Three local teams set to battle for volleyball titles

Three local teams are set for CIF championship matches. Here is the rundown on those:

DIVISION 5AA
Upland Christian (23-7) vs. Santa Clarita Christian (18-4-1), 5 p.m. at Cerritos College today: This is a rematch of last year’s championship match won by Santa Clarita Christian 3-2 (15-11 in the fifth set). Both teams have many of the same players. Upland Christian relies on a talented senior outside hitter and team captain in Rachel Holmes, who has 315 kills, 212 digs and 88 aces. Sophomore Brooke Madkin has added 172 kills and 334 assists, sharing setting duties with junior Heidi Lemelin (265 assists). Upland Christian had to battle past California Lutheran 3-2 in the semifinals. Santa Clarita Christian, which went undefeated in the Heritage League, defeated La Sierra 3-1 in its semifinal. The Cardinals will play in the third title match in the 22-year tenure of head coach Darcy Brown. Their top player is senior Kylie Brown, the reigning player of the year in the division.

DIVISION 4AA
Alta Loma (23-7) vs. Laguna Blanca (16-8), 4:30 p.m. at Cerritos College on Saturday: The Braves are the defending CIF champion and Division 4 state runner-up. This run has been a bit more of a surprise because the Braves gradiated eight players from that team and have only two holdovers – seniors Gabrielle Oddo and Kyle Szczepanksi. Oddo has tallied a team-high 510 kills while Szczepanksi leads the team in blocks with 102. Alta Loma, seeded second, is also running a 6-2 offense with freshman and sophomore setters. Among the other newcomers who have excelled are juniors Jada Sharpe (247 kills) and Victoria Duarte (101 blocks). Laguna Blanca advanced with a 3-2 win over Archer while Alta Loma advanced with a 3-1 win over St. Bonaventure.

DIVISION 4A
Summit (22-3) vs. Desert (Edwards AFB) (25-2), 2 p.m. at Rio Hondo College on Saturday
: This is the first appearance in a title match for Summit, which upset No. 1 Cate in the semifinal. The team is led by senior Jordon Wilson who had 13 kills in the semifinal win over Cate. Among the other key players are senior hitter Lorelle Kennedy and junior middle blocker Shaiann Palos. Top player for Desert are junior Elizabeth Shelton (385 kills, 68 aces) and senior Devyn Cross (362 kills, 105 blocks).

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