Simi Valley, Oaks Christian and Nordhoff reach CIF-SS girls volleyball semifinals
Throughout their quarterfinal match, members of the Simi Valley High girls volleyball team mostly wore smiles as wide as the net.
Apparently, that's a common occurrence with these Pioneers.
"We're extremely happy when we're on the court," says senior outside hitter Alesia Thomas. "We all love each other. We ride that energy, which helps us to play better. Volleyball should be fun, so why not have a good time when we're playing?"
These are certainly good times for Simi Valley volleyball.
Energy, confidence and balance all added up to Simi Valley's dominating 25-18, 25-12, 25-18 sweep over visiting Ridgecrest-Burroughs in the quarterfinals of the CIF-Southern Section Division 6 playoffs Wednesday night.
The Pioneers (20-8) are the No. 1 seed and playing like it. They're as finely balanced like a Walenda on the high wire.
Thomas had eight kills and 10 digs, Marcy Menchaca notched eight kills and three blocks, Abby Montana collected seven kills and seven service aces, and Olivia Campisi had five kills and nine digs.
Kezia Bocasan finished with 26 assists and Camdyn Hodgins had nine digs and three aces.
"We're a team where everyone contributes," said junior outside hitter Campisi. "We love each other. We rely on each other. We're having so much fun."
Simi Valley now takes aim at history. The Pioneers play a road match Saturday night at No. 4 Santa Clarita Christian. A victory would earn a berth in the Southern Section finals for the first time in program history.
"It's a special group," said head coach Samantha Crane, who has announced that this is her final season in charge of the program. "Most of these girls have played together in club for a long time, and there's amazing chemistry. Not only do they play well, they never forget to have fun doing it."
Simi Valley closed out the regular season on a downer. The Pioneers lost a five-game match to rival Royal and settled for second place in the Coastal Canyon League race. They did not fret.
"It was a tough loss, but we got over it and got ready for the playoffs," said Thomas. "This means everything to us. We definitely want to go out as champions."
Simi Valley has not lost a set in three postseason matches.
The Pioneers fell behind in Game 1 on Wednesday, 3-2, and were in charge thereafter. An 8-8 tie became a 17-10 lead and a 25-18 victory.
A 10-run in Game 2 racked up a 19-8 lead. Simi Valley topped that in Game 3 with an 11-0 surge that garnered a 19-12 lead.
The Pioneers say there's no pressure as the division's top seed.
"We need to go out and play like we know we can," said Thomas. "We're enjoying this as much as possible. We'd love to bring home the championship."
Division 3
Nicole Zake finished with 14 kills and Manaia Ogbechie had 12 kills to lead Oaks Christian to a 25-14, 8-25, 25-21, 25-21 victory over host Chino Hills in a Division 3 quarterfinal.
The Lions will host Chaminade in a semifinal match Saturday at 6 p.m.
Division 6
La Reina lost in three games to visiting Rancho Christian in a Division 6 quarterfinal match at home.
Division 7
Nordhoff defeated Avalon 20-25, 2523, 19-25, 25-10, 15-6 in a Division 7 quarterfinal match at home.
The Rangers (17-2), who went 12-0 in winning the Citrus Coast League title, will host Santa Fe in a semifinal match Saturday at 6 p.m.
Division 8
Hillcrest Christian of Thousand Oaks lost to host Marshall in three games in a Division 9 quarterfinal match.
Loren Ledin is the Prep Editor for The Star. He can be reached at loren.ledin@vcstar.com or 805-437-0285.
This article originally appeared on Ventura County Star: Simi Valley, Oaks Christian and Nordhoff reach volleyball semifinals
