Costa Mesa girls’ volleyball wins five-set thriller, sweeps rival Estancia
Costa Mesa’s sixth successive Battle for the Bell series sweep in girls’ volleyball proved to be the toughest, and that’s not a bad thing. The Mustangs had to dig deep to fend off inspired Estancia in a test that could, they hope, steel them for what’s to come.
The five-set home victory Tuesday was the tightest fight between the archrivals in the 13 straight meetings Costa Mesa has won since the Eagles’ 2015 sweep, and it assured a CIF Southern Section Division 6 playoff berth that was never really in doubt.
That can wait another couple of weeks. The Bell is bigger.
“This is better than anything in the world,” senior setter Rosalynn Madriaga, the Mustangs’ captain, said after the 25-20, 26-28, 25-17, 18-25, 15-10 win. “Ringing that bell, getting this [winner’s] medal, is the best feeling you could ever feel: knowing that you’re the city champs.”
It didn’t come easy. Estancia (11-12, 3-6 in the Orange Coast League), which had won just four sets in the previous 12 showdowns but lost by a combined nine points in Costa Mesa’s straight-sets win last month, rallied twice from one-set deficits — fending off two set points in the second set, roaring to an early lead and pulling away late in the fourth — until Costa Mesa (10-9, 6-4) took command with a 12-4 start in the fifth.
“Whenever you play your high school rival, there’s always that extra bit of incentive to go out there and give a great performance,” Eagles head coach Alejandro De Mendoza said. “And I think my team did that.”
It was an intense and dramatic face-off, if not particularly pretty — about 60% of the points came on errors, and service mistakes dogged both sides, Costa Mesa more so — and the home side’s service and defense, especially in the fifth set, made the difference.
“We battled,” Costa Mesa head coach Jillian Rifkin said. “Every time we play Estancia, even though it may be that they were three games, they’re always so close. ... I’m really proud of them to come back and win in five, because that’s something we’ve been talking about, battling all the way to the last point.”
Reygan Schneider led the Mustangs with seven kills and a strong passing performance. Junior Kaitlyn Yagerlener added six kills, and junior Jamie Kibin was superb defensively while delivering four aces, two of them bookending an unreturned serve as they pulled away in the third set.
Junior libero Vanessa Castillo made 19 digs, and junior defensive specialist Vanessa Ochoa had 11 digs and three aces. Middle blockers Hana Batlik and Natasha Ruiz had four kills apiece, and freshman Isabel Ortega-Davidson served two aces in just 10 attempts.
Madriaga was the orchestrator, directing traffic while dishing out 23 assists.
“Rosie’s everywhere,” Rifkin said. “Her heart’s in the right place. She’s going to bring her teammates with her, she’s going to hustle for every point. I’m glad she’s on my side.”
Joana Santosuosso (six kills, 19 digs) and Makena Ray (six kills, 16 digs) led Estancia. Sophomore Jenna Schroeder also delivered six kills, and junior Mailee Blanchard and sophomore Emily Loz served two aces each.
Costa Mesa pulled out the first set after an early six-point lead disappeared, scoring seven of the last 10 points, and 9-1 and 7-3 runs gave it the advantage in the third.
The 31-minute second set was the highlight: Estancia led most of the way, then let a 22-17 edge slip away as the Mustangs pulled even at 23 and 24 and took leads with their 25th and 26th points. Santosuosso saved the Eagles on the first set point and a net violation on the second, and Loz’s ace delivered the set.
Third-place Costa Mesa assured itself of a top-four finish in the Orange Coast League, and the top four automatically qualify for the postseason. Estancia, a Division 7 team, dropped behind Santa Ana (6-12, 4-5) — a four-set winner at Orange — into fifth place, but its Oct. 12 league finale at home with the Saints likely will determine the fourth berth, unless Santa Ana can upset Orange Coast leader St. Margaret’s (23-5, 9-0) on Thursday or the Mustangs on Monday.
Rifkin believes Tuesday’s triumph can be helpful in the postseason.
“The lesson is the mental stuff: the grinding, the coming from behind ... ,” she said. “I think the focus coming away from this game is our mentality and being tested and coming out after a battle on the good side. We can look back, ‘how do we feel when we’re under pressure’ and ‘what can we improve for next time.’
“I think it was good to be battle-tested.”
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