TEMECULA — “Find a way back!”
That is a phrase Temecula Valley girls volleyball coach Neemias Costa repeated throughout Wednesday evening’s match.
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Temecula Valley faced deficits in every set, but the Golden Bears found their way back three times to defeat Murrieta Valley 25-22, 25-23, 20-25, 25-21 in the second Southwestern League showdown between the Inland area’s top-ranked squads.
The Golden Bears (16-3 overall, 9-1 in league) avenged a previous five-set loss and claimed a share of the league championship.
“I just kept reminding them of what we did at practice (Tuesday),” Costa said. “We spent about two hours working on game scenarios with us down four or five points and how we come back from that. We’re a good team coming from behind and showed that tonight.”
Murrieta Valley (24-7, 9-1) raced to a 7-3 lead in the opening frame, but Temecula Valley battled back and leveled the score at 9. That was the first of 10 ties in the set. There also were seven lead changes. Murrieta Valley took a 20-19 lead following a block by Miley Thunstrom and Naomi Barbosa, but Temecula Valley won four straight points to take control down the stretch. Ginger Boyle and Alison Chapin combined for a block to give Temecula Valley a set point, and Savannah Sheridan ended the game with a kill.
The second game was tight at the start, but Murrieta Valley carved out a 16-12 advantage after a kill and an an ace from Summer Tukua. However, Temecula Valley responded with a 9-2 run to take the lead. Boyle had a pair of kills in that stretch, while Stephanie Gonzalez and Rylee Koontz scored with aces. Murrieta Valley staved off one set point, but a kill by Anaya Francois gave the set to the Bears.
Temecula Valley dominated that second set offensively, recording 20 kills to only nine by the Nighthawks. Murrieta Valley kept the score close with its blocking. Barbosa had a solo block and combined with fellow freshman Tukua for three more stuffs in the set.
The Golden Bears eyed a sweep after taking a 16-13 lead during the third frame. But this time, it was Murrieta Valley that showed some resilience. The Nighthawks extended the match with a 12-4 closing run that included two combo blocks with Barbosa in the mix on both.
Murrieta Valley carried that momentum into the fourth set and raced to a 5-1 lead. Another decisive fifth set appeared likely after the Nighthawks extended their advantage to 17-10. But Temecula Valley rattled off six straight points, half of them coming on kills by Maddy Snow, one of five Golden Bears who were honored on Senior Night. The score was tied at 20, but a pair of attacking errors by the Nighthawks gave Temecula Valley the lead. Sheridan got the Golden Bears to match point before a final hitting error by Murrieta Valley ended the match.
“It had to be a team effort to win tonight,” said Sheridan, who shined on offense and defense for the Golden Bears on Wednesday night. “If we’re not going to lean on each other or work with each other, we’re not coming back. We had to do this together as a team.”
Murrieta Valley coach Ann Romero-Parks felt the difference in the second meeting came down to errors in key moments.
“There really is not a lot separating these teams,” Romero-Parks said. “Both teams balled out tonight, but we made more errors.”
The league title is Temecula Valley’s first since 2017. For Murrieta Valley, it marks the program’s first league title since 2009.
Sheridan and Snow had 14 kills apiece, and Francois added 11 kills to lead a balanced attack for Temecula Valley. Chapin chipped in with nine kills, and Boyle added eight more. Sheridan and Koontz each had three aces for the Golden Bears.
Tukua tallied a match-high 18 kills for Murrieta Valley and also had four block assists. Ryleigh Short and Thunstrom finished with 10 and nine kills, respectively, for the Nighthawks. Barbosa registered one solo block and eight block assists.
Wednesday’s result will have major postseason implications. Temecula Valley and Murrieta Valley were No. 8 and No. 9, respectively, in the CIF Southern Section rankings entering the week. Temecula Valley almost certainly will be part of the Division 1 playoffs.
“I think we’re all excited about having that opportunity,” Snow said. “I think they all are going to be some very exciting games.”
Many forecast the Southern Section will keep the eight-team, pool-play format used for the Division 1 playoffs in recent seasons. Each team will have at least three matches, and all eight teams would be guaranteed a berth in the CIF State playoffs.
Murrieta Valley would be included in Division 1 if the Southern Section decides on a 16-team bracket for the Division 1 playoffs, or the Nighthawks could be a top-seeded team in Division 2. The section will release the pairings the morning of Saturday, Oct. 19.
“We will play whoever they give us,” Romero-Park said. “No matter what division it is, we’re going to bring our best volleyball.”
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