MURRIETA — Murrieta Valley girls volleyball coach Ann Romero-Parks had a feeling coming into Wednesday evening’s CIF Southern Section Division 2 girls volleyball quarterfinal match that her team would go to five sets against Orange Lutheran.
Murrieta Valley’s Ryleigh Short (14) hits between Orange Lutheran middle hitter Kaley Houser (8) and Orange Lutheran’s Marley Robinson (3) during the CIF Southern Section Division 1 girls volleyball quarterfinal match in Murrieta on Wednesday, Oct. 30, 2024. (Photo by Terry Pierson, The Press-Enterprise/SCNG)
Murrieta Valley’s Summer Tukua (25), Murrieta Valley’s Melanie Hewlett (13) and Murrieta Valley’s Miley Thunstrom (22) celebrate winning game one against Orange Lutheran during the CIF Southern Section Division 1 girls volleyball quarterfinal match in Murrieta on Wednesday, Oct. 30, 2024. (Photo by Terry Pierson, The Press-Enterprise/SCNG)
Orange Lutheran’s Saniya Kimbrough (4) hits past the block of Murrieta Valley’s Melanie Hewlett (13) during the CIF Southern Section Division 1 girls volleyball quarterfinal match in Murrieta on Wednesday, Oct. 30, 2024. (Photo by Terry Pierson, The Press-Enterprise/SCNG)
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Murrieta Valley’s Melanie Hewlett (13) makes the dig against Orange Lutheran during the CIF Southern Section Division 1 girls volleyball quarterfinal match in Murrieta on Wednesday, Oct. 30, 2024. (Photo by Terry Pierson, The Press-Enterprise/SCNG)
Orange Lutheran libero Jaedyn Houston (29) reacts after hitting the ball out off play against Murrieta Valley during the CIF Southern Section Division 1 girls volleyball quarterfinal match in Murrieta on Wednesday, Oct. 30, 2024. (Photo by Terry Pierson, The Press-Enterprise/SCNG)
Murrieta Valley head coach Ann Romero-Parks pumps her fist as the Nighthawks win game one against Orange Lutheran during the CIF Southern Section Division 1 girls volleyball quarterfinal match in Murrieta on Wednesday, Oct. 30, 2024. (Photo by Terry Pierson, The Press-Enterprise/SCNG)
Murrieta Valley’s Miley Thunstrom hits past Orange Lutheran’s Saniya Kimbrough (4) during the CIF Southern Section Division 1 girls volleyball quarterfinal match in Murrieta on Wednesday, Oct. 30, 2024. (Photo by Terry Pierson, The Press-Enterprise/SCNG)
Murrieta Valley head coach Ann Romero-Parks talks with her players between games against Orange Lutheran during the CIF Southern Section Division 1 girls volleyball quarterfinal match in Murrieta on Wednesday, Oct. 30, 2024. (Photo by Terry Pierson, The Press-Enterprise/SCNG)
Orange Lutheran outside hitter Maylynn Mitchell (11) hits past Murrieta Valley’s Cadence Axene (28) and Murrieta Valley’s Maya Keller (13) during the CIF Southern Section Division 1 girls volleyball quarterfinal match in Murrieta on Wednesday, Oct. 30, 2024. (Photo by Terry Pierson, The Press-Enterprise/SCNG)
Murrieta Valley’s Sophia Castro (16) tries to make the diving save against Orange Lutheran during the CIF Southern Section Division 1 girls volleyball quarterfinal match in Murrieta on Wednesday, Oct. 30, 2024. (Photo by Terry Pierson, The Press-Enterprise/SCNG)
Murrieta Valley’s Summer Tukua (25) hits as Orange Lutheran’s Adisyn Tognazzini (1) tries to block during the CIF Southern Section Division 1 girls volleyball quarterfinal match in Murrieta on Wednesday, Oct. 30, 2024. (Photo by Terry Pierson, The Press-Enterprise/SCNG)
Murrieta Valley’s Summer Tukua (25) hits as Orange Lutheran’s Adisyn Tognazzini (1) tries to block her shot during the CIF Southern Section Division 1 girls volleyball quarterfinal match in Murrieta on Wednesday, Oct. 30, 2024. (Photo by Terry Pierson, The Press-Enterprise/SCNG)
Murrieta Valley’s players celebrate a point against Orange Lutheran during the CIF Southern Section Division 1 girls volleyball quarterfinal match in Murrieta on Wednesday, Oct. 30, 2024. (Photo by Terry Pierson, The Press-Enterprise/SCNG)
Orange Lutheran fans cheer during the CIF Southern Section Division 1 girls volleyball quarterfinal match in Murrieta on Wednesday, Oct. 30, 2024. (Photo by Terry Pierson, The Press-Enterprise/SCNG)
Murrieta Valley’s Summer Tukua (25) celebrates a block against Orange Lutheran during the CIF Southern Section Division 1 girls volleyball quarterfinal match in Murrieta on Wednesday, Oct. 30, 2024. (Photo by Terry Pierson, The Press-Enterprise/SCNG)
Murrieta Valley’s Ryleigh Short (14) defends as Orange Lutheran’s Marley Robinson (3) sets the ball during the CIF Southern Section Division 1 girls volleyball quarterfinal match in Murrieta on Wednesday, Oct. 30, 2024. (Photo by Terry Pierson, The Press-Enterprise/SCNG)
Murrieta Valley’s Ryleigh Short (14) hits against Orange Lutheran during the CIF Southern Section Division 1 girls volleyball quarterfinal match in Murrieta on Wednesday, Oct. 30, 2024. (Photo by Terry Pierson, The Press-Enterprise/SCNG)
Orange Lutheran players celebrate against Murrieta Valley during the CIF Southern Section Division 1 girls volleyball quarterfinal match in Murrieta on Wednesday, Oct. 30, 2024. (Photo by Terry Pierson, The Press-Enterprise/SCNG)
Murrieta Valley’s Miley Thunstrom and Murrieta Valley’s Naomi Barbosa (15) celebrate a point against Orange Lutheran during the CIF Southern Section Division 1 girls volleyball quarterfinal match in Murrieta on Wednesday, Oct. 30, 2024. (Photo by Terry Pierson, The Press-Enterprise/SCNG)
Orange Lutheran’s Adisyn Tognazzini (1) is unable to make the block of Murrieta Valley’s Summer Tukua (25) hit during the CIF Southern Section Division 1 girls volleyball quarterfinal match in Murrieta on Wednesday, Oct. 30, 2024. (Photo by Terry Pierson, The Press-Enterprise/SCNG)
Orange Lutheran setter Kayla Spencer (6) from left Orange Lutheran middle hitter Jazlynn Fu (15) and Orange Lutheran’s Marley Robinson (3) celebrate a block against Murrieta Valley during the CIF Southern Section Division 1 girls volleyball quarterfinal match in Murrieta on Wednesday, Oct. 30, 2024. (Photo by Terry Pierson, The Press-Enterprise/SCNG)
Murrieta Valley’s Miley Thunstrom hits past the block of Orange Lutheran middle hitter Jazlynn Fu (15) during the CIF Southern Section Division 1 girls volleyball quarterfinal match in Murrieta on Wednesday, Oct. 30, 2024. (Photo by Terry Pierson, The Press-Enterprise/SCNG)
Murrieta Valley’s Sophia Castro (16) passes the ball against Orange Lutheran during the CIF Southern Section Division 1 girls volleyball quarterfinal match in Murrieta on Wednesday, Oct. 30, 2024. (Photo by Terry Pierson, The Press-Enterprise/SCNG)
Murrieta Valley’s Cadence Axene (28) from left Bailey Morrison (24), Melanie Hewlett (13) and Summer Tukua (25) celebrate after defeating Orange Lutheran 3-2 to win the CIF Southern Section Division 1 girls volleyball quarterfinal match in Murrieta on Wednesday, Oct. 30, 2024. (Photo by Terry Pierson, The Press-Enterprise/SCNG)
Murrieta Valley players during the national anthem before playing Orange Lutheran in the CIF Southern Section Division 1 girls volleyball quarterfinal match in Murrieta on Wednesday, Oct. 30, 2024. (Photo by Terry Pierson, The Press-Enterprise/SCNG)
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Murrieta Valley’s Ryleigh Short (14) hits between Orange Lutheran middle hitter Kaley Houser (8) and Orange Lutheran’s Marley Robinson (3) during the CIF Southern Section Division 1 girls volleyball quarterfinal match in Murrieta on Wednesday, Oct. 30, 2024. (Photo by Terry Pierson, The Press-Enterprise/SCNG)
After the Nighthawks jumped out to a 2-0 lead, one would’ve thought that premonition unlikely. But Orange Lutheran, behind the powerful arm of former Santiago star Maylynn Mitchell, fought back to force a fifth set before falling to the Nighthawks 27-25, 25-17, 21-25, 19-25, 15-11.
No. 2-seeded Murrieta Valley (26-7) advances to play at third-seeded Etiwanda in Saturday’s semifinal round. Etiwanda was a 25-8, 21-25, 25-19, 25-21 winner over South Torrance on Wednesday.
Murrieta Valley remains perfect at 5-0 in five-set matches with the win and is 9-2 in matches that go to a deciding set. Miley Thunstrom finished with a match-high 22 kills and three aces to lead the way for the Nighthawks. Ryleigh Short added 17 kills and three aces, while Summer Tukua threw in 11 kills.
“I knew Orange Lutheran wasn’t going to go away quietly,” Romero-Parks said. “Throughout this year and all of these deciding set matches this group has shown just an incredible resiliency that was forged when they came in as freshman, playing in masks during COVID. They’re just a great group of humans and I couldn’t be prouder of them.”
In the fifth set’s race to 15, Thunstrom gave the Nighthawks a 4-1 lead behind two kills and back-to-back aces. Mitchell had a kill which cut the Murrieta Valley lead to 9-8. However, Murrieta Valley stretched the lead to 12-8, as Thunstrom recorded three kills in a four-point span, and Cami Kenoi served up an ace. Ryleigh Short sent the Nighthawks to Saturday’s semifinal with one final kill that set off a Murrieta Valley celebration.
“After back-to-back fives it’ll be nice to have a couple of days to get ready for Etiwanda,” Thunstrom said. “We had to regroup after that fourth set and just remind ourselves to go out there and play fearless volleyball, which is exactly what we did.”
Murrieta Valley trailed 10-6 in the opening set after a kill from Orange Lutheran’s Saniya Kimbrough. However, the Nighthawks rallied to tie the set at 13 on a well-placed kill to the left corner from Short. The Lancers went on a 6-2 run and led 19-15 before Murrieta Valley rallied with a 6-0 run to surge in front. Thunstrom had two kills, and Kenoi added an ace. Thunstrom and Short had the last two kills as Murrieta Valley finished off their rally.
In the second set, Murrieta Valley jumped out to an 8-1 lead on two aces (one each from Melanie Hewlett and Thunstrom) along with a combo block from Summer Tukua and Naomi Barbosa. Orange Lutheran (28-13) served up five aces in a nine-point span (three by Jaedyn Houston and two from Marley Robinson) to pull within 16-13. Short ended the set with back-to-back aces as Murrieta Valley took a 2-0 lead.
“We’ve really had to learn how to fight for wins this year and from the start which has prepared us for the playoffs,” Short said. “Over my time here this is the closest team I’ve been a part of, and that closeness has given us confidence when we’re pushed to deciding sets.”
After Murrieta Valley took a 12-9 lead midway through the third set on five kills and an ace from Thunstrom, it was Orange Lutheran rallying to take a 14-12 lead on three kills from Mitchell and a combo block between Jazlynn Fu and Adisyn Tognazzini. Mitchell kept the match alive with her ninth kill of the set.
Holding onto a one-point lead late in set four, Orange Lutheran went on a 4-0 run to go up 22-17 behind three aces from Mitchell and a kill from Kimbrough as the Lancers again rallied to force the race to 15 points.
Mitchell finished with 21 kills and three aces for Orange Lutheran, which has qualified for the CIF State playoff by reaching the Division 2 quarterfinals.
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