EASTLAKE DECIDES NO SHARING THIS YEAR
Eastlake High School’s girls volleyball team is filled with marvelous athletes. They’re excellent students, too, with GPAs that make counselors smile.
The Titans, though, do have one f law. They’re not into sharing.
A year ago, Eastlake shared the Metro Mesa League title with rival Otay Ranch. On Friday afternoon, in the Mustangs’ boisterous gym, ninth-ranked Eastlake needed to knock off sixthranked Otay to avoid sharing another league crown.
The Titans pulled it off, fending off a match point to win 21-25, 25-17, 20-25, 26-24, 15-8.
“They didn’t like the league patches last year that said ‘cochamps’ ” said Eastlake coach Erwin Macalaguim, in his 24th and final year coaching the Titans.
Added Ivana Rivera, who’s bound for Stanford on a beach volleyball scholarship and led the Titans with 18 kills, “We don’t like to share.”
Eastlake closes the regular season 25-12, 8-0 in league. Otay finished 42-7, 6-2. The league title is the sixth straight for Eastlake.
How close are the teams? They played five sets in the first round of league play, Eastlake winning 16-14 in the fifth. Both teams are expected to advance to the eight-team Open Division playoffs, which begin Thursday.
In the crucial fourth set, Eastlake rallied from a 12-7 deficit. Otay Ranch had a match point at 25-24 but Eastlake scored the final three points. One came on an ace by Kenidee Wax, who served six aces in the match, two in the fifth set.
Of Wax’s serving, teammate
Lily Stewart said, “She is just amazing.”
Eastlake dominated the fifth set, racing to leads of 6-0, 8-1 and 11-3.
On the match’s final point, Stewart crushed a kill. It grazed off an Otay defender, fluttered to the floor and the Titans’ bench players flooded the floor.
Stewart, who earned second team All-CIF honors last year as a junior, also closed the fourth set with a kill.
“Lily, she’s a pit bull,” said Macalaguim. “She’s my leader. Sometimes during timeouts, I don’t even speak. I’ll walk up to her, tell her what adjustments need to be made and she tells everyone. She keeps everyone up, no matter what’s going on.” Stewart finished with 15 kills. The loss was a heartbreaking one for Otay Ranch, particularly senior outside hitter Ximena Cordero. She earned second team All-CIF honors last season and was the best player on the floor, finishing with 21 kills. At 5feet-10, a modest height for outside hitters, she’s blessed with kangaroo hops, a violent swing and an intensity that doesn’t waver.
“Ximena is amazing,” said Macalaguim. “She’s the best player in our league. Anytime they have her on the floor, they’re never out of matches. That girl can hit the ball from the back row, the front row, it doesn’t matter where she’s at.”
Andrea Torres had 15 kills for Otay Ranch.
But it proved to be a joyful ride back to school for Eastlake, which didn’t blink when the match was on the line.
Of the rivalry, Stewart said, “It’s fun, competitive. And the ultimate goal is to beat each other.”