Estancia girls’ volleyball tops Los Amigos in home opener
Estancia girls’ volleyball coach Alejandro de Mendoza mentioned Thursday that he believes one of the great things about high school sports is the building of relationships.
The Newport-Mesa Unified School District will not have students return for classes until Monday, but already, the Eagles have been forming a bond on the court.
They are enjoying some success, too.
Senior outside hitter Joanna Santasuosso had a match-high six kills, as the Eagles defeated the visiting Lobos 25-10, 25-14, 25-14 in nonleague play.
Santasuosso said she has known senior setter Makena Ray, the Estancia captain, her whole life and has been playing volleyball with her since they were seventh-graders at TeWinkle Middle School. It showed when Ray looked to set Santasuosso at the left pin early and often in the opening set.
“It definitely helps to be friends with the setter,” de Mendoza said with a chuckle. “I think any volleyball player can agree with that. They have a really strong trust, and Joanna is going to definitely carry a lot of the load for us this year.”
The Eagles also excelled in starting the point, racking up 19 service aces. Senior libero Souheeilah Vargas had a team-leading six aces.
A wall separating one athletic court from another in the Estancia gym left a few feet in the middle for people to get from one to the other. Vargas began her service motion in the opening, some 20 feet behind the service line.
“I serve pretty deep,” said Vargas. She added that she would regularly send serves long when she was told to serve with her feet near the line as a beginner.
“I feel like I have a powerful swing, that I need to go really deep in order to get that full potential of getting an ace,” Vargas said.
Mailee Blanchard contributed four aces for Estancia (2-0), which began its season with a straight-sets victory over Segerstrom on Tuesday. Kayden Vazquez and Leah Perez each had three aces. Leila Sanchez had five kills, and Ray handed out 11 assists.
“I think we’re just being really successful because a good portion of our team is seniors, so they really want to finish with a really good last year,” Santasuosso said. “Everyone on the team is super hardworking, and everyone gets along well with each other. We just click.”
Valeria Olague had three kills and an ace for Los Amigos, which was playing its first match of the season. The Lobos will have their home opener on Tuesday against Santa Ana.
Faith Montano also had two kills for the Lobos, while Sophia Sotelo and Laisha Hernandez had two aces and a kill apiece. Mimosa Nguyen chipped in with five assists.
Much like de Mendoza, Los Amigos coach Valerie Herndon said she believes high school athletics has a huge part to play in the development of students, especially after pandemic-induced distance learning.
“The team bonding that they’ve been doing, I think, is a huge benefit that they haven’t had for the last couple years,” Herndon said. “I think athletics itself is building confidence and building personality inside of you, character. For these guys, that’s key, and I try to instill in them volleyball is important, but it’s also just as important to develop as a good person and a good, strong, independent woman.”
More girls’ volleyball matches from Thursday:
Pacifica Christian Orange County 3, Calvary Chapel 0: Senior middle blocker Rebecca Penjoyan had six kills and five aces to lead the Tritons over the Eagles 25-19, 25-21, 25-20 in a nonleague match on the road.
Sophomore outside hitter Colleen O’Callaghan had six kills, sophomore opposite Chara Wondercheck added five kills, and freshman setter Addie Roberson chipped in with four kills and four aces.
Pacifica Christian (2-0) will travel to take on Cerritos Valley Christian in a nonleague match on Tuesday.
Huntington Beach 3, Lakewood 1: Kylie Leopard and Haylee LaFontaine had 14 kills apiece to help send the visiting Oilers over the Lancers 25-20, 25-19, 16-25, 25-20 in a nonleague match on Thursday.
Huntington Beach (3-0) will face Torrance in the semifinals of the Lakewood Molten Classic on Saturday at 3 p.m. at Lakewood Artesia High. The other semifinalists are Cypress and Lakewood.
The Oilers defeated Rancho Cucamonga Los Osos and Los Angeles Notre Dame Academy in pool play last weekend to reach the semifinals.
San Clemente 3, Laguna Beach 2: The Tritons rallied past the Breakers 22-25, 23-25, 25-18, 27-25, 15-11 on Thursday in a nonleague match at San Clemente High.
Senior outside hitter Eva Travis had 27 kills to lead Laguna Beach (1-1), which earned a five-set win over Dana Hills in its season opener. Travis transferred from Aliso Niguel, which won the CIF Southern Section Division 2 title over Huntington Beach last season.
Sophomore outside hitter Kyra Zaengle had 20 kills for the Breakers, and senior libero Brooklyn Yelland produced 20 digs.
Irvine 3, Costa Mesa 0: The visiting Mustangs were swept 25-19, 25-16, 25-11 on Thursday in a nonleague match.
Costa Mesa (1-1) plays at Segerstrom on Tuesday.
Newport Harbor 3, Woodbridge 0: The host Sailors picked up a 25-11, 25-12, 25-7 sweep of the Warriors Thursday in nonleague play.
Anabel Kotzakov had 11 kills for Newport Harbor (2-0). Laine Briggs produced seven kills and six aces, and Malia Thorne added seven kills and two blocks. Tegan Glenn chipped in with eight assists, three kills and two aces.
::
Support our sports coverage by becoming a digital subscriber.
For more sports stories, visit latimes.com/socal/daily-pilot/sports or follow us on Twitter @DailyPilotSport.
All the latest on Orange County from Orange County.
Get our free TimesOC newsletter.
You may occasionally receive promotional content from the Daily Pilot.
