Marina Rolls Over Mater Dei

LONG BEACH — Marina didn’t just tip over Mater Dei, the top-ranked team in the state, in Saturday’s Southern Section Division I-A girls’ volleyball championship match at Long Beach State.

After losing the first game, the Vikings blasted over, around and through the Monarchs to win, 9-15, 15-9, 15-6, 15-7.

Senior outside hitter Lindsay Phillips had 20 kills and 20 digs to lead a balanced attack and relentless defense for Marina, which needed only a little more than an hour to win the final three games.

Junior Chanda McLeod added 14 kills, senior Katie Keating had nine kills and 11 digs, and setter Ashlee Phillips had 43 assists in quarterbacking the offense for Marina (18-2), which kept Mater Dei (21-2) off-balance throughout.

Marina ended the match when junior Sarah Smith blocked Mater Dei’s Amy DeCinces at match point.

“That was one of our better defensive efforts this season,” Marina Coach Darrick Lucero said. “And we sustained it for the last three games. That was one of the main reasons we won.

“If we play like that, we’re pretty much the team to beat.”

Mater Dei Coach Ron Cheser also praised the Vikings.

“Marina dug the heck out of the ball didn’t they?” Cheser said. “Defensively, they outplayed us.”

Marina shut down Mater Dei’s high-powered attack after the Monarchs won the first game.

“Everyone was a little nervous for that first game,” McLeod said. “But that eventually went away as the match went on.”

McLeod helped turn the tide of the match with her jump serve. With the score tied, 7-7, in the second game, McLeod served for four points, including two aces. Teammate Katie Keating (nine kills) had two kills for two key side outs and a block for a point to help the Vikings pull ahead, 14-9.

Then Cheser made a substitution error and the penalty point gave the Vikings the game.

“I goofed in the biggest game of the year,” Cheser said.

Marina carried its momentum into the third game and Lindsay Phillips had four kills in a stretch in which the Vikings won nine of the final 10 points to win, 15-6.

The fourth game was more of the same as Marina sprinted to an 11-2 lead.

Lauren Warner, who had 11 kills and three blocks, and Lindsay Pavlik (eight kills, three blocks) helped the Monarchs win the first game, closing it out convincingly by winning six consecutive points.

However, that turned out to work in Marina’s favor.

“We were overconfident after that first game,” Warner said.

Marina took advantage of the opening and never let Mater Dei back into the match.