SHC girls top S.I. for Central Coast title

The Sacred Heart Cathedral girls volleyball team rallied from a two-set deficit to top rival St. Ignatius 20-25, 17-25, 25-22, 25-22, 15-12 and win the Central Coast Section’s Open Division championship Friday night at Palo Alto.

Megan Lenn led the Irish (30-6) with 17 kills, including the match winner, Lauren Sera added 13, and Skylar Canady knocked down 12.

The Wildcats (27-14) were paced by Duke-bound Elizabeth Fleming with 23 kills and a .455 attack percentage, and Megan Lucey with 19 kills and a .315 hitting percentage. Both teams continue play in the Northern California playoffs next week.

St. Ignatius got off to a strong start with solid defense, led by Megan Yu, as the Irish struggled on both offense and defense.

SHC changed the matchups and subbed in more defenders to slow the Wildcats and Lenn, solid all game, spearheaded the comeback as the momentum turned.

The Irish pulled away from late ties to win the final two sets. The fourth set was even at 21 when the Irish took control, keyed by a Lenn kill and an Alden Stanley block.

The final set was tied 9-9. Nora Thompson contributed a block and a kill in a five-point run that proved decisive.

The victory marked SHC’s fourth victory over the Wildcats this season.

This was the eighth CCS title for the Irish, but first at the Open Division, which began three years ago. This was SHC’s first CCS crown since 2011. Six of the previous seven were in Division 3.