Viewpoint volleyball makes early statement, wins title

A knee injury suffered by outside hitter Samantha Hyman last season ended Viewpoint of Calabasas' march toward a Southern Section Div. IV-AA girls' volleyball title.

But the setback forced a young Viewpoint team to mature quickly last year, and the growth is already evident in the opening weekend of the season. The Patriots recorded one of the biggest victories in program history Saturday, defeating defending Div. III-AA champion Village Christian of Sun Valley 25-21 in the Laguna Blanca tournament final in Santa Barbara.

"When we lost Sam, it definitely forced a lot of people to step up and take on bigger
roles," said Viewpoint coach Frank Pontello , whose team suffered a second-round playoff loss last year to Ontario Christian. "But looking back on it now, it was a blessing in disguise."

Relying on freshman Stella Carnegie and sophomore Ashley Kim to run the offense and the hitting from the sister tandem of Brooke and Blaire Berka - both all-tournament honorees - Viewpoint cruised through pool play, before knocking off Rio Hondo Prep of Arcadia 25-15 in the semifinals.

"We just kept our offense simple and are young setters really had a great day," Pontello said. "And our middle blockers, Jordan Larsen and Michelle Lesser, came up big."

Village Christian, the top-ranked team in Div. III-AA, had won 13 consecutive games to open the season, before coming up short in defending its tournament title. Rachel Taylor and Megan Wiechmann were all-tournament picks for the Crusaders.

"We know that we're going to have a big target on our backs the entire season, so I'm actually glad to get that first loss out of the way," Crusaders coach Bobby Blanken said. "We didn't play as well as we could've, but what I loved about Viewpoint is the way they executed when they needed to. This is only going to make us better in the long run."