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NEWS AND NOTES FROM PRESS ROW – Girls volleyball to wrap up regular season with one area team crowned league champion

 

 

By Loren Kopff

@LorenKopff on Twitter

 

This time last year, there were no high school athletic events planned because of the pandemic and the earliest that girls volleyball could begin an abbreviated 2020 season was slated for the middle of December. That never happened, nor was there any type of late winter/early spring season.

This season, the sport resumed to a full season and with one week remaining in the regular season, one area team has claimed no worse than a tie for a league crown with as many as six other teams vying for playoff berths. The CIF-Southern Section will release the playoff brackets on Sat. Oct. 16 with wild card matches slated for Oct. 21.

Artesia High, seeking the program’s first playoff appearance since 2010, is sitting in third place with an overall record of 7-9 and 4-4 in the 605 League. The Lady Pioneers were defeated by Oxford Academy 25-14, 25-18, 22-25, 25-8 this past Tuesday and will visit fourth place Whitney High today before hosting fifth place Pioneer High on Tuesday.

By virtue of sweeping Whitney 25-15, 25-23, 25-9 this past Tuesday, Cerritos High is that much closer to its third straight outright 605 League championship. The Lady Dons (22-3, 8-0) are two matches in front of Oxford Academy, ranked fifth in Division 7, with a road trip to Pioneer today and a home match with John Glenn High (1-14, 0-8) left in league action.

Gahr High is in jeopardy of missing the playoffs for the first time since 2008 as the Lady Gladiators entered this week with an overall mark of 7-11 and a San Gabriel Valley League record of 2-4. Gahr was expected to pick up wins at Dominguez High this past Tuesday and at Lynwood High on Oct. 7 before its final home match of the season against Warren High on Tuesday. The Bears are receiving Top 10 votes in Division 5. Third place and the league’s final playoff representative will be on the line when Gahr visits Paramount High on Thursday. The Pirates were sitting in third place with a 3-3 league mark and are receiving Top 10 votes in Division 6.

La Mirada High is in decent shape to claim second place in the Suburban League as the Lady Matadores were 9-17 overall but 4-2 in league after a 25-16, 25-16, 25-6 loss to first place Mayfair High this past Tuesday. La Mirada travelled to last place Bellflower High on Oct. 7 and will go to third place Norwalk High on Tuesday before wrapping up the regular season on Thursday at Mayfair, ranked third in Division 3.

Norwalk improved to 7-9, 2-4 after its 25-17, 20-25, 25-16, 25-16 win at Bellflower this past Tuesday. The Lady Lancers would have to win out-Oct. 7 at Mayfair, Tuesday against La Mirada and Thursday against Bellflower and have La Mirada lose all three of its matches in order to claim a playoff berth.

Valley Christian High is sure to grab third place in the Olympic League and has a chance to get to second place. The Lady Defenders (16-11, 3-2) swept Maranatha High 25-21, 25-21, 25-17 last Wednesday and hosted first place Village Christian High, ranked fifth in Division 1/2, on Oct. 7. They will end the regular season at home against Whittier Christian High, ranked third in Division 4, on Tuesday before going to Heritage Christian High on Thursday. Valley Christian lost to Whittier Christian (4-2 in league) in five sets on Sept. 28.

FOOTBALL

Segerstrom High (1-5) @ Cerritos (2-4), Oct. 8-The Dons were dealt their fourth loss in the past five games last week in a 57-0 setback to St. Pius X-St. Matthias High. It marked the third time Cerritos has been shutout and since a 24-24 opening-season win against Buena Park High, has scored just 20 points.

Segerstrom began the season with three straight losses, then knocked off Thousand Oaks High 29-28 before falling in the next two, including last week’s 27-14 affair with Laguna Beach High.

Dominguez (5-1, 1-0) @ Gahr (0-4, 0-1)-One of the worst seasons in school history continues when the Gladiators host the Dons. Gahr, which was blasted by Downey High 51-0 last week, has been shutout in all four games while allowing 199 points. Dominguez is almost the opposite as before its 54-12 loss to Warren last week, had outscored its first five opponents 245-14 with three shutouts.

Garden Grove High (4-2) @ Glenn (2-4)-The Eagles dropped their fourth straight game after a 46-0 setback to Covina High last week. The Argonauts, who have already blanked Artesia and Gahr by identical 48-0 scores, shutout Godinez High 70-0 last week and are on a two-game winning streak.

La Mirada (3-3, 0-0) @ Mayfair (6-0, 1-0)-The Matadores had last week off following losses at Foothill High (34-7) and Mater Dei High (58-7) and will jump right into Suburban League action against their top nemesis in league. The Monsoons are coming off a 53-0 win against Firebaugh High and have outscored their opponents 249-88. This will be La Mirada’s fourth straight road game and have not played at its home away from home, Excelsior Stadium, since Sept. 3.

Norwalk (5-2, 1-0) @ Firebaugh (0-6, 0-1)-The Lancers, coming off a 49-8 win against Bellflower last week, shouldn’t have a letdown tonight as they prepare for a tougher game next week against La Mirada. Firebaugh has been outscored 221-40.