For the 15 seniors on the San Marcos High girls’ volleyball team, Tuesday’s match was the final time they would face rival Santa Barbara in their high school careers — and they were determined to make a closing statement.
The Royals started fast and never let up, earning a 25-16, 25-12, 25-20 sweep of Santa Barbara in a crucial Channel League contest.
“It’s our last time, so there were some tears at the end,” said opposite hitter Gracie Stone, who finished with six emphatic kills. “I feel like we came in, we did what we wanted to do, and we won.”
Stone also played a key role defensively, finishing with a team-high three blocks.
San Marcos was led offensively by senior outside hitter Charlotte Hastings, who tallied 15 kills, four digs, and two aces. She was a consistent force on the outside, keeping the Dons off balance with a variety of creative attacks.
The first meeting between the two teams earlier this season was a five-set thriller, with the Royals pulling away in the decisive fifth set to avoid an upset. This time, San Marcos took control early in the first set.
The Royals led 15-10 in the opener after an ace by Hastings, then extended the margin to 22-14 on a kill by Isla McClintock. Hastings later sealed the first set with a soft tap over the block that landed cleanly.
“I was really happy with the changes we made from the first time we played,” said San Marcos head coach Erica Downing. “I think our volleyball IQ has increased a little bit, and we were able to make adjustments we probably wouldn’t have been able to earlier in the season.”
In the second set, the Royals jumped out to a 4-0 lead, sparked by a block from Stone and Samantha Fallon. San Marcos stretched the lead to 13-5 with a kill by Jordan Schmoller and eventually clinched the set on another kill by Hastings.
The Dons showed resilience at the start of the third set. An ace by Paylin Marcillac gave them a 6-2 lead, and a kill from Kira Elliott pushed it to 7-2.
However, the Royals rallied. An ace by Cora Loomer gave San Marcos a 17-15 lead. Setter Lila Westmacott added a timely dump to make it 19-17, then followed with an ace to extend the lead to 20-17.
San Marcos clinched the third set — and the match — on a block by Fallon.
Lola Heckman and Blake Saunders led Santa Barbara with six kills apiece, while Elliott chipped in five kills.
With the win, San Marcos improves to 22-6 overall and remains perfect in Channel League play at 11-0. Santa Barbara falls to 14-14 overall and 8-4 in league.
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