The senior-laden San Marcos High girls volleyball team proved ready for the CIF-SS Division 2 playoffs.
The Royals got off to a strong start and dispatched visiting Murrieta Valley in straight sets, 25-13, 25-23, 25-23, to advance to the second round.
“We talked about defense winning games. We’ve been working really hard for the last few weeks on our blocking, and it showed,” said San Marcos coach Erica Downing. “We had a game plan, we executed the game plan, and that’s all you can ask for.”
Setter Lila Westmacott spread the ball around nicely as the Royals enjoyed a balanced attack. Cora Loomer and Reese Paskins led the way with eight kills apiece. Charlotte Hastings and Samantha Fallon added seven kills each.
By virtue of a coin flip, San Marcos will now host top-seeded Rancho Christian on Thursday at 6 p.m. in a Division 2 second-round match.
In Set One, San Marcos jumped out to a 14-8 lead on an ace serve by Charlotte Hastings. A kill by Samantha Fallon increased the Royals’ lead to 20-12, and Hastings closed out the set with a spike.
“In Game One, they didn’t serve very well, so we were in system the entire time,” Downing said. “In Game Two and Game Three, they served better, took us out of system, and we didn’t pass very well. When you don’t pass, it puts a lot of strain on your hitters.”
Set Two was tight throughout, as back-to-back aces by Murrieta Valley’s Summer Tukua trimmed the San Marcos lead to 9-8. The Nighthawks took a 15-14 lead on a team block. With the set tied at 23 apiece, Reese Paskins—who took on an increased role with Gracie Stone sidelined by injury—cleaned up a Murrieta Valley overpass to give the Royals a 24-23 lead.
Fallon clinched the set for San Marcos with a solo block.
Set Three was equally dramatic, as a kill by Tukua put Murrieta Valley ahead 22-19. But San Marcos ripped off three consecutive points, capped by an ace serve from Jeannie Johnson that tied the score at 22-22.
Hastings made the play of the match by coming out of nowhere for a huge solo block that gave San Marcos a 24-23 lead. The Royals clinched the match when the Nighthawks hit wide.
“She is our emotional drive, and to have her come up big-time is huge,” said Downing of Hastings. “She has a big responsibility.”
Bishop Diego 3, Indio 1
The Cardinals overcame a rough first set to defeat Indio, 19-25, 25-22, 25-11, 25-10. They will travel to Wiseburn-Da Vinci for a second-round match in Division 6 on Thursday.
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