In a historic win, the girls varsity volleyball team (38-4) defeated Cathedral Catholic High School (28-9) Saturday at the California Interscholastic Federation (CIF) San Diego Open Division Championship.
After the pastthree years of falling to the Dons in the San Diego CIF finals match, the Falcons brought back their benchmark with a 3-0 game sweep.
In the high school volleyball world, the Dons and Falcons share a contentious rivalry, meeting in championship finals year after year. The competition runs deeper as many of their players come from the same club volleyball programs. The last time the Falcons won the CIF State Girls Volleyball Championships was in 2019.
The match took place at Montgomery High School, a neutral setting. Among the teams, one was determined to reclaim its title, and the other was eager to lay the foundation for a new legacy or rebuild one.
The Falcons entered the game with four previous wins this season against the Dons.
For Marina Vosloo (12), the starting middle blocker on the team and Division 1 commit to the University of Arizona, the moment when she felt that the team had a chance to win was when they “beat [Cathedral] back in August at the Texas Volleypalooza tournament.”
“We had kind of put Cathedral on a pedestal,” Vosloo said. “[We think] ‘Oh my god, it’s Cathedral,’ since we’d always lost to them. But after we beat them [at the tournament in Texas], we basically swept them. We realized, ‘Okay, it’s possible. We definitely have a chance to win CIF and maybe even go far in state.”’
Going into the game, the Falcons focused on ways to hone their skills on the court. Their ability to hit and block with accuracy played a key role in racking up points.
Finley Krystkowiak (12), starting outside hitter and Div. I committed to Penn State University, defended the opposing team’s hits with solo blocks, along with outside-hitter Jaycee Mack (11) and opposite Parker Herrin (10), contributing to the team’s defensive performance by blocking at the net.
“From the first few points [I felt that we were going to win],” Vosloo said. “[It was] the energy. Everyone on the team was just so committed. The bench, too. There was so much energy, and we were all just thriving off those first few plays. From then on, I was like, ‘Okay, I think we’re gonna win this in three,’ because everyone seemed so locked in and committed to every point.”
As the Falcons tried to keep their ‘confidence under control’, they made sure to focus on each point. However, the Dons did not back down and kept fighting against the Falcons, powering through strong arm swings; they kept their game calm and composed.
Yet, the Falcons were able to stay on top, diving and digging the team’s hits. Key players Emery Gonzales (11), the team’s setter, libero Lia Green (11) and Krystkowiak contributed 10 digs throughout the match.
Concluding the first set 25-22, both teams’ grind and hustle to win was apparent on the court.
In addition, Herrin, a first-year varsity player, was in the top tier of serving and hitting; she has solidified her spot on the starting team and contributed to the win.
Over the course of the game, Herrin dug seven balls, allowing the Falcons’ defense to remain consistent and perform their planned offensive strategies.
The girls knew they were going to win “after the second set. It was going to happen. [They] were all going to cry and already planning [their]celebration,” according to Krystkowiak.
Propelled by Gonzales’s precise sets, the Falcons had ample opportunities to swing and hit. Gonzales had 38 assists throughout the match.
In addition to the long-rallying play on the court, the initiation of those rallies was key. 30% of serves by middle Stella Delgadillo (11) and Herrin were aces, and the team was able to further score points.
“[The eleven points] Delgadillo [earned] was a really big piece for us,” varsity head coach Brennan Dean said. “She led the team in aces. She had four in the match, which is a lot for a championship game. For her to step into that role and produce those points was awesome.”
As the Falcons continued to score, the Dons were still holding on to their fourth possible championship title.
Cathedral Catholic’s outside hitter JoJo Wilson (11) kept the team’s defensive back row strong, receiving the Falcons’ serves and providing the Dons with 22 passes to help her run offensive plays.
Dean notes how the team adjusted to the Dons’ changing strategies throughout the season.
“They became a really good tipping team,” Dean said. “So we had to make sure our defense was ready for that. They also started running a lot of balls through the middle on twos and faster tempo sets, so our main focus was defending those two things, and I thought the girls did a great job responding.”
On the Falcons’ sides of the net, Green delivered 24 passes, Krystkowiak delivered 21 and Mack delivered 10. The final two sets of the match concluded at and ultimately resulted in the Falcons’ victory.
Vosloo reflected on her performance during the championships.
“I could’ve done a little better offensively,” Vosloo said. “I got blocked a few times, but that’s just part of the game. You get blocked, you get kills. However, I felt like I was really aggressive at the net, which felt great. That’s also because our pins did such a good job setting up the block. Overall, I think I played well. [I had] lots of energy, even if not every play was a big kill.”
Dean described the game strategy and mentality that the team took into the matches.
“Well, [Cathedral] changed a few things, so we had to make some adjustments in that last match,” Dean said. “They added two new components that we had to address compared to the last time we saw them. [We] realized that if we served tough and passed consistently, our offense could usually win out in the long run. We have a few athletes who score at a really high efficiency when we pass well. When we serve tough and get Cathedral out of the system, they can’t run their offense at the same high efficiency they normally do.”
Krystkowiak focused on how the team mentally prepared to go into the games.
“[During] practices, we were really focusing on playing under pressure because we knew [Cathedral] was going to come out and compete with us,” Krystkowiak said. “Just because we’d beaten them every time this year doesn’t mean they were just gonna let us win. I think we were ready, and honestly, I don’t think we could’ve been any more ready to play them.”
As longtime rivals, the two teams generated a shared sense of increased understanding of the weight of a championship title for their programs and players. For the first time in years, the tables turned to the Falcons’ favor.
“We didn’t talk a lot about the past or about how they’d beaten us before,” Dean said. “We focused on this season. We knew we were the favorites, and it’s really tough to beat a team four times in a row. So we just told the girls, ‘Don’t take this for granted. Celebrate the good plays, and be a goldfish. Have that 10-second memory and move on from the bad ones.’ The girls did a great job of being present and having fun.”
Furthermore, Dean emphasized the role of effective coaching in providing the foundation of support that drives the team’s success.
“[The coaching staff includes] Taylor Bloomquist focuses a lot on our blocking and middle attack,” Dean said. “[Junior varsity head coach] Haley Coulter works with our defenders and serves-receive. Sarah [Tsang] does a great job with our setters and communicating with our back row. We all have our own responsibilities, but everyone chimes in and helps. It’s really a great team effort. We couldn’t do it without them.”
As a recipient of the San Diego Union Tribute Athlete of the Week award, Krystkowiak holds expectations on her shoulders.
“I definitely couldn’t have done it without my team and my coaches,” Krystkowiak said. “It’s just an exciting opportunity. I get to go to practice every day, and people rely on me, and I rely on them. I’m really thankful for that.”
Vosloo explains that the tight bond between the girls allowed them to take the win.
“I think there’s just such a tighter bond between the girls,” Vosloo said. “I literally love every single person on the team. There’s no divide. Everyone plays for each other and supports each other. It just feels different than sophomore or junior year. We’re really together, like a true unit.”
The team later advanced to the Southern State Quarter-Finals, where they played San Juan Hills High School on Nov. 12 and beat them 3-0. They are looking forward to playing Mater Dei High School in the semi-finals on Nov. 15.
Moving forward so successfully in the season, Dean evaluates the growth of the team since the 2019 state championship season, hoping to bring the program back full circle.
The program was rebuilt after the COVID-19 pandemic, and as its accomplishments grew, the girls within it found a stronger bond.
“It’s kind of the culmination of a long rebuild,” Dean said. “COVID-19 really set us back. We had such a strong culture and program in 2019, and then everything had to be rebuilt from scratch. It took a few years, but now it finally feels like the program is back to where it should be, back to being number one in the county.”
