Los Gatos sizzles at right time, wins CCS volleyball title
On the volleyball courts last weekend, there weren’t many surprises as Nos. 1 or 2 seeds won every division in the North Coast Section and Central Coast Section finals — except one.
The Los Gatos girls needed all five sets, but the seventh-seeded Wildcats hoisted the CCS Division I championship trophy, beating their Santa Clara Valley Athletic League De Anza Division rival Palo Alto — the bracket’s top seed — 25-23, 19-25, 24-26, 25-15, 15-12 at Independence High.
Los Gatos, which began the tournament with a 15-15 record, knocked off No. 2 seed Monta Vista in the quarterfinals and No. 3 Carlmont in the semifinals.
“I’m happy for our girls,” coach Joe Ripp told correspondent Gordon Kass. “I’m proud of how hard we fought. We served and passed well, and we always have to play great defense.”
Archbishop Mitty (Open), Valley Christian (D-II), Burlingame (D-III), Monte Vista Christian (DIV) and Santa Catalina (DV) also won CCS titles.
In the NCS, Monte Vista (D-I), Campolindo (D-II), Marin Catholic (D-III), Branson (D-IV), Head-Royce (DV) and Mendocino (D-VI) claimed championships.
Water polo
The eight section water polo championship matches last weekend — NCS and CCS Divisions I and II, boys and girls — yielded no upsets in the finals as the No. 1 seeds went a perfect 8-0.
But there were some close calls. San Ramon Valley edged 8-7 Miramonte for the NCS girls D-I crown, and Miramonte outlasted Campolindo 12-10 in two OTs for the D-I boys title. In the CCS, Leland needed two OTs to edge St. Francis 8-7 for the D-I girls title.
Other CCS winners were Bellarmine (D-I boys) and Sacred Heart Prep (D-II boys and D-II girls).
Acalanes (D-II girls) and Tamalpais (D-II boys) won NCS titles.
Cross country
Bellarmine’s Meika Beaudoin-Rosse covered the 2.95-mile course at Crystal Springs last weekend in 14 minutes, 58.8 seconds, winning the CCS D-I boys race by 12.9 seconds over Palo Alto’s Kent Slaney, who had the second-fastest time among the five divisions.