Playoff volleyball roundup: Archbishop Mitty, St. Francis, Foothill advance to semifinals

CCS, NCS volleyball playoffs: Sacred Heart Prep, Campolindo, Amador Valley and Salesian also advance

CCS Playoffs

Archbishop Mitty 3, Palo Alto 0

The No. 1 seed in the Central Coast Section Open Division playoffs, Archbishop Mitty, cruised to a 25-18, 25-14, 25-23 first-round victory over a Palo Alto team that had won 17 of its previous 18 matches.

“We made the right reads and were aggressive with our movements,” Mitty coach Jon Wallace said via email. “Our girls were very disciplined and explosive to the ball.”

Monarch kills came from Makenna Crosson and Amiya Kuchibhotla, and setter Maya Baker led the team with four blocks. Izzy Romero and Katelyn Cool also performed admirably.

“She controlled serve receive extremely well, allowing her team to play in-system for the majority of the match,” Wallace said of Cool’s performance.

Palo Alto’s (27-5) Kylie Yen had a strong all-around game, and juniors Naama Green, Sophie Mies, and Mackenzie Zhao also contributed.

Mitty (28-4) will host Sacred Heart Heart Prep on Wednesday at 5:30 p.m. Because teams in the CCS Open Division automatically qualify for the NorCal playoffs, Palo Alto’s season is not over. Regional play begins on November 7.

Sacred Heart Prep 3, St. Ignatius 1

Sacred Heart Prep advanced to the semifinals with a 25-17, 23-25, 25-21, 25-21 victory over St. Ignatius. Isabelle Marco piled up 20 assists, 21 kills, six blocks, seven digs, and two aces on the SHP stat sheet. Jillian Amaro, another setter, had 27 assists, and Mia Radeff had nine kills and 11 digs. Ellie Wheeler, Kelsey Chad, and Kylie McGibben combined for 28 kills. Carol Manu led St. Ignatius with 18 kills, two blocks, and four digs. Suraya Newman had 11 kills and Tara Hagan had 26 assists for the team. On Wednesday, Sacred Heart Prep will visit Mitty.

St. Francis 3, Menlo-Atherton 0

Hannah Maguire had 30 assists as No. 2 seed St. Francis defeated No. 7 Menlo-Atherton in the CCS Open Division playoffs, 25-17, 25-14, 25-14. Taylor Williams had 12 kills to lead the Lancers, and Erin Curtis had nine. Whitney Wallace led Mountain View in serve receptions with 17, and Jaemysen Martin had two aces. Valley Christian will visit St. Francis on Wednesday at 7 p.m.

Sobrato 3, Pioneer 0

Sobrato won 25-7, 25-15, 25-20 at Pioneer to advance to the CCS Division III quarterfinals. Brianna Bouton had 20 kills and Jordan Bouton had 28 assists. Kaylee Clayton had 10 kills and 16 digs, and Melodee Glover had three blocks. Amelia Penrod and Juliana Tindall combined for 20 digs, with Tindall adding six blocks and Penrod dishing out seven assists. Evann Durling finished with six aces and two blocks. On Tuesday, Sobrato will face No. 1 seed Aragon.

NCS playoffs

Foothill 3, Vintage 0

Foothill, the No. 1 seed in the Division I playoffs, showed no signs of rust after a first-round bye. Vintage was defeated by the Falcons 25-6, 25-9, and 25-17. As Foothill cruised past its opponent, Kait Vogel and Maisha Sharma combined for 15 aces, and Paige Bennet had 12 kills. The next game is at home against Pleasanton rival Amador Valley.

Campolindo 3, Carondelet 2

Campolindo defeated Carondelet 25-21, 21-25, 25-23, 20-25, 15-9 to advance to the NCS Division I semifinals on Wednesday. With the score 12-9 in the final set, junior libero Gia Okulicz served three consecutive aces to advance Moraga to the next round. For the semifinal, Campolindo will travel to No. 1 Branson.

Amador Valley 3, Monte Vista 0

Amador Valley defeated Monte Vista 25-19, 27-25, 25-22 in an East Bay Athletic League matchup to advance to the D-I semifinals. Makenzie Mapes and Sophia Allison kept the AV attack on track, and Katie O’Sullivan, Zoe Allison, and Maddy Huddleston all performed admirably. Charlotte Kelly, Sydney Goldstein, and Piper Bailey were all outstanding in goal. On Wednesday, Amador Valley will face No. 1 seed Foothill just a few minutes away.

Salesian 3, Cloverdale 2

Salesian advanced to the Division V semifinals after defeating Cloverdale in a nail-biter, 25-18, 16-25, 24-26, 25-19, 15-11. “When I tell you this match was such a team effort,” Salesian coach Michaela Ahlenslager wrote in an email. Every single player, whether starting or benching, gave their all to this game.” Ela Lucas had a strong game, and Dayra Fernandez “was amazing on defense and kept us in so many plays,” according to Ahlenslager. On Wednesday, Salesian will face No. 1 seed Berean Christian.

Tamalpais 3, Albany 0

Albany’s season ended in the Division III quarterfinals after a 25-19, 25-10, 27-25 loss to No. 1 seed Tamalpais. Leila McBride had five kills, two aces, and two blocks, while Hannah Hajnal had 17 assists, two kills, three aces, and six digs. Albany finished the season 27-12, thanks to Sally Winnacker’s five kills, one ace, and six digs. “I’m grateful that our final set of the season was one we can be proud of,” coach Dave Beza wrote in an email. For that one, we left everything on the court.”

Other considerations:

San Ramon Valley defeated California 25-13, 25-10, and 25-17, while Marin Catholic defeated James Logan 25-15, 25-13, and 25-17. On Wednesday, SRV will host Marin Catholic.