STATE VOLLEYBALL PLAYOFFS : La Habra Moves Into Finals With Tough Victory
La Habra High School’s volleyball team won the Southern California Regional Tournament title by defeating defending state champion Highland of Bakersfield 15-13, 15-5, 12-15, 14-16, 15-4 Saturday night at La Habra High.
La Habra (20-1) advances to the state finals Saturday at Cal State Fullerton. Highland (20-7) was kept from defending its title.
Missy Clements led La Habra to its 19th consecutive victory with 27 kills, including the match winner, five aces and 13 blocks.
“I wanted to get the winning kill so bad,” Clements said. “I just wanted the ball to come to me, hit it as hard as I could and see what happens.”
Zrinka Kristich had 15 kills, Deana Shively had 13 kills and Lisa Almanza had 58 assists for La Habra.
La Habra Coach Sandy Blumenthal said Highland was frustrating to play against.
“They are an excellent defensive team, and their chipping and off-speed offense threw our timing off,” Blumenthal said.
Blumenthal said La Habra’s good serving and passing were the keys to the team’s success.
Get our high school sports newsletter
Prep Rally is devoted to the SoCal high school sports experience, bringing you scores, stories and a behind-the-scenes look at what makes prep sports so popular.
You may occasionally receive promotional content from the Los Angeles Times.
