Pacifica Christian girls’ volleyball falters late against Nordhoff in CIF Division 7 final
The Pacifica Christian Orange County High girls’ volleyball team started its road to the CIF Southern Section Division 7 final with a five-set match, and it bookended that journey with another.
The second rendition did not carry a favorable tune.
Senior outside hitter Rebecca Penjoyan had a match-high 14 kills, but Pacifica Christian could not keep fourth-seeded Ojai Nordhoff at bay. The Rangers outlasted the Tritons 16-25, 25-17, 23-25, 25-18, 15-9.
Nordhoff (19-2), which had a two-hour commute to reach the championship venue at Cerritos College, got to enjoy the ride home.
“I’m just happy for the girls,” Nordhoff coach Rene Nakao-Mauch said. “They worked hard all season. It feels good.”
Junior outside hitter Summer Frazier had 10 kills, four service aces and 3½ blocks to lead Nordhoff, which won its fifth section title and first since 1992. The Rangers also won three consecutive CIF championships from 1984 to 1986.
Senior setter Skylar Rutherford, running the 5-1 offense for the Rangers, contributed 35 assists, five aces and two kills.
Senior middle blocker Katherine McArthur added 10 kills, junior outside hitter Chanel Kenton had eight kills and three aces, and senior opposite Maggie Caputo chipped in with four kills and four aces.
The Rangers went unbeaten in winning the Citrus Coast League title this season.
Pacifica Christian (21-7) made its second appearance in a CIF final, and although there were no holdovers from the previous trip, this one had an eerily familiar look. The Tritons won the first set before falling in five sets to La Puente in the Division 9 final in 2018.
Sophomore middle blocker Kaelin Rieke had a big role to play in the first set, supplying three aces and two blocks in the frame. She finished with five blocks, five aces and two kills.
“Kaelin Rieke definitely blocked every ball,” Pacifica Christian coach Ally Forsberg said. “She has a presence at the net, and I think her blocking presence up there definitely gave us some momentum to win that first set.”
Sophomore opposite Chara Wondercheck had 11 kills for the Tritons. Sophomore libero Charlotte Carlson provided 29 digs, and freshman setter Addie Roberson handed out 18 assists to go with two blocks. Freshman outside hitter Emma Hartman added five kills.
Forsberg called the loss “devastating,” but Pacifica Christian’s season rolls on. The Tritons will make another appearance in the CIF State Southern California regional tournament, the brackets for which will be released on Sunday.
“Yeah, it’s bittersweet, but we still have work to do,” Forsberg said. “We still have more games, and I think we can keep fighting.”
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Updates
10:05 a.m. Nov. 6, 2022: This article was updated with information about the Nordhoff girls’ volleyball program’s past CIF championships.
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