By Christine Jinbo

Summer has finally turned to fall in California and the cool crisp night air hustled fans into the haven of a gym filled with raucous color clad fans for the CIF playoffs.

Mira Costa (Manhattan Beach), wearing playoff black and green uniforms, traveled to Los Alamitos for the semifinal match of the CIF Div I-AA Southern Section playoffs.  The final, now set with teams that each swept to their semifinal victories over worthy opponents.   Last night, Mira Costa topped Los Alamitos, 25-17, 25-14, 25-16 in little over an hour.

The Mustangs expected and prepared for a battle in a hostile gymnasium.  The Griffin crowd outnumbered the Costa crowd three to one in numbers.  Maybe, like the Griffin team, the crowd had little to get excited about with the exception of intermittent Jane Croson hammers.  Croson finished the night with 13 kills on 24 attempts.  In comparison, Falyn Fonoimoana of Mira Costa finished with 14 kills on 33 attempts, 12 digs, one block and two aces.

The team, once called young, inexperienced and lacking ball control (from this author's very own words), appeared poised, seasoned, and in command of its game. The young team grew up, it could have been the change in wardrobe, a change in lineup, a change in attitude, but most likely it was a progression Coach Lisa Arce planned all along.
 
Nothing like eating your own words, so when asked what the transformation was due to, Head Coach Lisa Arce responded, "We prepared in practice and raised our level of play."

Yep, still chewing...

By all accounts, this is a "rebuilding year for the Mustangs: fourth at the pre-season Durango Classic Tournament (Las Vegas, Nev.), second at Torrey Pines California Challenge Tournament and second at Santa Barbara Tournament of Champions.  Even the best of seasons looks "less than compared to the perfect 37-0 team from 2007.  

It was Costa's night and the Griffins could not buy a break.   The game spun out of control for the Griffins.  Dependable players wore expressions of exasperation mirrored on Head Coach Dave Huber's face.

"We are traditionally a slow starting team, but we went up 13-9 in game one, so nerves did not seem to be a factor." Huber continued, "When we got down, we tried to do things we don't normally do. We got back on our heels trying to be perfect."

By Christine Jinbo

Teams from California, Illinois and Texas battled in their perspective playoff races.  The California Interscholastic Federation (CIF) playoffs have all gone according to seed, without major upsets in the top divisions, but not all state races were that simple.
 
In the CIF Div. II Central Coast Section, ESPN RISE ranked No. 1 Archbishop Mitty (San Jose) received a bye, then defeated Presentation (San Jose), 25-14, 25-15, 25-22.  The Monarchs will face Palo Alto on Wednesday night.
 

	Leonard Xu/ESPN RISE
	Santa Margarita's Natalie Hamill sets the table for the aggressive offense that just took down No. 11 Long Beach Wilson.

ESPN RISE Girls Volleyball National FAB 50

Games through the week of November 16, 2008. Previous rank in parenthesis.

Rank        Team      Record

1    (1)    Archbishop Mitty (San Jose, Calif.)    36-1
2    (2)     La Costa Canyon (Carlsbad, Calif.)    31-1
3    (3)     Mercy (Louisville, Kent.)    37-1
4    (6)    Amarillo (Amarillo, Tex.)    46-3
5    (5)    St. James (Lenexa, Kan.)    45-1
6    (9)    St. Charles East (St. Charles. Ill.)    38-4
7    (7)    Mira Costa (Manhattan Beach, Calif.)    26-4
8    (30)   Westlake (Austin, Tex.)     39-7
9    (16)   Benet  (Lisle, Ill.)    40-2
10   (10)   Cathedral (Indianapolis, Ind.)     36-2
11    (11)   Long Beach Wilson (Long Beach, Calif.)    28-3
12    (5)    Mother McAuley (Chicago, Ill.)    39-3
13    (13)    Clear Creek (Houston, Tex.)    41-4
14    (14)    Olmsted Falls (Olmsted Falls, Ohio)    29-0
15    (15)    Santa Margarita (Rancho Santa Margarita, Calif.)    24-7
16    (12)    Joliet Catholic (Chicago, Ill.)    39-3
17    (17)    Papillion La Vista (Papillion, Neb.)    40-1
18    (18)    Sacred Heart Academy (Louisville, Kent.)    29-10
19    (19)    Dos Pueblos (Goleta, Calif.)    27-5
20    (20)    Cherry Creek (Greenwood Village, Colo.)    310-
21    (21)    Muncie Central (Muncie, Ind.)    37-3
22    (22)    Los Alamitos (Los Alamitos, Calif.)    24-5
23    (4)     Reagan (San Antonio, Tex.)    45-3
24    (24)    Ursuline Academy (Cincinnati, Ohio)    28-1
25    (25)    Lake Highlands (Dallas, Tex.)    45-4
26    (26)    Redlands East Valley (Redlands, Calif.)    33-1
28    (28)    Grand Island (Grand Island, Neb.)    33-1
28    (23)    O'Connor (San Antonio, Tex.)    38-5
29    (29)    Orange Lutheran (Orange, Calif.)    29-5
30    (39)    Marymount (Los Angeles, Calif.)    24-5
31    (31)    Notre Dame (Covington, Ky.)    29-5
32    (32)    Assumption (Louisville, Ky.)    30-7
33    (33)    Marian (Omaha, Neb.)    35-6
34    (35)    Lee's Summit West (Lee's Summit, Mo.)    38-1
35    (37)    Timber Creek (Orlando, Fla.)    29-2
36    (36)    Elkhart Memorial (Elkhart, Ind.)    36-2
37    (27)    Thousand Oaks (Thousand Oaks)    24-4
38    (34)    Churchill (San Antonio, Tex.)    39-6
39    (40)    Berkley Prep (Tampa, Fla.)    27-2
40    (41)    Plant (Tampa, Fla.)    26-3
41    (43)    Torrey Pines (Torrey Pines, Calif.)    20-8
42    (38)    Shakopee (Shakopee, Minn.)    32-2
43    (NR)    Santa Barbara (Santa Barbara, Calif.)    24-7
44    (44)    Washburn Rural (Topeka, Kan.)    39-4
45    (45)    West Henderson (Hendersonville, N.C.)    26-0
46    (46)    Eastview (Apple Valley, Minn.)    28-5
47    (42)    Naperville Central (Naperville, Ill.)    33-6
48    (48)    Cardinal Gibbons (Raleigh, N.C.)    29-1
49    (49)    Mount Notre Dame Academy  (Cincinnati, Ohio)    23-5
50    (50)    Muncie Burris (Muncie, Ind.)    36-4

By Christine Jinbo - From contributions from school representatives

ESPN RISE No. 11 Wilson (Long Beach, Calif.), the only team that swept its match in the quarterfinals,

	Leonard Xu
	Christina Berry reaches for a set, but how far can Santa Margarita reach in the CIF playoffs?

Kylie Hargreaves and Kenna Crouse each had stellar games, both controlled the net and supplied the firepower for the Eagles. Crouse sealed the net and contributed key blocks.   Lindsay Mortenson performed well at the net with several blocks and touches on kill attempts to slow Wilson's
attack for the tenacious Eagle defense.  Mortenson went on the offensive with her serve and kept Wilson off balance and out of its attack mode.
 
The match featured several incredibly long rallies as both teams exhibited strong defense and refused to let the ball drop on either side.  At the end of several points the team that lost the point would have three or four girls on the floor in an attempt to keep the rally alive.  In the words from a fan at the match,

"Incredible."
 
From the first point of the first game to the last point of the third game both sides exhibited an extremely high level of intensity.  Each of the three games could have gone either way, with Santa Margarita finishing just a little bit stronger in each game.  Neither team had more than a five point lead in the match, with the exception of the second game when Wilson extended the lead to seven.
 
Picture coming soon.

Post a comment on the match below... Register as a user, its FREE!

By Christine Jinbo with contributions from school representatives.

CIF-Southern Section Girls Volleyball Playoffs

DIVISION I-AA Quarterfinals

	Leonard Xu/ESPN RISE
	Alyssa Anderson dished 53 assists, 23 to Fonoimoana.

DIVISION I-A Quarterfinal
Santa Barbara defeated Valencia, 25-19, 25-22, 25-17
Dos Pueblos defeated Los Osos, 25-17, 25-19, 25-21
Laguna Beach defeated El Dorado, 20-25, 25-15, 25-15, 25-21
Marymount (Los Angeles) defeated Arroyo Grande, 25-23, 25-23, 25-15

DIVISION II-AA Quarterfinal
Redlands East Valley defeated South Hills, 23-25, 23-25, 25-18, 25-19, 15-10
Bishop Montgomery defeated Irvine University, 22-25, 28-26, 25-19, 25-27, 15-13
Corona del Mar defeated Lakewood St. Joseph, 25-19, 25-16, 21-25, 25-22
Beckman defeated St. Lucy's, 25-19, 25-20, 27-25

By Christine Jinbo

The ESPN RISE high school athletes of the week program honors five football players and ten non-football players each week for the fall season.  A panel of contributors from around the nation selects the honorees each week.

	Courtesy of Cherry Creek High School
	Baird waits to block at the net.

Baird began to play volleyball when she was ten and gave up soccer to pursue it.

"My next-door neighbors introduced me into volleyball when I was ten years old.  I got bored with soccer and wanted to start a new sport," said Baird.

My neighbor played on the Cherry Creek high school team at the time and convinced me to play Bruins Rec volleyball for a year before I started club, she continued.

ESPN RISE caught up with Baird, before she traveled on a recruiting trip, to answer a few questions.

ESPNRISE.com started the sentence and Baird filled in the blank:
 
1) I play best when...  I am very focused and have done my pre-match sports visualization.  I know it sounds strange, but it really works!
 
2) If I were a coach I would... teach my players to believe in their ability to control a game by being consistent, taking advantage of the opposing teams' weaknesses, and playing to win!!
 
3) The best thing about Volleyball is... that each point is its own separate game.  If you always focus on winning the point in front of you, you can be successful in almost any situation, no matter the score.
 
4) Something most people don't know about me is... I love to sing and act-I am really good at imitating people. :)   I had to quit choir for volleyball two years ago, but if I did not play sports I would definitely be involved in choir and drama.
 
5) The topical issue that most interests me in the world is... eliminating terrorism and cultural/religious conflict between countries.
 
7) If I could have one superhuman power it would be... the ability to control time.
 
8) My most memorable Volleyball moment is... winning a gold medal at the Junior Olympics and finishing an undefeated season by winning the state tournament.   
 

By Christine Jinbo

Los Angeles, Calif. - Communities throughout Southern California battle blazes that rage out of control due to high winds.

Mayor Antonio Villaraigosa said power lines were down in places, and he asked residents to conserve power to help avoid possible blackouts.

The severe fires forced the closure of major freeways and forced thousands of residents to evacuate as Gov. Arnold Schwarzenegger declared a state of emergency in Los Angeles.

Sylmar community battled fires, north of Downtown Los Angeles, which grew to 6,500 acres - more than 10 square miles - and was only 10 percent contained.

As many as 30 homes have already burned in a fire in Orange and Riverside counties, officials said.  The fires have burned homes in Yorba Linda, Corona and Anaheim Hills today and closed sections of the 91 and 57 freeways.

At least 40 homes in Yorba Linda  have burned, several homes were also burned in Corona. The blaze jumped the 91 Freeway and burned homes in Anaheim Hills.

So far, the quarterfinal Div. I CIF Southern Section match between Orange Lutheran (Orange) and Mira Costa (Manhattan Beach) has been postponed tentatively until Monday.  Reports have come in stating some families from Orange Lutheran, affected by the Orange/Riverside fires, have lost homes.

Please click below to leave comments or information regarding your school, the wildfires, evacuations or where volunteers can help.  

For this week's girls honoree, we take our second trip to Orange County where we honor a cheerful, humble young woman who talked mostly "team rather than "me. Of two things she has in common with several previous award winners is she can spike volleyballs!  

By Harold Abend, Special to ESPN RISE Volleyball.

Note: Remember, we are looking for those student-athletes who had a standout performance in their sport from the previous week, but we also are looking for a balance between athletic achievement, academic work in the classroom, community service or overcoming adversity. Send nominations to mark@studentsports.com.

Kylie Hargreaves has two things in common with previous Girls State Athlete of the Week volleyball winners Kristina Graven of ESPNRISE High School Volleyball FAB 50 No. 1 Archbishop Mitty (San Jose), Lauren Corp of Orange Lutheran (Orange), Krista Vansant of Redlands East Valley and Kendall Polan of the La Costa Canyon (Carlsbad) team Kylie and her Eagles teammates knocked out of the FAB 50 top spot with a 2-1 (25-21, 15-25, 25-21) victory Nov. 1 in the finals of the Redondo Power Classic.

	ESPN RISE
	Kylie Hargreaves.

"Kylie is a big part of our team chemistry," Eagles Coach Crissy Chapman-Uhrig told CalHiSports.com. "Out of six rotations we have, Kylie and my setter Natalie are the only two players to play every rotation and that says a lot about her play. Plus, she's been dominant all season against top competition including everyone at Redondo."

The response by Chapman-Uhrig was to quesitons as why her player was MVP at Redondo and deserving of major awards, when the coach keeps no statistics.

"When I played, I got a lot of awards and sometimes it never made sense to me, because I grew up playing volleyball as a team sport," said Chapman-Uhrig, who was raised in Illinois and played volleyball of the University of Illinois before a stint with the US Pro Team based in Chicago.

"I don't keep any stats and never have. Through the years I'm trying to foster a team concept, and this year is a perfect example. We have a new set of stars every week. Plus the injuries haven't helped," said a very busy coach, mother and business partner.

Chapman-Uhrig, the Eagles' coach for four years, was the dean of students and a health and fitness teacher at Santa Margarita Catholic before going off on maternity leave for her 15-month-old son. She's currently seven-and-a-half months pregnant again with husband Jeff Uhrig, the Eagles' boys coach and her partner in a custom home business.

After graduating eight seniors and being plagued by injuries all season, the fact Hargreaves and her team are ranked in the FAB 50 is amazing.

"It's so crazy. After losing eight seniors nobody expected much from us," Chapman-Uhrig said. "Then with the injuries."

No injury was more of a blow than when Hargreaves missed 10 days after she got knocked unconscious in a second-round match at the Durango Tournament in Las Vegas in a 1-2 loss to Archbishop Mitty.

After Kylie went out at Durango, the Eagles (22-7) went 2-2 the remainder of the Classic.  They lost 1-2 to FAB 50 No. 7 Mira Costa (Manhattan Beach) and 1-2 to Kamehameha of Honolulu. They did beat last year's CIF Div. I state champion Lakewood 2-0, and pinned a 2-1 loss on El Dorado of Placentia.

Before Hargreaves return the Eagles suffered a 3-0 loss to Lakewood before competing in the Capistrano Valley Tournament and beginning Trinity League play. They won the league and are now in the CIF Southern Section Div. IAA playoffs.

Since she's been back, the team is 17-2 with losses only to Laguna Beach and a lone league loss, 1-3 to FAB 50 No. 29 Orange Lutheran and Corp, whom they split with on the season after posting a 3-0 victory.  

Last week in the league-clinching 3-1 victory over Mater Dei (Santa Ana), Hargreaves was "dominant at the net and instrumental in the victory, according to Chapman-Uhrig.

After a first-round bye, the Eagles open playoff competition tonight as the second-seed in Div. IAA, and host Royal of Simi Valley, a 3-2 opening-round winner over Dana Hills of Dana Point.

"Right now the team goal and focus is getting to the CIF (Div. IAA section) finals and that will take a super effort from the whole team," Hargreaves told CalHiSports.com.

"We have such a balance up front on this team. It's really nice having an equal team," Kylie said. "We have no idea who's getting the kill. Our setter sets everyone."

That setter would be senior Hamill, who next fall will be setting at Point Loma Nazarene University where she has earned a scholarship.

Another girl who provides size and power at the net is 6-foot-2 senior middle blocker Crouse, who is headed to Loyola-Marymount. "Kenna's awesome," said Hargreaves.

Senior outside hitter, 5-10 Ellie Wiekamp, is also headed for college volleyball. She'll study and play at UC San Diego.

Rounding out the D1 college players for the Eagles is senior libero Brenna Cygan. She is going up the road to Cal State Fullerton next fall.

As much as Kylie talked about her team she was just as talkative about family. Her previously mentioned father Guy, who owns a flooring company, grew up in Lake Arrowhead and played football at Boise State.

Her biggest fan, her mother Laurie, works in child-care at UC Irvine.

Little sister, 11-year-old Delanie, who likes cheerleading and volleyball, is a fan too, although according to big sis she hesitates to admit it. "We're five years apart, so she has her own stuff," Kylie said. "She'll never tell me but my parents say she really looks up to me."

And why shouldn't she look up to her older sister? Hargreaves is carrying a B-plus average at academically challenging Santa Margarita Catholic, and although only a junior, she's being looked at seriously by several major D1 schools.

"I've narrowed it down to around five schools," said Kylie, who tells CalHiSports.com that besides enjoying writing and an interest in journalism, she likes film aesthetics and enjoys learning about what goes on backstage. "Backstage stuff is fun," she said.

The five schools she's narrowed it down to are Colorado State, University of Colorado, her dad's alma mater Boise State, Rice and Texas Christian University.

Before college and her senior season there is Thursday's match with Royal and a possible showdown for the IAA title with top-seeded Mira Costa if Kylie and her teammates can get to the final.

Coach Chapman-Uhrig won't be keeping the stats but if the Eagles are in the finals Nov. 22 at Cypress College, we'll know that Kylie Hargreaves will one of the major reasons.

As of November 8, 2008, twenty of the 50 states have crowned state champions. Continue to check back as we keep you updated on state championships and as we crown our ESPN RISE National Champion.

Alabama
Alabama High School Athletic Association State Champions

1A-Gaston defeated Speake 25-18, 25-19, 25-20
2A-Lexington defeated  Addison 25-18, 25-16, 25-16
3A- Bayside Academy defeated  Madison Academy 25-15, 18-25, 25-18, 16-25,  17-15
4A- Jacksonville defeated  Guntersville 25-23, 25-18, 24-26, 25-15
5A- St. Paul's defeated  Briarwood Christian 25-11, 25-23, 25-20
6A- Bob Jones defeated  Pelham 18-25, 32-30, 25-20, 25-23

Arkansas
Arkansas Activities Association State Champions

7A-Bentonville defeated Rogers 25-16, 18-25, 25-21, 25-22
6A-Jonesboro defeated Lake Hamilton 25-22, 25-23, 25-27, 25-22
5A-Siloam Springs defeated Greenwood 25-17, 25-20, 22-25, 25-20
4A-Valley View defeated Westside, J'boro 24-26, 27-25, 23-25, 25-21, 15-11
3A-Lavaca defeated Mansfield 25-19, 25-17, 16-25, 27-25

Deleware:
Ursuline Academy (Wilmington) (18-2) defeated Archmere Academy (Claymont) 18-2, three games to zero.

Georgia
Georgia High School Association State Champions

AA/A - Westminster defeated Lovett
AAA - Woodward Academy defeated St. Pius X
AAAA - Sandy Creek defeated Marist
AAAAA - Northview defeated Pope 

Hawaii:
40th Annual Girls Volleyball State Championship
Honolulu, O`ahu (Stan Sheriff Center) Attend: 2,599   

Division I Championship Match
Kamehameha-Kapalama defeated Punahou 25-11, 25-16, 25-18

Kamehameha-Kapalama Stats:
Whitney Viveiros: nine kills, one block
Alex Akana: seven kills, one ace, four blocks
Taylor Akana: six kills, one block
Misty Ma'a: five kills, two blocks
Koala Matsuoka: three aces
Caitlin Andrade: 25 assists.
Lesli Akeo 10 digs
Whitney Viveiros 10 digs

Punahou Stats:
Kills-aces-blocks) 
Charlotte Fonua: six kills, two blocks
Shar Manu-Olevao: five kills, one block
Juliana Behrens: two kills, three blocks 
Lahela Williams: 8 digs
Courtney Lelepali: 8digs

All-tournament team:
Whitney Viveiros, OH, KS-Kapalama
Taylor Akana, OH, KS-Kapalama
Alex Akana, MB, KS-Kapalama
Cheyanne Keanini, OH, Punahou
Shar Manu-Olevao, OH Punahou
Nile Teo, OH, Kahuku
Kayla-Al Kaluau, DS, KS-Maui
 
Most Outstanding Player:

Caitlin Andrade, Setter, KS-Kapalama

Division II Championship Match
Hawaii Baptist defeated Word of Life Academy 26-28,25-19,25-27,25-21,15-13

Hawaii Baptist Stats:
Sarah Palmer 34 kills, one ace, two blocks
Kayla Kawamura 26 assists
Kelly Chang 35 digs
Sarah Palmer 17 digs
C'era Oliveira 14 digs


Word of Life Academy Stats:

Crystal Powell 23 kills, two aces
Kainoa Ocasek 17 kills, two aces
Phoibe Fetu 41assits
Crystal Powell 25 digs
Kainoa Ocasek 23 digs
Phoibe Fetu 21 digs 

Idaho
Idaho High School Athletic Association State Champions
5A - Eagle defeated Idaho Falls, 3 - 1    
4A - Sandpoint defeated Bonneville, 3 1
3A - Sugar-Salem defeated St. Maries, 3-0    
2A - Parma defeated Melba, 3 - 2    

Indiana
2008-09 IHSAA Volleyball 37th Annual State Tournament Series

Class 4A Championship                                          
Indianapolis Cathedral defeated Muncie Central, 21-25,    25-18, 25-17, 25-20             

Final Records: Muncie Central (37-3); Indianapolis Cathedral (36-2)       
Cathedral's Christiana Gray named Mental Attitude Award winner   

Class 3A Championship              
Delta defeated Mishawaka Marian, 25-21, 25-18, 25    -19     

Final Records: Delta (33-6); Mishawaka Marian (33-7)
No. 1 Delta captures third 3A state title (2001, 2002)
Delta's Darcy Dorton named Mental Attitude Award winner

Class 2A Championship                          
Muncie Burris defeated Brownstown Central, 25-16, 25-15, 25-20                  

Final Records: Brownstown Central (29-8); Muncie Burris (36-4)   
No. 1 Burris sweeps to 12th straight 2A championship        
Fairfield's Courtney Herschberger named Mental Attitude winner   

Class A Championship   
Marquette Catholic defeated Barr-Reeve    25-19, 29-27, 25-16          
   
Final Records: Marquette Catholic (36-4); Barr-Reeve (36-3)
Top-ranked Marquette sweeps to 5th straight 1A title
Indpls. Lutheran's Anna Lewer wins Mental Attitude Award

Kansas
Kansas High School Activities Association State Champions

6A - Topeka-Washburn Rural (39-4)
5A - Shawnee Mission-Miege  (38-5)
4A - Lenexa-St. James Academy  (45-1)
3A - Garden Plain  (41-4)
2A - St. Marys (41-6)
1A - St. John Hudson   (43-2 )


Kentucky
Kentucky High School Athletic Association State Champions

Mercy (38-1) def. Sacred Heart (29-10), 25-20, 25-28
 

Minnesota
Class A
Windom Area defeated Bethlehem Academy 3-1 (25-22, 25-20, 14-25, 25-23).

Windom Area

Megan Ysker 19 kills, 29 digs
Courtney Ysker 14 kills
Allison Nau 24 digs.

Bethlehem Academy:
KariAnne Nass 18 kills 33 digs


Class AA
Jordan defeated Marshall (defending champions) 3-1 (26-24, 22-25, 25-17, 25-14).

Brittany Chambers 33 kills, 20 digs.
Leah Dietel 24 kills 18 digs
Michelle O'Malley 20 digs.

Marshall:
Rachel Westby 10 kills
Hope Weilage 10 kills
Shay Birath 19 digs

Class AAA
Shakopee defeated Eastview 3-1 (26-24, 19-25, 25-22, 25-22)