GIRLS VOLLEYBALL: Cubs roar to championship match

By David Saunders
Daily Breeze Staff writer

Outside hitter Michelle McCarthy had 20 kills and 19 digs, but it was not enough to stave off elimination as host Chadwick lost its CIF Southern Section Division IV-AA semifinal to Prep League rival Mayfield, 25-16, 18-25, 25-20, 25-14, 15-13.
The win earns Mayfield (21-2) a spot in the title match against St. Margaret’s.
A decision on whether the final will take place Friday or Saturday at Cypress College will be made today by CIF officials.
McCarthy hit a desperation no-look shot over her head that dropped right on Mayfield’s endline to knot the fifth game at 12, but a lack of communication a play later resulted in what proved to be a back-breaking point.
That lapse by the Chadwick players resulted in a playable ball falling in to set Mayfield up with match point. The play was one of a handful of costly mistakes that handcuffed Chadwick (19-6) at critical times throughout the match.
“If we minimized our mistakes early, we could have had them,” Chadwick’s Casey Reed said. “Everyone played really well and if we played them again, we would beat them.”
McCarthy and Mayfield’s Susan Carlson traded kills throughout the match, but it was Carlson who gave her team the lift it needed in the fifth and final game.
With her team down, 11-7, Carlson had a kill and three service aces to give Mayfield a one-point edge. Right-side hitter Rachel Aragon recorded her 10th kill to ice the match for the Cubs.
“Every team has a weaker rotation and we got stuck in ours, and when playing against this kind of a team, momentum changes quickly and changes a lot,” McCarthy said. “I think we started doubting ourselves, but we came back and made it tight.”
Chadwick committed 10 service errors, but the fifth game was by far the Dolphins’ cleanest.
“They’re the No. 1 seed and they came in with a lot of momentum,” Chadwick coach Anita Drennen said. “We came a long way with four freshmen starting and only one senior. I’m really proud of them.”