And the Panthers certainly lived up to their pre-tourney billing.

Presentation swept through three straight matches to claim the CCS crown—swept being the key word.

The Panthers made short work of Notre Dame­Belmont, Sacred Heart Cathedral and Los Altos to cruise through the field. They needed no more than the minimum three games to take each of the best-of-five matches, including an easy 15-6, 15-6, 15-4 win over the Eagles in the championship match on Nov. 23 at West Valley College in Saratoga.

Los Altos had earned its place in the finals with a 15-4, 15-9, 15-2 win over Willow Glen in the CCS Division 3 semifinals.

The Panthers pounded the Eagles in three straight, though, in the championship match to claim their fourth CCS title in five years. And seniors Katie Turley-Molony and Paris Raissinia have played for three of those title-winning teams. Senior Dawn Stanley, who was a sophomore on the varsity squad in 2000, had played in three CCS championship matches for the Panthers.

Turley-Molony and Raissinia were freshmen on the Presentation team that won the CCS Division 1 crown in 1999 and, after the Panthers lost in the finals in 2000, they played together with Stanley on a CCS Division 3 championship team last year.

In 2002, the Panthers have done it again. Turley-Molony and Raissinia were the kill leaders in the title-clinching match against the Eagles. Stanley, a setter, led the club in assists and digs.

Junior outside hitter Therese Vinal also played well in the Saturday match. Vinal was also in her third CCS finale.

The Panthers, who will advance to the Northern California tournament this week, buried Sacred Heart Cathedral 15-12, 15-5, 15-10 in the semifinal round on Nov. 21. Raissinia led the Panthers with 17 kills.

Presentation opened the tourney with a quick 15-7, 15-2, 15-6 win over Notre Dame­Belmont. Turley-Molony drilled 21 kills in that win.

The Panthers are now 27-7 for the year heading into the NorCal event.

Willow Glen, meanwhile, finished the season 25-10 with the loss to the Eagles. Junior middle blocker Kelsey Roseland hammered eight kills to lead the attack for the Rams.

The Rams had opened the playoffs with a hard-earned 15-13, 15-5, 7-15, 4-15, 15-9 win over Saratoga. Roseland had 24 kills in that one.

The loss to the Eagles brought an end to the season for Willow Glen, but what a season it was. The Rams won the championship in the Santa Teresa Division of the Blossom Valley Athletic League and recorded 25 wins for the year. It was a finish that coach Travis Warner expected when he said in the preseason, "This is the best girls team that Willow Glen volleyball has ever had."

Joining Roseland as leaders on the squad were outside hitter Julia Garrotto, setter Carly Silva and outside hitter Jenny Estruth. Rounding out the team were Arianne Kolar, Jessica Havens, Analisa Baum, Asefash Rivera, Serina Anaya, Janelle Calderon and Karina Estrada.

The CCS playoffs bring an end to a long season for the Rams. The girls started playing together in November of 2001 in club competition and attended camp last summer at California State University, Long Beach. The team started conditioning work following the camp, then jumped right into the 2002 season.

"One to two hours a day of strength training and jumping created tired bodies," said Warner, "but definite changes in their ability to move and jump."

And the 25 wins and league championship are proof positive that the hard work paid off for the Rams.


State cross country finals

Presentation and Willow Glen will both be represented at the state cross country finals on Nov. 30 on the 3.1-mile course at Woodward Park in Fresno. Melissa Grelli, a junior who finished second in the CCS Division 3 meet, will make the trip along with Willow Glen's Ngoan Phan and Cristina Diaz.

Phan, a junior, was fifth in the boys CCS Division 3 meet, and Diaz, a sophomore, was 11th in the girls CCS Division 3 event.