Prep roundup: St. Ignatius volleyball, Palo Alto water polo, Granada girls flag football among winners

Bay Area high school roundup: Menlo-Atherton volleyball extends winning streak, SRV flag football wins one of two, Liberty water polo routs BVAL rival

GIRLS VOLLEYBALL

4 St. Ignatius 3, 1 Marin Catholic

After losing back-to-back games to Archbishop Mitty and St. Mary’s-Stockton, St. Ignatius faced another difficult test when they traveled to Marin Catholic, one of the North Bay’s top programs.

However, after dropping the first set 27-29, the Wildcats rallied and won the next three sets 25-19, 25-15, and 25-19 to earn their 19th victory of the season.

Carol Manu led the team in kills, and Jamie Lo led the Wildcats in digs, according to St. Ignatius coach Saga Vae. On Thursday, St. Ignatius will visit Archbishop Riordan.

Menlo-Atherton No. 7 3, Half Moon Bay 0

Menlo-Atherton won its 12th straight game and improved to 10-0 in PAL-De Anza league play after sweeping HMB 25-14, 25-16, 25-8. Denny Falls received a monster performance from junior Meki Maile, who had 34 assists, seven digs, and five aces. Sienna Morales and Sarah Littlefield combined for 13 kills and seven blocks, while Dani Eline had 17 kills and eight digs. Duru Ruacan had eight kills for the program, which has gone 9-0 since its last loss.

San Ramon Valley 3, Granada No. 11 0

SRV kept the momentum going against Granada after a big win over EBAL rival Amador Valley on Thursday and a successful 3-1 run at the Stockton tournament last weekend (which included wins over Pleasant Grove, Pitman-Turlock, and St. Francis-Sacramento).

Lucy Chertock had 14 kills and seven digs to lead the team, and Audree Vasconi had 23 assists and two aces. In a superb all-around performance, Sophia Vella had nine kills and one ace, and Maddie Connelly had nine kills, two aces, seven digs, and two assists.

The win improved SRV’s record to 21-5 overall and 10-1 in the EBAL. With Foothill undefeated at 11-0, SRV still has a chance to win the league. Foothill will be league champion if it loses its final two league games and SRV wins out.

14th Menlo School 3, 13th Mercy-Burlingame 1

Menlo School maintained its lead over Sacred Heart Prep atop the WBAL standings with a 25-23, 23-25, 25-22, 25-23 victory over a ranked Mercy team. Cleo Hardin, a senior from Menlo, had 27 kills and 46 assists. Sofia Main, a senior, had seven aces, and Ava Wang had 13 kills. Menlo School is 4-1 in the league, while Mercy is 2-3.

Los Gatos 3, Mountain View 1

Mountain View defeated Los Gatos in a PAL De Anza match on Tuesday night, snapping a three-match losing streak. Mallory Berent had 19 kills for the Spartans, Addy Kopp had 12 kills, and Mia Delgo had ten kills. Berent had four blocks as well, and Kendyll Winn had three aces. Mountain View coach Dave Winn stated, “Our defense and serve receive were the difference makers in the match.” Mountain View improved to 22-5 overall and 5-4 in league play.

Woodside 2, El Camino 3

El Camino is now tied for first place in the PAL-Ocean Division with Woodside after defeating the Wildcats 25-19, 25-18, 13-25, 14-25, 15-11. Italia Ghilarducci had 13 kills and four aces to lead the team, while Penelope Madayag had 12 kills, two aces, and nine digs. El Camino finished the night tied with Woodside at 9-1 in league play, thanks to Rianna Petterson’s nine kills and four blocks.

Miramonte 2, Northgate 3

Northgate defeated Miramonte in the Diablo Athletic League Foothill Division, winning 16-25, 25-19, 25-22, 14-25, 15-8. Feao Saluni had 13 kills, while Siera Pence had 12.Northgate improved to 6-4 in the DAL with six kills from Jackie Lee and five kills from Tarin Camp, while Miramonte fell to third place at 5-4.

Jefferson 3, Capuchino 0

Capuchino swept Jefferson 25-13, 25-9, 25-15, thanks in large part to libero Sophia Cacianti’s outstanding play, which coach Allen Lau described as “anchoring the back row with accurate passing.” Maya Canas had ten kills, and Jana Hernandez and Miya Sekioka both had a couple of aces. Alessia Perez was instrumental in setting up her teammates, and Lau said Grace Edwards, despite being a defensive specialist, did exactly what the team needed when she filled in as a front row player.

College Park 3, Campolindo 0

After falling behind 8-2 in the first set, Campolindo rallied and won 25-18, 25-15, 25-19 to win its third straight match and go 8-0 in DAL-Foothill league play. Mia Wallach led the team with 16 kills, while senior Hanna Bjornson had nine kills and nine digs. Sierra Worster had four aces, and both Fiona Markey and Ava Rogers had four kills on five attempts.

Castro Valley 1, Encinal 3

Encinal defeated Castro Valley in WACC Foothill Division play, winning 25-15, 25-21, 21-25, and 25-23. Tessa Smith led her team with 17 kills, according to Castro Valley coach Maggie Del Grande, and sophomore Maddie Lew had 22 assists and 16 digs. Castro Valley maintains first place with an 8-1 record.

GIRLS WATER POLO

Los Altos 12, Palo Altos 7

Palo Alto improved to 9-2 in the SCVAL-De Anza Division with four goals from Sabrina Meyers, who led coach Deke Rowell’s Vikings to their 14th victory overall. Palo Alto’s three goals came from Fallon Porter and Grace Henderson. Sophia Boschken of Los Altos played valiantly in defeat, scoring five goals. Palo Alto has won 11 of its last 12 games, with the lone loss coming in a nail-biter against league-leading Los Gatos.

Gunn 13, Harker 7

Harker jumped out to a 6-0 lead, and despite Gunn coach Aaron Johnson’s assertion that his team never stopped trying, that deficit proved too much to overcome. Nina Alders, senior captain, scored three goals against Harker, which improved to 10-1 in PAL-De Anza play.

Bishop O’Dowd defeated Alameda 12-8.

Bishop O’Dowd won its 12th straight match and received contributions from several players in league play. Senior captain Riley Teixeira scored three goals and provided two assists, while Mia Walsh had four goals and two assists. Delaney Welch was ejected three times and assisted three times. Cooper Graham had three goals and two assists, and sophomore Zoey Goss added a goal to round out the scoring. Bishop O’Dowd’s record now stands at 16-1.

Pittsburg 18, Liberty 1

In a rout over Pittsburg in BVAL play, eight Liberty players scored and seven others assisted. Gianna Celli had five goals to lead all players, and Athena Ayers had four goals and an assist. Vivian Esmond and Lindsey Hall combined for four goals and three assists, while Karisma Gallegos scored three goals and assisted on two others. Cali Calma and Adelyn St. Michel both scored and assisted. Kayla Ross was a playmaker, dishing out three assists and grabbing five steals. Morgan Sanchez had four steals. Savannah Campos, the goalie, made 10 saves and also contributed an assist. Liberty improved to 14-5 on the season and 3-0 in the BVAL.

GIRLS FLAG FOOTBALL

Amador Valley 0, San Ramon Valley 22

San Ramon Valley won its 13th game of the season thanks to a strong defensive performance. In the team’s fifth shutout of the season, Sydney Gann had three flag pulls and an interception, while Olivia Wheatley had two picks. Ella Gunderson had seven catches for 98 yards and two touchdowns, and Kaitlyn Bray completed 12 of 27 passes for 125 yards and two more touchdowns. Bray also rushed for 24 yards and a touchdown.

Willow Glen 0, Pioneer 18

Pioneer’s Hailey Martinez was outstanding on Tuesday night, scoring a touchdown, intercepting a pass, and pulling in six flags as the Mustangs improved to 5-2. Jessica Tonegato and Abbie Macintosh each scored one touchdown, with Tonegato also contributing 80 rushing yards and three pass breakups. Sara Maccioni and Tina Shaheen each had four flag pulls, and quarterback Elizabeth Phinney played well, according to coach Joe Berticevich.

Monte Vista 25, California 0

Cal quarterback Kylie Tabor threw three touchdown passes, and sophomore Caili Auyeung added another as the Golden Bears cruised to victory. Lauren Grgurina, a senior, caught two touchdowns, and Madden Le Bouder and Mikayla Nielsen each caught one. Errant passes were exploited by the defense, with Nadia Sherman and Olivia Young each recording one interception.

San Ramon Valley 18, Granada 8

In the second game, Granada’s defense held San Ramon Valley to a single touchdown by Gunderson. Katelyn Stepkowski, Sophia Bertolo, Caitlyn Holmes, and Emma Dunn each had one interception for Granada. Isabel Moen threw two touchdown passes for Granada, and Kaitlyn Brongiel and Ava Linhart each caught one. Kayla Clarin scored a touchdown on the ground, and Saskia Rabb had three catches for nearly 90 yards. Gann had seven flag pulls for SRV, and Hania Bowes had an interception.

Independence 6, Hill 32

Hill won its third straight game and improved to 3-3 on Monday thanks to strong passing play. Yesenia Fonseca had four touchdown receptions and one interception. Turcios and Ascencio split quarterback duties: Turcios had two touchdown passes and one touchdown catch, while Ascencio had three touchdown passes. Hill’s pass was intercepted by Jewel Rivera. Independence’s Stephanie Bejerano threw a touchdown pass to Malania Regondola, who also had 70 rushing yards.

California won by a score of 27 to 7 in Dublin.

Tabor, Cal High’s senior quarterback, threw three more touchdown passes in her second game of the night, this time connecting with Mary Dilling, Olivia Young, and Grgurina. Gurgurina also had two interceptions, one of which he returned for six points. Emma Perry also had an interception.

Amador Valley 26, Granada 0

Neither SRV nor Granada were able to score, with Bertolo leading the Granada defense with one tackle and two interceptions. Moen ran for two touchdowns and threw for another, and Clarin and Linhart each caught one.