Photograph by Paul Myers
Slam Dunk: Willow Glen's Katie Morrow (left) battles Saratoga's Claire Koen for the ball in CCS water polo play. The Rams ended up losing a tough 10-6 decision to the Falcons to face elimination from the playoffs.
Panthers in CCS volleyball semi's
Rams, Panthers fall in CCS polo playoffs
By Dick Sparrer
The girls water polo and volleyball teams from Presentation and Willow Glen found themselves in the same place at the same time last week--but the results weren't always the same.
The Rams and Panthers both qualified for the CCS girls water polo playoffs, but both teams were eliminated in first-round action.
And the two schools each sent representatives to the CCS Division III volleyball playoffs where one team lost, but the other is very much alive.
The Presentation girls volleyball team opened the playoffs with a convincing 15-3, 15-7, 15-6 win over Capuchino, then pulled out a hard-earned 11-15, 15-2, 15-3, 15-11 win over St. Ignatius.
The Panthers, seeded No. 1 in the division, will now take on No. 4 seed Palo Alto in the tournament semifinals on Nov. 15, 8 p.m. at Leland. Presentation boasts a 23-7 season record, and Paly is 22-14.
The winner of the Presentation-Palo Alto match will face the Los Altos (25-6)-Santa Cruz (30-6) winner in the finals Saturday, 4:30 p.m., at West Valley Community College.
The Panthers played their way into the semifinals with back-to-back wins over Capuchino, and SI. Senior outside hitter A. Taylor Rayfield blasted 15 kills, and Sarah Nadler, another senior outside hitter, ripped down 13 in the win over the Wildcats.
The Panthers finished second in the Mount Hamilton Division of the Blossom Valley Athletic League to earn their place in the playoffs.
They wrapped up the regular season with a split against Independence and Mitty.
Nadler and sophomore outside hitter Rochelle Ayala had 10 kills apiece in a 15-3, 15-4, 15-2 win over the 76ers, but the Panthers lost a heartbreaker to league champ Mitty 9-15, 10-15, 15-13, 15-9, 15-12 a match later. Nadler had 17 kills in that one.
Mitty posted a 14-0 record to win the division championship, and Presentation was second at 11-3.
Willow Glen played its way into CCS by winning the championship in the West Valley Division of the BVAL. The Rams whipped Gunderson and James Lick in the final week of the regular season to complete a 13-1 division season.
But the Rams lost 15-1, 15-6, 15-5 to Palo Alto in the first round of the section playoffs to face quick elimination.
Still, it was quite a season for Willow Glen. The Rams posted a 22-9 record overall, and won a league title.
Willow Glen beat Gunderson 15-9, 12-15, 15-5, 15-4, then handled Lick 16-14, 15-2, 15-3 to clinch the league title in the final week of the regular season. Nina Valdovino ripped 20 kills in the title-clinching win.
Water Polo
The girls water polo teams from Willow Glen and Presentation suffered the same fate in the first round of the CCS playoffs.
The Rams lost a 10-6 decision to Saratoga to drop out of the tourney, and Presentation lost 11-7 to Sacred Heart Prep.
Courtney Livak tossed in four goals, but it wasn't enough for the Rams against the Falcons.
Saratoga jumped out to a 4-1 lead in the first quarter and led the rest of the way. The clubs matched goals in the second period and matched three-goal efforts in the third. Then the Falcons clinched the win by topping the Rams 2-1 in the fourth.
The loss ended the Willow Glen season at 14-9, but what a season it was.
The Rams ended up playing for the championship in the Mount Hamilton Division of the BVAL, losing in the finals to Mitty 21-3. Willow Glen had beaten rival Presentation 7-6 in the semifinals after opening the league tourney with a 7-4 win over Santa Teresa. Alicia Barreto had four goals for the Rams in the win over the Saints.
The Panthers ended up third in the league tournament, beating Leland 4-1 in the third-place game.
Presentation advanced to the CCS playoffs, but lost 11-7 to Sacred Heart Prep in the first round. The Panthers ended the year with a 16-13 record overall.
Girls Tennis
The Presentation girls tennis team also made it to the section tournament, but lost in the first round 4-3 to Harker Academy.
The Panthers had entered the tournament as the champions in the Mount Hamilton Division of the BVAL thanks to a 4-3 win over Prospect in the league title match.
Presentation finished the year with an 11-6 record overall.
Willow Glen, California Since 1992
