The Riverside Press-Enterprise
Balanced Broncos upend the Bears
Vista Murrieta opens defense of title with four-set win over Temecula Valley
Claire Little no longer is around to do her Wonder Woman act and carry the Vista Murrieta girls volleyball team across the finish line.
The two-time IE Varsity Player of the Year now is a starting outside hitter at BYU, but the cupboard is not bare this season. The Broncos returned five starters from a squad that won the CIF Southern Section Division 2 championship, and the roster has been bolstered by a pair of promising freshmen and a notable transfer.
Vista Murrieta coach Ed Taitano made the most of his allotted substitutions Tuesday evening, as 13 players saw action during the team’s Southwestern League opener against visiting Temecula Valley.
Lilliana Montes had 15 kills to lead a balanced attack for the Broncos, who opened defense of their league championship with a 25-23, 25-27, 25-20, 25-21 victory.
“We tried a lot of different lineups and looks today,” Taitano said. “I kind of have a lineup in my mind, but as you saw tonight there are enough bodies who are capable of coming off the bench and providing a spark.”
Savannah Sheridan had four quick kills and helped Temecula Valley (6-2) race out to an 8-4 lead. But seven service errors plagued the Golden Bears and left the door open for Vista Murrieta to take the first set.
Vista Murrieta (7-1) was its own worst enemy in the second set, as the Broncos had 10 attacking errors and five service errors. There were three lead changes in the final stages, but a 3-0 run helped Temecula Valley level the match.
Charlotte Underwood came off the bench and gave Vista Murrieta a boost in the third set. She tallied four kills to fuel a 13-7 run. Saniyah Manalac did likewise at the end of the game with two important kills.
Madison Snow had the hot hand for Temecula Valley in the fourth set, as her six kills gave the Bears hope at extending the match. The score was tied at 15, but Montes was unstoppable in the middle with five kills in that. Montes was efficient
throughout the match, as she had no attacking errors and a .682 hitting percentage.
“Losing Claire is huge, and everyone knows they have to step up and do a little more this year,” said Katrina Catalan, a senior setter and rightside hitter. “The big thing for us right now is playing more matches and getting that chemistry down.”
One thing that has carried over from last season is the stellar defense, led by returning libero Miliani Villareal.
“Defense wins championships,” Villareal said. “If we play good defense, then I just know the offense will follow.”
Madison Pulsipher and Catalan finished the match with nine and eight kills, respectively.
Snow led Temecula Valley with 12 kills, while Sheridan and Alison Chapin had 10 and eight kills, respectively.
Etiwanda sweeps Chino Hills in Baseline opener
The teams that shared the Baseline League title last year opened the 2023 Baseline League season on Tuesday. And it was Etiwanda that had one distinct advantage: this was the first match for sophomore outside hitter Nina Hemsley after serving a 30-day, sit-out period following her transfer from Rancho Cucamonga.
Hemsley fit into the Eagles’
lineup seamlessly, playing the entire match and tallying a team-high 13 kills and an ace as Etiwanda swept visiting Chino Hills 25-16, 25-18, 25-13.
“It’s been anticipation for us throughout the preseason,” Etiwanda coach Savannah Flores said. “We’ve been prepping with her, without her. Filling her in, finding a spot for her. The team was really excited today to get her playing. She texted me at about 6 this morning, ‘Coach I’m ready to play.’ She was all excited.”
The victory for Etiwanda (15-4) was without serious challenge from the Huskies (13-4), shown by the fact that Flores did not need to use a timeout in the match.
“They were running the game plan,” Flores said. “They were listening to what I had to say between games.”
It was not the ideal start for Chino Hills, which was missing two starters for family reasons and had the unfortunate circumstance of facing the Eagles fortified for the first time with Hemsley.
“Defensively, we prepared for them,” Huskies coach Jay Connor Jr. said. “But I didn’t prepare for their sitout player.”
The first set was tight for a while, but Etiwanda scored 11 of the final 14 points. The Eagles took control earlier in the second set, scoring five straight points to go ahead 18-12 and the Huskies never got closer than four points the rest of the set.
The Eagles used an 6-0 run in the third set — started by a Hemsley kill — to take a 14-7 lead and were not threatened thereafter.
Connor believes Tuesday’s win stamps Etiwanda as the favorite to win the league but doesn’t think Etiwanda will have as easy a time traveling to Chino Hills. The teams split their two league matches last year, with each team winning on their home floor.
“I’m expecting a great matchup, like we did last year,” Connor said. “We’ll be better prepared for them.”
Junior Brooke Hansen had a very well-rounded game for Etiwanda, with eight kills on 13 attempts, eight digs, eight assists and an ace. Freshman Lauren Furnald had five kills and three aces, junior Alina Parrales had 10 digs, six assists and two aces and senior Keira Andrews had 12 assists, six digs and two aces.
Senior Ashlee Sento led Chino Hills with nine kills, while junior Maya Banks and senior Sienna Lopez had two aces each.