La Reina falls just short in its title quest

HESTON QUAN/ Special to The Acorn MAX EFFORT—La Reina junior Katie Suwara digs a ball during last weekend's CIF-Southern Section Division II-A title match against La Canada. The Regents led early but couldn't hold off the Spartans. With a two-games-to-one lead over La Canada High last Friday night, La Reina's volleyball squad was so close to winning a section championship that the Regents could almost taste it.

Unfortunately, La Reina couldn't put La Canada away as the Spartans came back to win the fourth and fifth games to claim the CIF-Southern Section Division II-A championship by scores of 21-25, 25-21, 20-25, 25-16 and 15-13.

La Reina was attempting to win its first section title since 2000, when the Regents secured the Division IV-AA crown.

Despite the loss, 15-year head coach Don Hyatt said he was proud of the Regents' performance in the final.

"The kids played their hearts out," Hyatt said. "This was a great match. I had gotten so sick of watching one finals team destroy the other in three straight games. This is what they're supposed to be like.

"You have to give La Canada credit. We played great tonight, but they played just a little better."

With the loss, the Tri-Valley League champion Regents fell to 17-2, with their only other defeat coming at the hands of La Canada in the Royal Classic Tournament on Sept. 27. Hyatt said both losses were similar.

"Like the last time, we just couldn't quite take control of the last games," Hyatt said. "We didn't make any major changes to our lineup, and neither did they."

Early in the rematch, it looked like La Reina had learned something about their nemesis as they took the first game, 25-21. The combination of La Reina senior Hanna Stoiberg setting up freshman Katherine Workman was in full force as Workman registered five of her teamhigh 14 kills during Game 1.

"Katherine is usually a very hot hitter for us, so I just tried to get the ball to her as often as I could," Stoiberg said. "Early on it worked very well for us."

The Regents dropped the second game, 25-21, but played strong in the third game with the combination of StoibergtoWorkman continuing to do damage.

The Regents went on a 6-0 run with three straight points coming from Workman kills to help put La Reina on top 10-3. La Canada pulled within two points at 20-18, but that's as close as the Spartans would get in the third game.

Helping put the game away for the Regents were sophomore Sarah Hardy, whose block at the net made the score 23-18, and senior Daniella Anderson, whose kill clinched the game at 25-20.

The Regents came out flat in the fourth game. The Spartans began the game on a 4-0 run with key plays coming on a block and kill from Madison Anderson.

The Regents tied the score after a 5-0 run made it 8-8, but La Reina was never again in the fourth game. The Spartans went on a 70 run to take a commanding 15-8 lead. La Canada senior Cami Martin registered five of her team-leading 13 kills in Game 4.

"Our passing game kind of fell apart in the fourth game," Stoiberg said. "It's kind of hard to run our offense when that's not clicking."

In the fifth game, La Canada built a 6-3 lead, but the Regents came storming back to pull within one point at 7-6. After a timeout by La Canada, the Spartans calmed down and quickly went on a 7-2 run with key plays coming on aces by junior Courtney McCutchan and Martin.

With a 148 lead and the Spartans one point away from a title, La Reina showed heart by staging a near unbelievable comeback. La Reina junior Madeline Rumer registered two consecutive kills to put LRHS down by four at 14-10.

"Honestly, at that point I was just trying not to make a mistake," Rumer said. "I was thinking don't play safe, but also don't play stupid."

With the Regents down by four, Stoiberg decided to take over. The senior threw down two straight kills followed by an ace, and suddenly La Reina had quieted La Canada's crowd by pulling within one point at 14-13.

The comeback came to a halt, however, when La Canada's Madison Anderson blocked a shot at the net that fell just inside the line for a victory.

"When we were down 14-8, I told my team to just keep playing hard, and I'm so proud of the way they did," Hyatt said. "But it's hard to win against (La Canada) when you've spotted them six or seven points."

Stoiberg was sad to lose the title match but took relief in the fact that the Regents earned a spot in the CIF State Girls' Volleyball Championships Division II bracket, which began Tuesday.

Rumer said no matter what happened in the state tournament, she's glad she had the chance to compete in the section final.

"I couldn't wait to play," Rumer said. "It was so hard sitting in class on Friday; I think I only heard about 25 percent of what came out of the teacher's mouth. All day I made sure I ate right and didn't do anything stupid to injure myself.

"I'll always remember this team and how close we were. We got along so well."

Members of La Reina include seniors Sean Christensen, Annie Adams, Stoiberg and Anderson; juniors Dawnielle Tellez, Katie Suwara, Melissa Bloomgren and Rumer; sophomores Sara Anselmo, Kristin Wendel and Hardy; and freshman Alexa Poulton, Courtney Birkett, Jami Fido and Workman.