Pacifica Christian girls’ volleyball sweeps San Gabriel, advances to program’s second CIF final
SAN GABRIEL — Just nine days ago, the Pacifica Christian girls’ volleyball team was on the brink of elimination, two points away from calling it a season.
The Tritons pulled out the third set, and the match, in the opening round of the CIF Southern Section Division 7 playoffs at La Mirada, and it has been one-way traffic for them ever since.
Senior outside hitter Rebecca Penjoyan had 13 kills, as the visiting Tritons swept San Gabriel 25-14, 25-18, 25-20 on Saturday in a semifinal match.
Pacifica Christian (21-6) will face Ojai Nordhoff (18-2), a five-set winner over Santa Fe Springs Santa Fe in the other semifinal, in the championship match.
The Tritons will make the program’s second appearance in a CIF final. Pacifica Christian lost to La Puente in a Division 9 final that required a fifth set in 2018.
“We’ve had challenges in [San Joaquin] League,” Pacifica Christian coach Ally Forsberg said. “I think it’s us just finding our footing. The first round was probably our toughest match, but we came from an 0-2 [deficit], so I think right then and there, when we won that fifth game, that was the start of our run.
“The girls believed in themselves. They believe in us as a team, and I think that game proved to them that we can kind of accomplish anything if we just play together as a team.”
Freshman setter Addie Roberson handed out 30 assists. Sophomore opposite Chara Wondercheck had seven kills and four service aces, giving the Tritons production from both pins.
The Tritons had their section playoff run end on their home floor against El Segundo Wiseburn Da Vinci in the Division 8 semifinals last season. Wondercheck would like to make new memories.
“I’m really excited to go into finals,” Wondercheck said. “It’s really exciting knowing that our team has really improved since last year. We’ve gotten so much better with passing, with communicating with each other, and that’s really what brought us this far.”
Pacifica Christian saw ample contributions from its youthful lineup. Freshman outside hitter Emma Hartman added six kills, and sophomore middle blocker Kaelin Rieke provided five kills. Sophomore Charlotte Carlson, yet another underclassman, started at libero.
“I think it’s been such a journey with the whole team, and I’ve learned so much personally from getting so much better,” Hartman said. “Just playing with people who are way more experienced than me, like Becca [Penjoyan] and Ava [Loritz]. … This year, I think it’s really exciting, especially for me and Addie, as we are freshmen on varsity. It’s a pretty cool thing.”
San Gabriel (20-11), which won a five-set match at Ocean View in the quarterfinals, was led by Katelynn Ngo’s 10 kills. Stephanie Loo added five kills, and Josephine Oetomo contributed two kills and five aces.
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