The inaugural Tribune vs. Star-News All-Star girls volleyball game set for Wednesday, at Monrovia High, 7 p.m., for all the bragging rights

By Keith Lair, Staff Writer
It will be hammer vs. hammer, friend vs. friend and teammate vs. teammate when the best high school senior volleyball players in the San Gabriel Valley play on Wednesday, Jan. 26. The hammers will belong to the arms of St. Lucy’s Deanna Dalton and Monrovia’s Tirah Le’au. The two outside hitters are both powerful, longtime friends, they have been teammates on the same club team and both were selected volleyball players of the year; Dalton by the San Gabriel Valley Tribune and Le’au by the Pasadena Star-News.
Both will also be playing NCAA Division I volleyball next season. Dalton will play at Army and Le’au at Georgia.
The best-of-five match will be played in Monrovia’s new gym with a scheduled 7 p.m. start. (To continue click thread)


“This is like coaching college players,” said St. Lucy’s coach Sean Douglas, who will lead the Tribune team. “All these players are Division I material. It makes it pretty exciting.”

USC, Wake Forest, Sacred Heart, Loyola Marymount, Cal State Bakersfield, Eastern Washington, Fairfield and Delaware are where some of the players are heading.

St. Lucy’s won the CIF-Southern Section Division 2AA title and advanced to the third round of the CIF State playoffs. The Regents defeated Sierra League rival Chino Hills in the CIF-SS title match.

Monrovia finished second in the Rio Hondo League to La Ca ada, which will feature libero Eirene Kim in next week’s game. The Wildcats reached the second round of the playoffs.

Mayfield, behind USC-bound middle blocker Hannah Schraer, started slowly, but reached the CIF-SS semifinals, losing to league rival Pasadena Poly. The Panthers played for the championship game with nearly all of their starters underclassmen.

Monrovia’s Wayne Teng will coach the Star-News team.

Neither team is expected to practice before the match.

“They have too much going on,” Douglas said. “They’ve been playing club; they’ll figure it out.”

Also on the Tribune team will be Nicolle Ellis of San Dimas, Katie Kirby and Ashley Maxfeldt of Bonita, Jordyn Siko and Tori Haee of Chino Hills, Megan Callen and Alissa Young of St. Lucy’s and Jazmen Russell and Amanda Brown of Los Altos. Douglas will be assisted by Mallory Douglas and Jeff Henderson, his St. Lucy’s assistant coaches.

keith.lair@sgvn.com
626-962-8811, ext. 2242

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