brooke Fournier had
16 assists and nine digs as host South Torrance beat Palos Verdes,
25-23, 25-18, 25-7, in a nonleague match. Heather Miller had 16
assists, and Amanda Yamate added five aces for South (10-9).
Sunday, October 4
West Torrance outlasts South to complete a volleyball sweep of the Torrance schools
Getting the West Torrance High girls volleyball
team to talk about anything other than its showdown with South Torrance
has been difficult in recent weeks.
The way the Warriors played in Saturday's much-anticipated
match, it's likely they'll be talking about it for a long time to come.
West pulled out a 25-21, 17-25, 28-26, 25-22 victory over
South as part of the Kim Blankinship Classic at North Torrance to
complete a Warriors sweep of Torrance rivals and head into Bay League
play this week with the most confidence it has had in years.
"We're on a huge high right now," West senior outside
hitter Shayna Guitare said. "It's like the (match) we were waiting on
all year. All preseason we were like, South, South, we have to beat
them. That was one of our biggest goals of the year.
"It was a lot of battling to beat them. We were
disciplined, we worked on technique and we had so much heart. We pushed
through and finally we pulled it out. This how we need to play."
Kaitlyn Edwards paced the Warriors (10-2) with 12 kills and 16 digs.
Katie
Colin contributed 35 assists and Cassidy Cooper had 21 digs. Kayla
Mallet added eight blocks and five kills. Guitare had eight digs and 11
kills, including the one to seal the victory in the seesaw affair.
An ace by Guitare had given West an 11-8 lead in
Game
4 - the Warriors' largest lead since early in Game 2 - but South
rallied behind four consecutive aces by Dani Garcia and led as late as
20-19.
When the defending Pioneer League champion Spartans (9-9)
couldn't hold off another Warriors comeback, West erupted into a wild
celebration on the court and posed for pictures to commemorate the
moment.
After all, this is a Warriors lineup that didn't post a
league win last season and knows it has a tough road ahead again in a
Bay League that features Mira Costa and Redondo programs that are
ranked in the their division's top 10.
"My team has been talking about this match for two weeks,
at least," West coach Jen Haney said. "So this is big. ... We head into
league with confidence. We had a very similar (nonleague season) last
year, but this year we have all but one (player) back and it's a
different feeling. It's a special group of seniors."
West got off to a positive start in Game 1, never trailing after taking a 6-5 lead.
Momentum shifted early in Game 2 as South went on a 10-point run that featured three consecutive aces by Brooke Fournier.
The
extended Game 3 was tied 14 times, the last broken on a kill by Edwards
after South failed to capitalize on multiple chances at game point.
"That was huge," Haney said of taking the third game. "Either way, that was going to be the pivotal game."
South's
Jackie Landers finished with a match-high 16 kills. Teammate Dessi
Kolev had 13 kills. Fournier added 33 digs, six blocks and four aces.
Friday, October 2
Revenge tastes sweet as Redondo volleyball team sweeps South
Before the Redondo-South Torrance girls volleyball showdown on Thursday night, Redondo coach Tommy Chaffins called his players together and pulled out a surprise.
It was a pocket-sized bottle of mouthwash.
The intent was clear: Chaffins told the girls he wanted to wash the sour taste of last season's nonleague loss to South from his mouth.
Redondo responded with a refreshing 25-21, 25-22, 25-16 nonleague win, dispatching the host Spartans in just 69 minutes.
So fresh and so clean.
"We were talking about last year and how they gave us a good beating, and it left a bad taste in our mouths," said Lara Dykstra, who led a balanced attack with 10 kills. "It was a cool thing. Inspiring really, especially because that loss was so bitter."
The mouthwash wasn't the only thing in Chaffins' pocket - he had an ace in the hole in Maddie Goldbach.
The senior came off the bench to record seven aces and spark major runs in the first and second games.
"Maddy has the best serve on our team," said Arielle Manz, who delivered eight kills for Redondo. "She has those crazy floaters that are so hard to dig. Going on big runs like that is normal for her."
With Redondo clinging to a 9-8 lead in the first game, Goldbach served six straight points and recorded four aces in that span to give Redondo a 16-9 lead and control of the game.
In the second game, Goldbach came in to serve facing an 18-14 deficit, but served five straight points for a 19-18 lead, including three more aces.
"I was a little dehydrated, especially in the second game, and I was feeling a little nausea, so I think I overcompensated for that and came out so focused," Goldbach said. "Everyone on the team is so supportive when I come in. That helps me focus, too.
"I've never had a game like that."
Redondo (9-3) had lost its previous road test at Bishop Montgomery in five games, so the Sea Hawks were excited to notch their first quality road win.
Goldbach recorded seven of Redondo's 14 aces. Dykstra, Blake O'Brien and Niki Collier each added two aces.
"Since they got us last year, we came out really determined in this match," said Redondo's Jessica Doerner, who contributed eight kills. "We stepped up our mental game, and we did it as a whole team. Everyone contributed, and our chemistry was great."
Jackie Landers led South with 15 kills. Dessi Koleva had 12 kills and four blocks, and Amanda Yamate added 12 digs.
"We lost focus on our passing and made too many mistakes," Koleva said. "They also had a lot of good runs."
South (9-8) gets another test on Saturday against West Torrance in the Torrance Challenge at North Torrance.
"It was a tough loss because we wanted to win this one so much, but we'll bounce back," Landers said. "We'll definitely be ready on Saturday."
With Redondo serving for the match, Chaffins gave Goldbach a one last chance to serve, like an encore performance.
Appropriately, Goldbach closed it out for Redondo.
"My goal was to get him his Scope," Goldbach said.
Wednesday, September 30
Prep-JC Roundup: San Pedro takes marathon volleyball match from Carson
South Torrance 3, Peninsula 0: Jackie Landers had 14 kills, four digs and two blocks and Brooke Fournier had 25 assists, seven digs and two aces as visiting South (9-7) won, 25-20, 25-22, 25-19. Katie Child and Allison Lee had 12 kills each for Peninsula (7-4).
Monday, September 28
Prep-JC Roundup: Mira Costa, Redondo
among nation's best at Durango Tournament
Mira Costa's girls volleyball team took fourth
place in the Championship Division and Redondo finished third in the
Silver Division in the Durango Tournament on Saturday at Durango High
in Las Vegas.
Mira Costa beat Long Beach Wilson, 21-25, 25-18, 25-14,
avenged an early-season loss by beating Marymount, 25-22, 23-25, 25-22,
then fell to eventual champion Archbishop Mitty (San Jose), 25-18,
23-25, 25-19, and lost in the third-place match to Assumption (Ky.),
26-24, 25-22. Falyn Fonoimoana had a combined 80 kills for Mira Costa.
Redondo lost to El Dorado, 25-20, 19-25, 27-25, then
defeated Los Alamitos, 25-14, 26-24, before falling to eventual
champion Long Beach Wilson, 25-20, 23-25, 25-21. In the third-place
match, Redondo beat Torrey Pines, 25-17, 27-25. Lara Dykstra had 68
kills and Skyler Dykstra added 41 kills on the day.
In the Bronze Division, South Torrance lost to La Costa
Canyon, 25-11, 25-21, defeated Xavier, 27-25, 27-25, and fell to St.
Mary's (Stockton) in the fifth-place match, 25-14, 25-22.
Wednesday, September 23
Previewing the Durango Fall Classic (Before actual play)
Pool 5
No. 22 Sacred Heart (KY)
No. 35 Long Beach Wilson (CA)
No. 62 Gilbert (AZ)
South Torrance (CA)
Analysis: Is Sacred Heart motivated or tired? The answer to that question might
determine whether the Valkyries advance out of Pool 5. Sacred Heart has been
playing a lot of volleyball lately and was in St. Louis last weekend. The Valkyries
returned home after winning the St.
Joseph’s Tournament of Champions to find Assumption on their schedule on a rare Sunday
play date. They got thumped and now must come all the way out to Vegas...That’s
not a prescription for success. UNLESS you consider that Sacred Heart has
something to prove. Our pre-season No. 1 team has lost three matches already.
They think they should be No. 1. Led by high flying Emily Juhl, physical Kelsey
Dunaway and smart setter Caitlin
Dotson, this is their opportunity to prove it.
Long Beach Wilson is another
lightly-raced horse, having only played twice coming into this tournament. The
Bruins fell in five sets Tuesday to Moore League rival Lakewood
despite 27 kills from Senior Ace Kellie
Culbertson. Seniors Kellie Woolever
and Candace Nicholson and super
sophomore Rebecca Strehlow are at
the heart of everything Wilson
does.
Fans are really going to enjoy watching Gilbert
sophomore OH Macey Gardner. She is a
great athlete with a lightning strike. She and freshman Penina Snuka form a strong hitting duo for Joe Hesse’s team.
Sophomore setter Sarah Beene is the
setter charged with getting the ball to them. She recorded 44 assists in
Tuesday four-set win over Corona del Sol
that upped the Tigers’ mark to 13-2 on the year.
Can the South Torrance Spartans pull
an upset or two here? Well, after finishing a disappointing ninth at the Gahr
Tournament, they surprised Bishop
Montgomery on Tuesday and have a terrific coach in Bob Kutsch, so anything
is possible. Senior setter Brooke
Fournier and hitters Jackie Landers
and Desi Koleva are the players to
watch for South.
Who comes out? Wilson and Sacred
Heart, in that order. Their seniors lead the way. Gilbert is too young for this
stage yet and even loses to South, which seems to make magic in Las Vegas every year.
Wednesday, September 23
Fournier sets up South's girls volleyball sweep of Bishop Montgomery
The passes were crisp. The energy was high. And it seemed that every hitter was putting away their balls.
It was a setter's dream.
Setter Brooke Fournier took charge in South's commanding 25-17, 25-19, 25-19 nonleague victory over visiting Bishop Montgomery on Tuesday in a match that was surprisingly one-sided.
"Everyone was hammering it today," said Fournier, who finished with 20 assists and 11 digs. "Those are the best kind of (matches)."
South (5-2) came out inspired against Bishop Montgomery (5-3), a CIF-SS Division II-AA rival ranked No.3 that was coming off an impressive win over Redondo.
South, ranked No.8 in Division II-AA, showed it intends to contend for a CIF title despite a 1-2 start to the season.
"We've been on a rollercoaster to start the season, but this is what we were waiting for," Spartans coach Robert Kutsch said.
Fournier directed a balanced attack as South avoided the big block of Rachel Clark, Amelia Keeling and Bria Green and the Knights' vaunted "Team Touch" defense.
Jackie Landers dazzled at times, recording 14 kills and seven digs.
Dessi Koleva contributed 10 kills, five aces and nine digs. Dani Garcia had seven kills, and Katie Exum had four kills, including an impressive sequence where she blocked Clark and finished the play with a kill past the University of Virginia-bound star.
"Everyone played great today," Landers said. "Everyone was so focused on this match, and our coaches prepared us so well. We didn't think it was going to be easy. But we wanted to come out and show that we're still South High, that we were going to step up."
It was a complete about-face for South, which had lost at home to Peninsula and finished ninth at the Gahr Tournament.
South built big leads in each game - a 10-3 lead in Game 1, a 19-15 lead in Game 2 and a 7-1 lead in Game 3 and never relinquished control.
"This was the result of a lot of hard work at practice," said Koleva, who sported a nasty cut on her right knee from practice. "We really wanted to win today. We want to show we're the best team in Torrance. We had a bad (match) against Peninsula and were not ready for them. But we were ready today."
A big reason for South's optimism was the return of Amanda Yamate, who is expected to be South's libero when she is fully recovered from a pulled ligament in her back.
Kutsch said Yamate "wasn't spectacular, but she brought a steadiness." Yamata said she had just one full practice.
"It felt great to be back," Yamate said. "I'm still adjusting, but I'm excited to be playing again."
Bishop Montgomery looked nothing like the team that topped Redondo last week. "Team Touch" did not handle South's firepower.
"We take pride in our passing, and for us not to do well in that aspect today was really frustrating,," Bishop Montgomery setter Teresa Puente said.
Clark finished with 11 kills. Keeling had four kills, and Green had four blocks.
If these teams meet again in the playoffs, Clark promised a complete turnaround.
"It's going to be different. We're not going to let that happen again, I assure you," Clark said. "South was spectacular, but this definitely wasn't one of our stronger games. We don't like this feeling, and we're going to remember it and use it to push us."
Thursday, September 17
Prep/JC Roundup: In the Gahr Tournament.....
South Torrance 3, St. Joseph 0: Jackie
Landers had 18 kills and Dessi Koleva had 11 kills and six aces as
South (4-2) beat host Lakewood, 25-20, 25-17, 25-20, in the ninth-place
match.
Tuesday, September 15
Pioneer League girls volleyball preview: Spartans full, yet hungry
For the first time in his coaching tenure, South Torrance girls volleyball coach Robert Kutsch claimed the Pioneer League title.
It was in the playoffs where the Spartans fell apart, seemingly becoming frazzled in a second-round loss after earning a top-four seed and a first-round bye.
One barrier goes down, another goes up in its place.
Yet with with five returning starters this year, Kutsch said there is one major factor this season that should prevent another collapse.
"Leadership," Kutsch said. "That's the difference."
South returns reigning league MVP Brooke Fournier and the reigning Most Outstanding Player Jackie Landers to lead a savvy and experienced group.
Fournier is a senior setter who is being recruited by Cal Poly San Luis Obispo.
Landers is a 6-foot-1 outside hitter who is a four-year varsity player.
"With five returning starters from a league championship team, I would think we'd be the favorites. I would hope so anyway," Kutsch said.
"Last year, our two captains were seniors, and when we needed them in CIF, they were not able to step up. The captains this season, I'm fully expecting them to step up."
Senior 5-11 middle blocker Katy McDonald is a returning second-team all-league selection. She and sophomore 5-9 outside hitter Dessi Koleva provide South with some offensive firepower.
"If we can pass the ball and we're not just feeding Landers and Koleva on the outside, we should be dangerous," Kutsch said. "We need to get kills from other people if we're going to be effective."
South should get a boost from sophomore transfer Dani Garcia. She played middle blocker on North's junior varsity team last season, but Kutsch said he plans to move Garcia to outside hitter.
"She's very, very athletic," Kutsch said. "We're not going to have to tell her to hit the ball hard."
Kutsch said he is not worried about two early-season losses to Peninsula and Notre Dame Academy.
Junior libero Amanda Yamate has been sidelined by injury to start the season, but Kutsch said her return will stabilize South's passing attack and compensate for the loss of Danielle Lindahl, who is trying out at San Luis Obispo.
"Based on what she did over the summer, she's going to be the best defensive player in the league," Kutsch said. "With Yamate being hurt, we were struggling with our passing. Against Peninsula, we had big eyes and that deer-in-the-headlights look.
Tuesday, September 15
Prep Roundup: In Girls Volleyball....
Jackie Landers had 17 kills, four blocks and four aces to lead South Torrance to a 25-19, 25-24, 25-22 fourth-round win over Mayfield in the Gahr Tournament at Lakewood High. Dessi Koleva had 12 kills, 13 digs and three aces for South (3-2), which plays St. Joseph on Wednesday for ninth place.
Sunday, September 13
Prep/JC Roundup: In the Gahr Tournament...
South Torrance (2-2) rebounded from a 25-23, 28-26, 25-17 second-round loss to Notre Dame Academy with a 25-18, 25-22, 25-16 win over Warren at Cerritos High. Jackie Landers posted a combined 29 kills on the day.
Saturday, September 12
Prep Roundup: In the Gahr Tournament....
South Torrance 3, Chaminade 0: Dessi Koleva had 15 kills and nine digs in a 25-10, 25-21, 25-23 first-round victory at Cerritos High. Jackie Landers had 10 kills and six digs for South (1-1), which rebounded after a season-opening loss to Peninsula. Freshman libero Tessa Fournier, filling in for the injured Amanda Yamate, had team-highs of 10 digs and six aces. South plays Notre Dame Academy today at Cerritos in the first of two matches.
Thursday, September 10
Peninsula's girls prevail in volleyball
Junior outside hitter Allison Lee had a stellar all-around match and her teammates were strong at the net as the Peninsula High girls volleyball team started its season on the right foot, a 25-21, 25-23, 14-25, 25-20 nonleague victory at South Torrance on Thursday night.
Lee had 19 digs, six aces and six kills to lead the way for Peninsula. Nina Bjekovic had eight blocks, Erika Castillo had six blocks, Shannon Bezic tallied 23 digs and Maryl Vanden Bos had 22 assists for Peninsula. Jackie Landers had 18 kills and seven digs, and Dessi Koleva had 11 kills and nine digs for South (0-1).
Monday, July 13
ESPN News: KB Scholarships
KB Memorial Scholarships 
July 13, 2009 4:15 PM
By Christine Jinbo
The KB Memorial 4-Woman beach volleyball tournament, hosted by the Kim Blankinship Foundation, crowned champions in a Women's Division and a High School Division and awarded scholarships to high school student-athletes. The foundation hosted the tournament and scholarship fund to honor the memory of Blankinship and her fun loving personality, amazing athleticism and her pursuit of excellence.
The foundation brings together the community in honor of the memory of Blankinship and pays tribute to her by giving scholarships to deserving student athletes from area Torrance high schools. South Torrance (Calif.) High School won the High School Division with the team of Brooke Fournier, Tessa Fournier, Dessi Koleva and Amanda McArthur.
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Kealani Kimball/ESPN RISE |
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South High School defeated North High School for the KB Crown. |
Kim Blankinship participated in volleyball, soccer and track at Torrance High, earning four letters in each sport. This year the Kim Blankinship Foundation gave five $1000 scholarships one to each of the high schools in Torrance: Bishop Montgomery, West Torrance, South Torrance, North Torrance and Torrance High. The foundation also awarded a $500 scholarship to each deserving athlete in each of the sports in which Blankinship participated.
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Thursday, August 27
Manhattan Beach hosts USA Beach Junior Tour Open Championships
Amanda Yamate (Torrance, Calif.) and Dessi Koleva (Torrance, Calif.) won the U-16 Division by defeating Christine Irvin (Pacific Palisades, Calif.) and Skylar Dykstra (Hermosa Beach, Calif.), sister of Lara, 21-18. Tiffany Morales (Redondo Beach, Calif.) and Alexas Strange (San Clemente, Calif.) came in third with a 21-12 victory.
Tuesday, November 10
Prep Notebook.....
Change of pace
As the South
Torrance girls volleyball team prepared for the playoffs on Friday,
Coach Robert Kutsch decided against the traditional rigors of practice
for something a little more unorthodox: Team handball.
What ensued was a surprisingly competitive matchup of the
varsity and junior varsity players, letting off some steam after
winning their second straight Pioneer League title.
Kutsch said the team wanted to incorporate more
conditioning to the regular practice routine and tried team handball a
few weeks before.
"The girls really loved it," Kutsch said.
The Spartans seemed to respond to the idea when Kutsch first brought it back a few weeks ago.
Now
it gave the two-time defending Pioneer League champions a chance to
unwind heading into the CIF Southern Section Division II-AA playoffs,
where the third-seeded Spartans host Centennial/Corona today at 7 p.m.
"What we saw was a competitive spirit that we weren't expecting," Kutsch said. "It even carried into some of our matches."
Wednesday, November 11
Prep/JC Round-up...
In Division II-AA ...
South Torrance 3, Centennial/Corona 1: Host South overcame a
slow start for a 24-26, 25-20, 25-14, 25-15 first-round win. Dessi
Koleva led South (24-10) with 14 kills, four aces and eight digs.
Jackie Landers had 13 kills and five blocks for South. Brooke Fournier
added 31 assists, 13 digs and five aces for South, which plays Redlands
in the second round on Thursday at a location to be determined by a
coin flip.
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