After nearly missing a local CIF championship, the girls of Point Loma High’s volleyball team have set their sights on a state championship.
In fact, the Lady Pointers have already played themselves into the semifinals of their division, defeating No. 16 Aquinas (San Bernardino) 3-0. Set scores were 25-17, 25-17 and 25-22.
Next came No. 8 Quartz Hill (Quartz Hill) whose quarterfinal visit to Lee Trepanier Gym left them with a 3-0 loss on set scores of 25-20, 25-23 and 25-17.
Their semifinal match, against No. 4 La Reina (Thousand Oaks) was played yesterday, Nov. 21.
Matches then move to Santiago Community College in Orange, with the winner playing Nov. 25 against either No. 2 St. Paul (Santa Fe Springs) or No. 6 Poway.
That winner earns a spot in the regional finals Nov. 25 (6 p.m.) before the state championship game Dec. 2 (1:30 p.m.). Both these games will be hosted by Santiago Canyon College in Orange.
Last year, the Pointers finished as state championship runners-up.
Earlier this month in the postseason the Pointer girls were seeded No. 1 in local Division III, guaranteeing them home matches in all rounds except finals.
In CIF Div. I play, the No. 1 ranked Pointers defeated No. 16 Rancho Buena Vista (3-0) and No. 8 Academy of Our Lady of Peace (3-1) before being upset by No. 4 Del Norte (3-1). The division was eventually won by No. 2 Santa Fe Christian.
Following local tournaments, state CIF officials convene to select the best teams from all state CIF regions to begin playoffs for a state title. However a different method of selection is used.
Locally, teams are ranked by wins and strength of schedule using a computer. The top eight teams in San Diego and Imperial counties made up the Open Division while the next 16 become Div. I and the Pointers were ranked first here, making them the ninth-best regional team.
For state purposes, schools are grouped by the more common method using size of enrollment.
The team roster includes seniors Rebecca Nuanez, Sydney Hill, Sophia Altobelli, Hailey Brockett, Delaney Sanders, Reese Turner and Charlie Ekstrom. Juniors are Katharine Olcott, Mia Hegerle, Caitlin Brady, Sierra Caffo, Kylie Komo, Tara DeBenedetto and Taylor Caffo.
Underclass members are sophomore Maggie Wolf and freshmen Abby Tadder and Jane Petrie.
