Mira Costa gets another chance on the national girls volleyball stage this weekend when it travels to the Torrey Pines Tournament, where it could face off against Long Beach Wilson and La Costa Canyon.
Mira Costa, led by junior Falyn Fonoimoana (pictured), is ranked No. 13 in the prepvolleyball.com national poll. La Costa Canyon is No. 1, and Wilson is No. 14, still feeling the effects of a narrow loss to Mira Costa in the exhibition Iolani Tournament in Hawaii.
Mira Costa should have no problem in its pool against La Jolla or Bakersfield Christian on Friday, but it gets a stern test right away on Saturday against possibly Long Beach Wilson.
"I think it will be tough," Mira Costa coach Lisa Zimmerman said after a 25-20, 29-27, 25-20 victory over Palos Verdes on Wednesday. "We don't get a lot of matches, and it's going to be intense right away on Saturday.
"Long Beach Wilson just keeps getting better, and they'll be eager to pay us back for Hawaii, even though that was just a practice tournament. And La Costa Canyon, if we get to play them, are strong and play with a nice flow. They have a nice game."
Mira Costa's game is still developing, with junior Falyn Fonoimoana leading the way. With so many younger players on the team, Fonoimoana calls herself the "mama" or the team or the "babysitter" and said after the team has had time together to get used to playing with such a new group, the Mustangs will be quite lethal.
Sheridan Taylor and Alyssa Anderson are also strong players for Mira Costa, and Emma White is coming off a stellar effort against Palos Verdes. Erica Lau and Andi Zbojniewicz are also ones to watch.
How about the rest of the Bay League after the opening matches this week?
That's a little more up in the air. Mira Costa might be younger than normal, but its players are still the best in the South Bay.
Redondo also has a young team and appears vulnerable, though the Sea Hawks showed their mettle with a key road win at Peninsula this week. Lara Dykstra allows this team to do many different things, and never underestimate a Tommy Chaffins-coached team.
Palos Verdes appears to have the most upside. Coach Pinter Aguirre has the right blend of veterans and youngsters who have already shown they are not the doormats they have been in recent years. They beat Bishop Montgomery, North Torrance and El Segundo, have a viable setter in Madison Smith, a fearless hitter in Katie Hardy, a solid blocker in Caroline Daly and superb freshmen in Kelly Johnson and Dana Connors.
Peninsula coach Mike Jagd said this is his deepest team in his 37-year coaching history, and you have to expect the Panthers will be able to turn it around soon after losses to Torrance, South Torrance and now Redondo in the past week. Allison Lee and Amy Van Buren are a potent 1-2 punch, and the Panthers have weapons all over the court.
And don't count out West Torrance. The Warriors somehow beat South Torrance this season and might have their best team in recent years, but their first step in the Bay League was less than encouraging with a rout at the hands of Mira Costa. It will be important for West to set the tone for the rest of the year in its next Bay League match.
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