NORWALK — When the Murrieta Valley girls volleyball team broke its huddle before the start of the fifth set Saturday afternoon, there were big smiles on the faces of the players.
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Coach Ann Romero-Parks did not appear as relaxed, and she had a good reason to be a little worried.
Five years ago, Murrieta Valley watched a two-set lead slip through its fingers in the CIF Southern Section Division 2 championship match against Esperanza, and it was starting to look like history might repeat itself.
This time, however, the Nighthawks pulled things together at the end. Miley Thunstrom’s 32nd kill of the afternoon brought an end to Murrieta Valley’s 25-23, 25-14, 20-25, 14-25, 15-12 victory over Palos Verdes in this year’s Division 2 title match at Cerritos College.
It marks the first section championship in the program’s history. But it was not easy, as the Nighthawks (28-7) had to withstand a 42-kill performance from Palos Verdes’ Stanford-bound outside hitter Kaci Demaria.
“We knew they were not going to go away after those first two sets,” Romero-Parks said about Palos Verdes. “Kaci is a remarkable player and they really made us work for this.”
The relaxation on the players’ faces entering that decisive set can be explained by the fact Murrieta Valley had a 5-0 mark in five-setters this year, with two of the wins in the playoffs.
“We just needed to hit the reset button in that fifth set,” said senior setter Melanie Hewlett, who finished the title match with 59 assists. “We played a bit scared in the third and fourth sets and starting to come apart as a team.
“But there really was no reason to be afraid or nervous anymore because we’ve been here before. We know how to win a fifth set.”
Thunstrom hammered down four kills to help the Nighthawks grab a 6-3 advantage in that decisive frame. Demaria matched Thunstrom and helped Palos Verdes get back within 9-8.
Summer Tukua picked things up offensively when Thunstrom rotated into the back row. The freshman opposite hitter had four kills in the fifth set to help Murrieta Valley reach set point. Demaria spoiled one match point, but Thunstrom ended it with a kill down the line.
“When a match comes down to a fifth set, it really comes down to who wants it more,” Thunstrom said. “I think we keep on proving just how much we really wanted to win this.”
Saturday’s title match in many ways came down to a numbers game. Demaria was unstoppable, no doubt, with those 42 kills, but the rest of the squad produced only 19 more.
Murrieta Valley’s attack was a little more balanced. Supporting Thunstrom were Cadence Axene (11 kills), Tukua (10 kills) and Ryleigh Short (10 kills).
“We had more options and more places to go whenever we needed to win a big point” Romero-Parks said.
Hewlett, Short and Thunstrom have been on the varsity squad for four seasons. The trio had not won a playoff match until this year.
“It’s been an honor to represent Murrieta Valley over the years,” said Short, who also had a match-high 19 digs. “And to be the team to make history is definitely exciting.”
Hewlett delivered a master class in setting in the first two sets, as the Nighthawks tallied a combined 35 kills while hitting at a .426 clip.
Murrieta Valley, not surprisingly, made runs when Demaria was stuck in the back row.
“Our goal was to try to be +4 when she was back there,” Romero-Parks said.
Thunstrom and Short had five kills apiece in the opening set, and Thunstrom led the way in the second frame with seven kills.
Murrieta Valley had a 15-11 lead in the third, but Palos Verdes put together a 10-2 run to surge ahead. Demaria had seven kills in that stretch and had 13 total kills in the third set.
Palos Verdes (22-9) used runs of 6-1 and 9-0 to run away with the fourth set.
Murrieta Valley will return to action Tuesday when they open play in CIF State playoffs. The Nighthawks are expected to be one of top seeds in the Division I regional bracket.
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