MOUNTAIN VIEW – Crown them.
Archbishop Mitty has been an up-and-down crew this season. The Monarchs began the yr with nice expectations coming off a stellar 2023 marketing campaign that ended with a NorCal championship.
It didn’t all the time appear like Mitty would get there this yr. However on the finish of their match towards St. Francis on Tuesday on Mountain View, the Monarchs hadn’t simply received the 2024 NorCal ladies volleyball Open Division championship.
They’d completed it with out dropping a set in the complete match.
9 consecutive units received was the fruits of two weeks of untamed emotional swings. The Monarchs had blown a 2-0 lead over St. Ignatius at house within the CCS Open semifinals, in the end shedding 3-2.
Archbishop Mitty, Archbishop Mitty’s Nicole Macalintal (8), celebrates their 25-11, 25-18, 25-19 win with college students over St. Francis for the CIF NorCal Open Division championship recreation at St. Francis Excessive Faculty in Mountain View, Calif., on Tuesday, Nov. 19, 2024. (Nhat V. Meyer/Bay Space Information Group)
Mitty by no means misplaced one other lead after that.
“The current group that was on the court, they weren’t tested,” stated Monarchs coach Jon Wallace. “They got really tested against SI, and we didn’t respond appropriately. So we had good talks about it. They knew clearly where they wanted to go when things got hard, and they showed it at Marin Catholic and against Rocklin. And for sure tonight in this atmosphere. They were laser-focused on their job, and they all executed it really well.”
Mitty jumped out to an enormous lead within the first set, successful 25-11. The Monarchs weren’t almost as dominant within the second set, taking it 25-18.
By the tip of the third set, there was not any doubt. Mitty received 25-19, and one of the best crew in Northern California had been definitively established.
Archbishop Mitty’s Makenna Crosson (4) spikes the ball towards St. Francis within the second set of their CIF NorCal Open Division championship recreation at St. Francis Excessive Faculty in Mountain View, Calif., on Tuesday, Nov. 19, 2024. (Nhat V. Meyer/Bay Space Information Group)
“It really lit a fire,” Mitty hitter Makenna Crosson stated of the loss to SI. “We focused on all the small things, all the things we needed to do in that match that we didn’t end up doing. And it showed here in our sweep.”
St. Francis had no reply for Crosson, a high recruit within the 2026 class who’s dedicated to Minnesota. Crosson, who led the Monarchs with 16 kills, and senior hitter Izzy Romero had missed a big portion of the common season, limiting what Mitty might do offensively.
The Monarchs are all the best way again now, and they’re formally a pressure to be reckoned with within the state championship recreation on Saturday towards Cathedral Catholic-San Diego.
“Mitty played incredibly well,” stated St. Francis coach Lake Merchen. “We’ve been coping with some adversity it looks as if the complete playoffs, and we’ve been catching little streaks, little miracles right here and there. It looks as if tonight it ran dry somewhat bit, which is clearly a bummer.
“We lost to a team that just played perfect all night, and that’s something that you can appreciate as a volleyball fan. You’re like, ‘OK, if I’m going to go down, I’m going to go down to a group of really good coaches and a group of incredible players.’”
St. Francis’ Grace Gowdy (14) bumps the ball towards Archbishop Mitty within the third set of their CIF NorCal Open Division championship recreation at St. Francis Excessive Faculty in Mountain View, Calif., on Tuesday, Nov. 19, 2024. (Nhat V. Meyer/Bay Space Information Group)
Mitty was considered one of the best crew in Northern California getting into the CCS playoffs, however the upset to SI shifted that paradigm. Since then, the Monarchs have put forth a sustained stretch of dominance that solely appeared doable of their wildest desires.
“I was really hopeful that they were going to be who we are,” Wallace stated. “Which is: it doesn’t matter when you’re up 2-0 or down 2-0. As a result of once we have been up 2-0 towards SI, we modified. That’s not how we need to be. And so we took that and stated, ‘OK, we’re pedal to the metal. Doesn’t matter what the scoreboard says. We’re going as hard as we can.’
“And I said, ‘The challenge is going to be when you get punched in the face, can you still be that? And they all said, ‘Yes, we’re going to be.’ So they showed that tonight in a really nice way. That’s a good team. And I don’t think beating them 3-0 is an indication of where they are. We’re just going to be relentless in what we do.”
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Earlier than Tuesday evening, it appeared unlikely that whoever got here out of the NorCal Open bracket might problem one of the best crew in Southern California.
Now? We’ll see.
“That’s a tough call,” Wallace stated. “The groups down there have been extra battle-tested than we have now by like tenfold. So it’s arduous to say when push involves shove, is our shove gonna be adequate? We’ve undoubtedly received some items which are fairly good. We received some athletes who can play at that stage.
“Can we go down there and do it over time and win three sets? That will be a challenge. But we have girls that were in that match three years ago as freshmen, and they know what it’s like, so I think we’re going to be OK. But teams down there are different.”
