Recently in Girls volleyball Category

The CIF-SS girls volleyball playoff pairings came out on Saturday.
Rim of the World is the only county team to get a seed, nabbing the No. 1 seed for 3A, while Citrus Belt League champion Yucaipa got a draw worthy of its No. 6 ranking in 1A.
Here is a list of matchups involving county teams:
All matches are scheduled for 7 p.m.

Monday's Matches
Division 1A Wild Card
Fontana at Great Oak.
Tuesday's First-round matches
DIVISION 1A
Fontana/Great Oak winner at No. 1 Marymount
Rancho Cucamonga at San Luis Obispo
Redlands East Valley at Anaheim Canyon
Notre Dame Academy at Los Osos
Villa Park at Yucaipa
Redlands at Upland
DIVISION 2AA
Oak Hills at Corona Santiago
South Hills at Serrano
Chino Hills at Paloma Valley
Apple Valley at San Marino
DIVISION 3AA
Granite Hills at No. 1 Chadwick
San Bernardino at Mayfair
Eastside at Cajon
Victor Valley at Arroyo Valley
San Gorgonio at Cypress
Webb at Silverado
Highland at Cerritos
Morro Bay at No. 2 Pasadena Poly
DIVISION 3A
Pomona at No. 1 Rim of the World
Alhambra at Ontario Christian
Arrowhead Christian at Valley View
Brentwood at Citrus Valley
Aquinas at Campbell Hall
DIVISION 4AA
Thacher at Colony
Summit at Desert Hot Springs
Chino at No. 4 Sage Hill
Don Lugo at Cate
Big Bear at Patriot
Yucca Valley, bye
Segerstrom at Ontario.
DIVISION 4A
[Upland Christian at La Puente
DIVISION 5AA
Eastside Christian at Excelsior Education Center
West Shores at Mesa Grande Academy
Boron at Lake Arrowhead Christian
Redlands Adventist at Vasquez
Hesperia Christian at Temecula Prep
Public Safety Academy at Victor Valley Christian
Baptist Christian at Silver Valley
DIVISION 5A
Academy of Careers at Baker Valley

While her daughter Krista received the 2010-11 Gatorade National Volleyball Player of the Year award Wednesday, Redlands East Valley volleyball coach Tricia Vansant confirmed that she has retired as coach of the Wildcats.

Vansant coached nine seasons at REV, leading the Wildcats to Citrus Belt League titles every year along with three CIF-SS titles and two CIF-State Southern California regional crowns.

"I've turned in my resignation and the wheels are in motion," Vansant said. "It was a great ride and it's been tough to fill the hours, but I felt that it was time for me to step away."

Vansant didn't have any knowledge of candidates to fill her position when asked Wednesday.

Here's my story from the proceedings at REV today.

With one announcement in the Redlands East Valley principal's office Wednesday morning, REV senior volleyball Krista Vansant was given a lifelong connection to athletes such as Kobe Bryant, Peyton Manning, Kerri Walsh and LeBron James.

Vansant joined that echleon of elite athlete Wednesday, as she was named the 2010-11 Gatorade National High School Volleyball Player of the Year.

"My brain turns to mush when thinking about things like this," Vansant said. "It is such an honor and I don't even know what to say. I never expected anything like this to happen."

It was an honor that was kept from Vansant for almost a week, as her mother Tricia -- who also served as her coach at REV before retiring after this past season concluded -- was contacted by Gatorade this past Thursday letting her know about the honor with explicit instructions not to tell her daughter.

"They told me both honors at once," Tricia said. "They called up and told me that she won the state player of the year and then right after told me about the national player of the year. I started yelling in the garage and they told me to keep it quiet.

"All the while Krista is trying to find me to have me take her to practice. Luckily she never asked and I was able to tell family and friends and make sure they would keep it a secret."

Krista found out about winning the California Player of the Year honor from backchannels. But when she went to REV on Wednesday, she wasn't anticipating what was about to happen.

"I seriously thought I was on Punk'd," said Vansant, referencing the practical-joke television show that used to run on MTV. "I was looking around thinking "Ashton (Kutcher), Ashton? I was completely shocked.

"I saw April Ross and I knew who she was right away. I remember watching her play at USC and was so excited, though I basically just sat there smiling because I didn't know what else to do."

Ross, the 1999-2000 winner, was among a crowd of family, friends, teammates and REV students that honored Vansant during an assembly. The current pro beach volleyball champion recalled when she was awarded the honor when she was a senior at Newport Harbor High School and shared in Vansant's joy.

"It's one of the best honors I've ever received," Ross said. "It really showed me that I had the ability to really be good at this sport and I think it will be the same for Krista. Being alonside people such as Kobe Bryant is a real honor."

Vansant became the second county athlete to become a Gatorade Player of the Year, joining Chino track and field athlete Angela Williams, who was honored in 1997-98. And Wednesday might not be the last honor bestowed on Vansant by Gatorade.

After being chosen as the premier volleyball player from a field of approximately 403,000 high school players in the United States, Vansant has a chance to be chosen as the overall Gatorade National Female Athlete of the Year in July.

Vansant will be honored at a luncheon in Hollywood in July where the National Player of Year will be named. Then she'll be whisked off to the ESPYs, where she'll get to walk the red carpet and rub elbows with some of the athletes whose company she joined Wednesday.

"Oh yeah, I can go right up to Kobe now," Vansant said. "Well, I don't know about that. He has five NBA titles -- I'm not quite in that class."

Offensive Player of the Year: Lindsay Sullivan, Yucca Valley
Defensive Player of the Year: Brittany Candelaria, Twentynine Palms

First Team
Shannen Bruinsma, L, Big Bear
Carolan McCollough, S, Big Bear
Vanessa Burgos, OPP, Desert Hot Springs
Sarah DeLao, DS, Desert Mirage
Daisy Gomez, S, Shadow Hills
Naomi Leutu, OH, Twentynine Palms
Sierra Peterson, L, Twentynine Palms
Taylor Adair, MH, Yucca Valley
Liz Slaughter, L, Yucca Valley
Kaitlyn Wooling, S, Yucca Valley

Second Team
Carly Jo Reeves, OH, Big Bear
Brianna Moore, MH, Desert Hot Springs
Francis Vargas, MB, Desert Mirage
Emily Gregory, OPP, Shadow Hills
Alex Herrerra, M, Twentynine Palms
Catherine Mount, OH, Twentynine Palms
Courtney Del Guidice, DS, Yucca Valley
Allesa Peterson, OH, Yucca Valley
Whitney Rodriguez, OPP, Yucca Valley

Honorable Mention
Kelsey Davis, OPP, Big Bear
Savannah Seltzer, OH, Desert Hot Springs
Rosa Gutierrez, OH, Desert Mirage
Brooke Greenup, OH, Shadow Hills
Johnette Brown, MB, Twentynine Palms
Sarah Terreri, OH, Yucca Valley

Redlands East Valley, Chino Hills, Upland Christian and Victor Valley Christian's girls volleyball teams get to continue their seasons for at least another game, as all four teams qualified for the CIF-State playoffs.

The brackets were released Sunday, with the two-time defending Division II Southern California champion Wildcats getting the No. 8 seed in Division I. REV will play at top-seeded Carlsbad La Costa Canyon at 7 p.m. Tuesday. Chino Hills, which lost to St. Lucy's in the CIF-SS Division 2-AA finals Saturday, got the No. 3 seed in Division II behind No. 1 seeded St. Lucy's and No. 2 San Diego Scripps Ranch. The Huskies will start on the road though, as they'll play at Pacific Palisades Charter at 7 p.m.

Upland Christian, the runner-up in D4-A, will play at No. 1-seeded La Jolla Christian Tuesday in the first round of the So Cal Division IV playoffs while Victor Valley Christian will play at No. 2-seeded Lemoore Kings Christian in the Division V playoffs.

Redlands East Valley wrestler Chris Mecate and volleyball player Krista Vansant will sign National Letters of Intent tomorrow morning as part of the beginning of the Fall Signing Period. Mecate will sign with Old Dominion in the principal's office at 7 a.m. while Vansant will sign with the University of Washington at 7:30 a.m. in Kurt Bruich's office.

Got a text message from Cajon athletic director Rich Imbriani indicating that senior volleyball player Mackenzie Roddy will be signing a National Letter of Intent to Northern Illinois University at 11 a.m. Wednesday in his office.

Know of any other players signing this week? Drop me a note at tj.berka@inlandnewspapers.com.

Four county teams received seeds in the brackets today, with Redlands East Valley grabbing a No. 2 seed in Division 1-A, Upland Christian grabbing the No. 2 seed in D4-A, Chino Hills getting the No. 4 seed in D2-AA and Rim of the World getting the No. 4 seed in Division 3-A. REV will be going for a fourth straight CIF title. Wild-card games will be played Monday, with first-round games on Tuesday.

Division 1-A
First Round
Villa Park at No. 1 Marymount
Glendora at Paso Robles
Temecula Valley at El Dorado
Estancia at Valencia
Brea Olinda at Vista Murrieta
Marlborough at Upland
Yucaipa at Northwood
Atascadero at No. 4 Laguna Beach
Immaculate Heart at No. 3 Corona del Mar
Arroyo Grande at Foothill
Santa Ana Calvary Chapel at Saugus
Fontana at Los Osos
Esperanza at Sherman Oaks Notre Dame
Beckman at Murrieta Valley
West Ranch at San Luis Obispo
Alta Loma at Redlands East Valley

Many of the county volleyball leagues have already been decided, but the Sunkist League has a big match today at 4:30 p.m., as Summit travels to Riverside Patriot to play for the Sunkist League title.

Both the SkyHawks (15-7 overall) and the Warriors (16-9-2) have identical 8-1 records in league, with Patriot winning four matches in a row since a four-game loss to Summit Oct. 19. The Warriors were ranked No. 12 in the latest CIF-SS Division 4-AA poll. The SkyHawks come in having won three in a row, with their lone loss in league coming in a five-game setback to Jurupa Valley Oct. 21.

Redlands East Valley will be hosting a one-day, eight-team volleyball tournament Saturday featuring many of the top teams in Southern California. The REV Volleyball Classic will start at 8 a.m. with two pools of four teams each. Pool number one will feature REV, the No. 2 team in the most recent Division 1-A poll, Riverside King, Temescal Canyon and Sultana. Pool No. 2 will feature Palm Springs -- the No. 5 team in D2-A -- Wildomar Elsinore, the No. 7 team in D2-AA, Redlands and La Quinta.

Pool play will take place in the morning, with each match being played under the best-of-3, rally-scoring format. The top two teams from each pool will be placed in the Gold Bracket, with the championship game from that bracket being played at approximately 2 p.m. The bottom two teams from each pool will be placed in the Silver Bracket.

The Citrus Valley girls volleyball team will be dedicating its October 28 game against Riverside Notre Dame to breast cancer awareness as part of National Breast Cancer Awareness Month. A baked-goods drive will be held at the game with pink t-shirts to be sold for $12 each. All proceeds from the sales will go to Susan G. Komen for The Cure.

Along with the t-shirt sales, which are expected to get a big boost from the girls tennis team, there will be a speaker at 4:30 p.m. before the game.

The Redlands East Valley volleyball team finished sixth place overall in the championship bracket of the Durango Tournament this past weekend in Las Vegas. The Wildcats went 3-4 during the two-day tourney, losing to Mira Costa in the quarterfinals in three games before defeating Los Alamitos in consolation play and falling to Louisville (Ky.) Assumption in the fifth-place game. The Wildcats went 1-2 in their pool, defeating Thousand Oaks while losing to Covina Northview and Long Beach Poly, and defeated Lakewood in the knockout round to reach the championship bracket.

Rim of the World also competed in the tournament, reaching the championship game of the contender's bracket before losing to Clovis Buchanan in the championship game. The Fighting Scots went 2-1 in pool play and lost their knockout game to Port Coquitlam (B.C.) Riverside before defeating Durango and Vancouver (B.C.) Sequam in the contender bracket.

Los Osos graduate Tara Roenicke, along with partner Summer Ross, took home the gold medal at the Under-21 Beach Volleyball World Championships earlier today in Alanya, Turkey. The duo took out the Italian team of Marta Menegatti and Viktoria Orsi Toth in three games - 19-21, 26-24 and 15-13 - in a 74-minute match to win the title.

The gold marks the second for Roenicke in international play, as she combined with Ross to win the gold for the United States at the Australian Olympic Youth Festival in January 2009. The article highlighting her most recent achievement can be read here.

The Redlands East Valley volleyball team used some frequent flyer miles this summer to get their team ready for its quest for a fourth straight CIF championship, participating in a tournament in Hawaii to go along with various tournaments in Southern California.

The Wildcats flew out to the islands for a week, taking in the sights and enjoying the life as a tourist. They also honed their game, winning the tournament to cap off an ideal summer vacation and set the tone for another title defense.

"We got to bond as a team, win a tournament and got to go to the beach every day," junior middle blocker Alyssa Mason said. "It doesn't get much better than that."

First poll of the season. Not shocking that REV heads the class in Division 1-A.

DIVISION 1-A
1. Redlands East Valley
2. Laguna Beach
3. Corona del Mar
4. Marymount
5. El Dorado
6. Los Osos
7. Esperanza
8. Vista Murrieta
9. Arroyo Grande
10. Valencia/Valencia
Others: Murrieta Valley, Saugus

Arroyo Valley athletic director Matt Howell announced a couple of coaching reshufflings during a phone conversation I had with him earlier this afternoon. Softball coach Tammy Shearer will also coach the girls volleyball team this fall, as previous girls volleyball coach Mike Lawler will step away to deal with a family matter, according to Howell. Howell is expecting that Lawler will return to coach the Hawks' boys volleyball team in the spring.

Howell also announced that James Lasch would be heading up the girls golf team this fall.

I just got off the phone with Aquinas director of marketing Gina Roquet, who told me that Aquinas has hired Gabriel Padilla as its new boys basketball coach. Padilla, an assistant at Aquinas, will replace David Johnson, who has taken an assistant coach job with the Pepperdine women's basketball team.

Also, Aquinas promoted assistant volleyball coach Sarah Rice to head coach to replace Jessica Granados. Granados, who played with Rice at Cal State San Bernardino, left after a season to pursue professional volleyball opportunities in Europe.

The division shifts in football got most of the attention by the CIF-Southern Section on Monday, but several other powerful local teams in other sports were impacted by the changes.

One of the teams most impacted was the Redlands East Valley girls volleyball team. The three-time defending CIF-SS champions are being bumped up a class from Division 2-AA to 1-A. The Baseline and Citrus Belt leagues were bumped up in softball from Division 2 to Division 1 and the Citrus Belt was bumped up from Division 2 to Division 1 in girls soccer.

The High Desert also saw its soccer prowess recognized as two-time defending Division 4 girls champion Sultana moves into Division 3, along with CIF-State Southern California Division II regional champion Granite Hills. The boys soccer teams got a bump too, with the Mojave River League moving up to Division 4 and the Desert Sky League going to Division 5.

Fresh off the e-mail from the CIF offices. REV junior Krista Vansant won co-MVP honors in Division 2 while REV coach Tricia Vansant was co-Coach of the Year. In Division 4, Upland Christian's Danielle Maxwell was Co-MVP while Upland Christian coach Doug Porterfield was co-Coach of the Year.

The teams..

Redlands East Valley, as expected, grabbed the No. 1 seed in the Division II Southern California state volleyball playoffs when the pairings were released earlier this afternoon. The Wildcats will host San Diego Scripps Ranch at 7 p.m. Tuesday and, with a victory, will host the Bakersfield Frontier-La Canada winner on Saturday.

Bonita and Upland Christian received berths in Division III and IV, respectively, as both will be on the road Tuesday. The No. 4 Bearcats play at Pasadena Mayfield while No. 6 Upland Christian will head to Whittier Christian.

The brackets:

DIVISION II
San Diego Scripps Ranch at No. 1 Redlands East Valley
La Canada at No. 4 Bakersfield Frontier
Woodland Hills Taft at No. 3 Wildomar Elsinore
Corona del Mar at No. 2 Ramona

DIVISION III
Downey Warren at No. 1 San Diego Cathedral Catholic
No. 4 Bonita at Pasadena Mayfield
Cerritos at No. 3 Tehachapi
Valley Center at No. 2 Hacienda Heights Los Altos

DIVISION IV
Anaheim Connolly at No. 1 La Jolla Country Day
Laguna Blanca at No. 4 Visalia Central Valley Christian
Upland Christian at No. 3 Whittier Christian
No. 2 La Jolla The Bishop School at Los Angeles Foshay Learning Center

Just made it to Cypress College for the CIF volleyball championships. I'll be trying to do three things at once - cover two volleyball championship games (DIII-AA between Bonita and Los Altos and DII-AA between Redlands East Valley and Corona del Mar), live blog at them and still watch parts of the Michigan-Ohio State football game online.

The third is looking to be tough, as they have us in some bird's nest atop the gym where internet access is spotty. Only a few minutes away from Bonita-Los Altos.

Just got a call from Redlands East Valley athletic director Rhonda Fouch notifying me of three REV athletes signing during the early signing period. Volleyball player Johnna Fouch will sign with San Diego State Friday at 7 p.m. in the REV ASB room, while softball player Amy Nece will sign with North Carolina early next week, as will baseball player Griffin Murphy with San Diego. Nece is going on an official visit to North Carolina this upcoming weekend according to Fouch.

The volleyball and boys water polo playoff pairings were released today by the CIF offices. As far as volleyball goes, Redlands East Valley grabbed the No. 1 seed in Division II-AA while Upland Christian earned the top seed in D4-A. Victor Valley Christian (D5-AA) was the other seeded county team, grabbing the No. 4 spot.

A couple of significant volleyball tournaments will take place this weekend as Redlands East Valley and Ayala host tournaments for teams looking to cram for playoff play in a couple of weeks.

The 2009 REV Volleyball Classic -- a one-day, 12-team tourney on Saturday -- will feature the Wildcats, the No. 1 team in the most recent CIF-SS Division II-AA polls. Along with Redlands East Valley, the field includes Sultana, Yucaipa and several teams from Riverside County, most notably Division 2-A No. 1 Wildomar Elsinore and 3-AA No. 3 Palm Springs. Action starts at 8 a.m. with three four-team pools - pool A (Elsinore, Riverside Poly, Sultana, Yucaipa), pool B (REV, Temecula Chaparral, Riverside King, Paloma Valley) and pool C (Palm Springs, Corona, Temescal Canyon, Norco).

The Bulldog Classic at Ayala will take place Friday and Saturday. Joining the host Bulldogs will be Rancho Cucamonga -- the No. 9 team in Division 1-A -- and San Andreas League leader Cajon.

No real changes this week, as REV stays atop D2-AA. Aquinas breaks into the D4-AA rankings after a strong start to the season.

DIVISION 1-A
1. Santa Barbara
2. Dos Pueblos
3. Marymount
4. El Dorado
5. Laguna Beach
6. Huntington Beach
7. El Toro
8. Sherman Oaks Notre Dame
9. West Ranch
10. Rancho Cucamonga
Others receiving consideration: Arroyo Grande, Saugus

DIVISION 2-AA
1. Redlands East Valley
2. Corona del Mar
3. South Torrance
4. Beckman
5. Bishop Montgomery
6. St Lucy's
7. Lakewood St. Joseph
8. South Hills
9. Walnut
10. North Torrance
Others receiving consideration: Corona Centennial, Riverside Poly, Corona Santiago, Chino Hills

DIVISION 2-A
1. La Canada
2. La Reina
3. Troy
4. Elsinore
5. Oaks Christian
6. Oak Park
7. Oxnard
8. St. Bonaventure
9. Fullerton
10. La Habra

DIVISION 3-AA
1. Campbell Hall
2. Bonita
3. Brentwood
4. Quartz Hill
5. Warren
6. Downey
7. Santa Ynez
8. Granite Hills
9. Village Christian
10. Palm Springs
Others receiving consideration: Palm Desert, Los Altos, Cerritos Valley Christian

DIVISION 3-A
1. Mayfield
2. Santa Monica
3. Pasadena
4. Cerritos
5. La Mirada
6. Ganesha
7. San Gabriel
8. Chadwick
9. Gabrielino
10. Webb
Others receiving consideration: Beverly Hills, Bell Gardens

DIVISION 4-AA
1. Whittier Christian
2. St Margaret's
3. Laguna Blanca
4. Calvary Murrieta
5. Arrowhead Christian
6. Sage Hill
7. Windward
8. Ontario Christian
9. Viewpoint
10. Aquinas
Others receiving consideration: Paraclete, Jurupa Valley, Gardena Serra, St. Monica

DIVISION 4-A
1. Upland Christian
2. Nordhoff
3. Riverside Notre Dame
4. Frazier Mountain
5. Gladstone
6. Xavier Prep
7. Desert Christian/BD
8. Big Bear
9. Twentynine Palms
10. Yucca Valley
Others receiving consideration: Alverno, La Sierra Academy

It was quite the wait, but the Redlands East Valley girls volleyball team finally began the defense of its CIF-SS Division II-AA crown Monday, sweeping Redlands 25-10, 25-6, 25-21 in its season opener.

After a seemingly endless amount of intrasquad practices, the Wildcats -- which graduated seven players from their CIF championship and state finalist team -- were relieved to finally get things going against another team.

"It's been a long wait, a lot of practicing," REV coach Tricia Vansant said. "It gets repetitive practicing against your teammates. You get antsy and you want to play against someone else."

While it took a while for REV's season to get started, it won't take long for it to get into high gear. The Wildcats play in the Durango Tournament in Las Vegas this weekend and the Capistrano Tournament in Orange County the weekend after.

Both should be sizable tests for the Wildcats, who are looking to fill their lineup around senior setter Johnna Fouch -- who committed to San Diego State late last week -- junior outside hitter Krista Vansant and senior libero Kyle Oropeza. 6-foot-2 sophomore Alyssa Mason also saw a good bit of time last year, but injury and illness have her taking it slow in the early going of the season.

The 48-team Durango Tournament features teams throughout the Western United States while the Capistrano Tournament will involve the elite teams in Orange County and Southern California.

"We are going to see a higher level of volleyball and get a good idea of where we stand and what we need to work on," Vansant said. "I want our girls to be tested, to be challenged, to see how they react to other teams pushing them."

League play is beginning to start, so we'll be amping up our volleyball coverage a bit. Redlands East Valley, as you would expect, is ruling the roost in its division.

D1-A

1. Santa Barbara
2. Dos Pueblos
3. Marymount
4. Laguna Beach
5. Huntington Beach
6. El Dorado
7. West Ranch
8. Notre Dame Academy
9. El Toro
10. Rancho Cucamonga.
Others: Arroyo Grande.

D2-AA

1. Redlands East Valley
2. Corona del Mar
3. Bishop Montgomery
4. Beckman
5. Walnut
6. St. Lucy's
7. South Hills
8. South Torrance
9. St. Joseph
10. Ayala.
Others: Chino Hills, Corona Centennial, Corona Santiago.

D2-A

1. La Canada
2. La Reina
3. Troy
4. Elsinore
5. Oxnard
6. Oaks Christian
7. Oak Park
8. Fullerton
9. La Habra
10. St. Bonaventure.
Others: Camarillo.

D4-AA

1. Whittier Christian
2. St. Margaret's
3. Calvary Murrieta
4. Laguna Blanca
5. Arrowhead Christian
6. Sage Hill
7. Windward
8. Ontario Christian
9. Viewpoint
10. Gardena Serra.
Others: Jurupa Valley, Aquinas

D4-A

1. Upland Christian
2. Riverside Notre Dame
3. Nordhoff
4. Frazier Mountain
5. Desert Christian/BD
6. Alverno
7. Big Bear
8. Gladstone
9. Twentynine Palms
10. La Sierra Academy.
Others: Holy Family, Yucca Valley, Desert Hot Springs

After a standout career as an outside hitter for Cal State San Bernardino, Jessica Granados has decided to stay close to her alma mater for her first post-graduate job.

The 21-year old Granados was hired as the head volleyball coach at Aquinas, replacing Eric Benitez. Granados, the CCAA's reigning Female Athlete of the Year, was initially hired as an assistant coach but was promoted when Benitez left right after the school year.

"I never expected to be a head coach this quick," Granados said. "I figured I was years off from that. I'm really excited about the opportunity. A lot of these girls came to camps we had at Cal State, so it will be fun to work with them again."

Aquinas athletic director Chris Ybarra is excited about Granados' potential with the Falcons, who went 13-12 a year ago.

"Jessica has done some club coaching, so she has experience despite her youth," Ybarra said. "The girls saw how well she did at Cal State and will be excited to work with her."

Tara Roenicke and Summer Ross capped off a dominating run at the Australian Olympic Youth Festival Sunday afternoon Sydney time, sweeping the Australian duo of Mariafe Artacho and Zina Stone 21-17, 21-9 to capture the gold medal in girls beach volleyball.

Roenicke and Ross didn't lose a game in their run to the gold, winning all 10 of them en route to the championship.

"We had a goal of coming over here and not losing a game," Roenicke said. "We felt pretty good about how we matched up with all of these teams and we did it. I'm so excited right now I don't know what to do."

Roenicke called me on the tram in Sydney en route to watch the U.S. boys soccer team, which plays Australia in the gold medal game of that event. To get their gold medals, Roenicke and Ross toughed out a tight first game before turning it on in game two.

"Once we got that first game, I think they gave up a bit," Roenicke said. "It was so exciting. With every point I was just sitting there thinking 'Just one more.' It's an unbelievable feeling and I really don't even know how to act right now."

The third time in an international event was certainly the charm for Roenicke. She's competed the last two summers in the Under-19 World Championships in Poland and The Netherlands, respectively. She didn't receive a medal in those events, but the experience she obtained in those events definitely paid off.

"I felt real confident going into the gold-medal game," Roenicke said. "When I competed in Poland (in 2007), the team I was on was able to beat that team. I have a different partner, but I had a good feeling about this match coming in. I felt if we could beat Norway (in the semifinals) we'd have a good shot."

Roenicke, the United States' flag-bearer in the opening ceremonies, will hang out in Sydney for the closing ceremonies before flying back to Los Angeles on Tuesday and heading back to Los Osos Wednesday. And even though the resulting jet lag - Roenicke leaves Sydney Tuesday afternoon Australia time and arrives in Los Angeles Tuesday morning California time - will cause her to spend most of Tuesday adjusting, Roenicke knows the first thing she's going to do.

"I'm hanging up my gold medal in my room," Roenicke said.

Just got a text message from Tara Roenicke in Australia. Roenicke, who is representing the United States in the beach volleyball portion of the Australian Youth Olympic Festival in Sydney, told me that her and Summer Ross defeated Norway today (Saturday in Australia) to advance to the gold-medal game against the host Australians.

Roenicke and Ross, from Carlsbad, defeated the Norweigan duo of Linn Lehre and Mari Aase Hole (not a made-up name, trust me on this) 21-16, 23-21 on what Roenicke called a day with "crazy wind." Roenicke and Ross will play Mariafe Artacho and Zina Stone in the final at 11:30 a.m. Sunday Australian time, which is about 5:30 p.m. Saturday here in California.

Just received a call a little bit ago from Los Osos senior volleyball player Tara Roenicke, who is competing in the Australian Youth Olympic Festival in Sydney. Roenicke and beach volleyball partner Summer Ross of Carlsbad have cruised thus far, defeating teams from Australia, China and the United Kingdom to move to 3-0 in the tournament.

"It's going pretty well," Roenicke said. "The winds were really crazy and it was hard to get used to, but we are playing pretty well right now."

Roenicke and Ross defeated Australia's No. 2 team, 21-16, 21-14 ,and China, 22-20, 21-13 Thursday while adding a victory over the United Kingdom, 21-11, 21-11, Friday to move on in the playoff round, where they'll next play Norway on Saturday. Play ends Sunday with the medal round.

The volleyball has been part of a whirlwind few days for Roenicke, who took a 14-hour trans-Pacific flight out of Los Angeles Sunday night that landed in Sydney Tuesday morning Australian time. Of course, losing a day was made up by the cushy ride, as Roenicke and Ross were upgraded to business-class seating.

"The flight out was nice," Roenicke said. "We had these huge seats that we could stretch out, watch movies and sleep. It was weird losing a day, but we were ready to go once we got off the plane."

Roenicke carried the United States flag in Wednesday's opening ceremonies, giving her a chance to mingle with athletes from all 25 competing countries. And although Roenicke is no stranger to international competition, the experience of carrying the flag was something that will always stay with her.

"The opening ceremonies were so awesome," Roenicke said. "They were so organized and everything was just so beautiful and well-run. It was such an honor to hold the U.S. flag and getting to meet the athletes from other countries and talk to them. It's been such a rewarding experience."

We'll continue updating Roenicke's progress at the Olympic Festival throughout the weekend, so check back. Results also can be found here.

Los Osos senior volleyball player Tara Roenicke was chosen to be the flag bearer for the United States at the opening ceremonies of the Australian Youth Olympic Festival, which starts Wednesday in Sydney, Australia. The Youth Olympic Festival will host 1,500 athletes from 25 other countries.

This is the second international beach volleyball event for Roenicke, a 5-foot-11 senior who has signed a letter of intent to play at the University of Houston, since July and the third of her illustrious career. She is partnered with Summer Ross of Carlsbad and will begin play at the Youth Olympic Festival next Thursday, Jan. 15. The beach volleyball event runs until Sunday, Jan. 18.

In her career, Roenicke has represented the United States at the 2007 Under-19 World Beach Volleyball championships in Poland and at the 2008 U-19 World Championships in the Netherlands this past summer. In the most recent trip, Roenicke and Serrano graduate Caitlin Ledoux took fifth place, the best finish for an American girls team.

We'll have updates on Roenicke's progress at the event, but for information, the website for the Youth Olympic Festival is http://ayof09.olympics.com.au/.

The Redlands East Valley volleyball team, fresh off a CIF title victory over Corona del Mar Saturday, was named the No. 1 seed in the Southern California bracket in the Division II state playoffs. The Wildcats (35-1) open with El Cajon Valhalla on Tuesday at 7 p.m. With a win, REV would face the La Canada-Hanford winner on Saturday. The state championship match is scheduled for December 6 at the Bren Center on the campus of UC Irvine.