Gatos girls in NorCal finals
Wildcats beat Panthers in CCS finals, NorCal semi's
By Dick Sparrer
History seemed to favor Presentation.
After all, the Panthers had beaten the Los Gatos girls volleyball team two out three in the semifinals of the Milpitas Spikefest earlier in the season.
And they had beaten the Wildcats in the 1998 Central Coast Section Division III finals.
But when the two met again this fall in a couple of pretty key matches, the Gatos girls weren't interested in a history lesson--they were out to win.
And win they did. The Wildcats beat the Panthers in three out four games not once, but twice, and now they find themselves playing for the Northern California Division III championship.
Los Gatos turned back the two-time defending CCS champion Panthers 15-13, 15-11, 6-15, 15-13 to win the section title, then beat the Panthers again last Saturday night 15-11, 14-16, 15-9, 15-9 in the NorCal semifinals.
With the rival Panthers now eliminated, the Wildcats will concentrate their efforts on Sonoma Valley, their opponents in the NorCal finals.
Cats play for NorCal title
Los Gatos, 23-9 for the year, will host the Dragons (43-2) in the title match on Nov. 28, 7 p.m., with the winner advancing to the state championship match on Dec. 2, 1:30 p.m., at Cypress College in Southern California.
Gatos entered the NorCal tournament as the No. 1 seed after winning the CCS championship. Sonoma Valley, a member of the North Coast Section, is the NorCal No. 2 seed.
A state championship berth will provide the momentum for the Wildcats this week. Up to now, it was all a matter of sweet revenge.
Presentation had proven to be Gatos' Achilles heel in recent years. The Panthers beat the Cats in the CCS Division III finals in 1998, then moved up to Division I to win another section crown last year.
The Wildcats hadn't won a CCS title since 1993 when they entered the finals on Nov. 18, and once again it would be the Panthers standing in their path to glory.
Gatos had already lost once to Presentation this fall, losing 2-15, 15-12, 15-10 to the Panthers in the semifinals of the Milpitas Spikefest at Independence in September. The Cats went on to beat Los Altos 15-7, 15-9 for third place, but it was small consolation as the Panthers went on to play for the title.
There would be no title for Gatos in the De Anza Division of the Santa Clara Valley Athletic League, either. After all, the Cats play in the same division with state powerhouse St. Francis. The Lancers won the league crown, took the CCS Division II championship and now take a 33-1 season record into the state semifinals.
But all of that doesn't matter. The Wildcats saw to that in the CCS Division III tournament. They whipped Sacred Heart Cathedral 15-10, 15-8, 15-6 and battled from behind to edge Harbor in five games.
Senior sensation Kelly Rinehart flies high for a kill for Los Gatos in a CCS semifinal win over Harbor. The Wildcats went on to beat Presentation to win the CCS Division III finals, then beat the Panthers again last Saturday in the Northern California semifinals.
Photograph by Kathy De La Torre
Gatos wins CCS
The two wins pushed the No. 1-seeded Wildcats into the CCS championship match against No. 2 seed Presentation.
And seniors Kelly Rinehart, Lauren Rinehart, Katie Allan, Chanel Ohlund, Erin Dudley and Ruth Kucklick were not about to be denied.
With the memory of 1998 still fresh enough in the minds of the seniors, the Wildcats took care of business against the Panthers with a four-game victory.
The 5-foot-11 Rinehart twins combined for 33 kills, and the 5-foot-10 Kucklick chipped in with 11. The three are all outside hitters. Allan, the Gatos 5-foot-8 setter, led the floor attack in the win. Dudley is another setter for the Cats and Ohlund is an outside hitter.
K. Rinehart had five blocks to go with her 19 kills, and L. Rinehart supported with 14 kills and also slammed down a service ace for the final point of the match to clinch the CCS title for the Wildcats.
Junior 5-foot-9 outside hitters Emilia White and Tara Hodge, sophomores Cassie McClintock, a 5-foot-7 setter, and Sandy Sargent, a 6-foot middle hitter, and freshmen MacKenzie Burdick, a 5-foot-9 outside hitter, Kellin Dunne, a 5-foot-9 middle hitter, and Caroline Walters, a 5-foot-8 setter/outside hitter, are other members of the CCS championship squad.
The section title was the springboard to the NorCal tournament for the team coached by veteran Joe Ripp and his assistant, Erika MacLennan.
NorCal Victories
Los Gatos opened NorCals with a solid 15-2, 15-7, 15-10 win over No. 8 seed Roseville (29-9) of the San Joaquin Section. L. Rinehart topped the Cats with 11 kills and sister Kelly was close behind with 9.
Presentation was the No. 5 seed in the tournament, but opened with a 15-3, 15-13, 15-3 win over No. 4 seed St. Francis of Sacramento.
That set up a classic rematch between the Wildcats and Panthers, a rematch that was played last Saturday night before a full house in the Los Gatos gym.
The Cats won the first game 15-11, but the Panthers fought back for a tight 16-14 victory in the second game to even the match at a game apiece.
Los Gatos took the edge with a 15-9 victory in the third game, then clinched the match with another 15-9 win in game four.
Los Gatos, California Since 1881
Sophomore middle hitter Sandy Sargent attempts a block at the net in the CCS semifinals.
