Several local scholastic girls volleyball teams made it an exciting final week of the regular season before heading into CIF play last week. At The Bishop’s School, the Lady Knights began last week with a tough 26-24, 30-28, 19-25, 25-20 loss to Francis Parker in a 2.5-hour match. Carly Bollert led the Lady Knights with 14 kills, with Thea Derrough adding 11. Kendall Lord was Bishop’s top server (three aces), and Julie Gantz was excellent on defense, tallying 27 digs. On Thursday, the Lady Knights traveled to Canyon Crest, where a win would guarantee at least a tie for the Coastal League championship. After Bishop’s won the first two games (25-16, 25-18), the Ravens rallied to tie the match at 2-2 (24-26, 23-25). Bishop’s squeaked by 15-12 in the fifth to capture the victory. Derrough led Bishop’s in kills with 17, Gantz provided 24 digs and Ina Kamenova had 49 assists and 15 digs. Carly Guiducci came off the bench to provide a great spark, according to Bishop’s head coach Tod Mattox. With La Jolla Country Day’s loss (see below) to Canyon Crest on Friday, Bishop’s finished the season 6-2 in league and earned the Coastal South championship. Bishop’s began CIF play a day later with a 25-5, 25-9, 25-18 win over Mater Dei. Gantz (seven aces), Hannah Saber (four) and Maddie Lord (three) led the way for the Lady Knights, while Taylor Maxey and Kelly Engbring both brought great energy off the bench, according to Mattox. Bishop’s (23-9) was to meet Francis Parker Tuesday evening (Nov. 18) in its next CIF contest. Elsewhere, La Jolla Country Day School opened play last week with a three-game victory over Horizon. The Lady Torreys were led on the outside by Lauren Birks and Mollie Rogers, while the middles of Gillian Howard and Jordan Krant were dominant. “Setters Chloe Mathis and Jessie Altman were consistently feeding the hitters, while right side Maggie Whitney and Libero Cheyenne Giesecke also played a key role in the victory,” said LJCD head coach Peter Ogle. LJCD (23-8) moved on to meet Canyon Crest on Friday, where a win would have given the Lady Torreys a piece of the Coastal League crown. Despite the loss in five games to Canyon Crest, Ogle noted, “I was very proud of their effort. We are learning to be strong and I am looking forward to the playoffs. This is going to be a great battle in our division.” For the week, Birks tallied 37 kills and 28 digs, Giesecke had 33 digs, Mathis registered five kills and 41 assists, Krant had nine kills, Altman notched 31 assists, Howard had 16 kills, Whitney recorded four kills and Rogers had 20 kills. The Torreys ended the regular season with a record of 23-8. LJCD had a bye in the first round of the CIF playoffs and opened play with a 25-11, 25-21, 25-4 victory over Christian High last Friday. Rogers led LJCD in kills with 11, Birks had 10, Howard recorded seven and Krant tallied four. Giesecke led the defense with 11 digs, followed by Birks with 10. Altman dished out 16 assists and Mathis added 11. “The team was serving very tough and made it hard for the Patriots to get into their offense,” Ogle said. LJCD was to meet Santa Fe Christian on Tuesday (Nov. 18) in its next matchup. Finally, La Jolla High (24-11) rolled in its first two CIF contests with victories over Montgomery and Brawley. La Jolla High head coach Dave Jones noted the play of the team’s three senior captains Karly Deer, Amanda Gordon and Caitlin Parmer. La Jolla was to face Canyon Crest on Tuesday (Nov. 18) in its next matchup.