Volleyball

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SECOND TEAM Thomas Adamson, Senior, Outside Hitter, South Pasadena All-CIF Southern Section Division III first-team pick and All-Rio Hondo League first-team selection averaged 3.3 kills per game. Kareem Ismail, Junior, Middle Blocker, Flintridge Prep All-Prep League first-team selection finished with 235 kills and 93 blocks. Charles McCarthy, Junior, Outside Hitter, St. Francis Notched 172 kills and 52 digs to receive All-Mission League second-team accolades.

Bellarmine-Jefferson traveled to St. Anthony's for what is annually its toughest test in the Santa Fe League and came away with a hard-fought 25-20, 23-25, 25-21, 22-25, 15-13 victory. Taryn Nelson and Natalie Bravo led the way for the Guards, who have won six consecutive league crowns, to claim their 48 th straight league victory. "It was a tough battle all the way,” said Guards Coach Miguel Segura. “We knew it was going to be tough, but the girls stepped up. It's the kind of win that makes a coach happy.” Nelson had 27 kills, 18 digs and four aces, while Bravo had 20 kills and nine digs.

PROVIDENCE - Bellarmine-Jefferson High girls' volleyball Coach Miguel Segura informed his team about a pertinent piece of information prior to its nonleague match Tuesday against Providence. The coach reminded his players that the Guards had not lost to the cross-town rival Pioneers since 2006. Behind the play of seniors Taryn Nelson and Mariah Bankhead, Bell-Jeff increased that winning streak to six with a 25-22, 25-14, 25-18 victory at Providence. The last time the Pioneers defeated the Guards was in 2006 under former coach James Jimenez, as they posted a 25-20, 25-16, 25-20 victory.

BURBANK HIGH - Communication, chemistry and consistency are all important elements to winning volleyball, and the Burbank High girls' squad displayed all three in its nonleague victory Tuesday against visiting Canyon. “The way we played together, our communication, and all the chemistry that we have [paid dividends],” Burbank senior Katie Hooper said were the keys to their second win in as many matches this season. Burbank won, 25-18, 22-25, 25-20, 25-22, to stay unbeaten going into Pacific League play, which starts Thursday against host Muir.

ARCADIA - With a track record of league-title success over the past three decades, opponents can never count on the Arcadia High girls' volleyball team to roll over. Even when Burbank earned a historic sweep against the Apaches last month in the teams' first meeting, the Bulldogs realized they would likely be in for a tough fight in the second matchup. That matchup came Thursday, and Burbank had reason to be leery. The Bulldogs didn't play well from the outset and the Apaches came out fired up and motivated on their home floor.

Three local teams earned top-10 rankings in preseason polls released by the CIF Southern Section Office on Wednesday, The team that earned the highest ranking of the trio is the Bellarmine-Jefferson High girls' volleyball squad, which is No. 4 in Division IV-A. The Guards are five-time defending Santa Cruz League champions. Also in volleyball, Burroughs - which captured the Pacific League championship in 2011 - holds down the No. 5 spot in Division II-A. In boys' water polo, Burbank is No. 10 in Division V. The Bulldogs tied for fourth in the Pacific League last season.

The Burbank High girls' volleyball team was hoping to ride the momentum of an opening-round win in the CIF Southern Section playoffs two days earlier when it took part in a second-round contest Thursday. But the Bulldogs faced a big task in the form of No. 2 seed Whittier Christian, which was hosting the Division II-A match. The Heralds proved too much for Burbank to handle, as the Bulldogs went down in defeat, 25-10, 25-10, 25-19, ending their season. "That team hit harder and they played faster than any team we played against this season," Burbank Coach Sarah Brown said.

Long before Dylan Walker first competed in a varsity boys’ volleyball match, Flintridge Prep Coach Sean Beattie had an inkling that better days might lie ahead. While Beattie doesn’t consider himself a prophet, he proved to be right about Walker, who would go on to become one of the more decorated players in the program’s history. “I had him in the seventh and eighth grades at Flintridge Prep and could see that he was becoming a great passer who could swing,” Beattie said.

PROVIDENCE HIGH — The Bellarmine-Jefferson High boys' volleyball team was hoping to make a positive statement with its play in the 14th annual Providence Tournament. Playing against a tough Cathedral team, the Guards were determined to make a point in a first-round match Thursday. Although Bell-Jeff likely accomplished its goal, it would have preferred to have done so with a victory. The Guards fought back from a one-game deficit and pushed the Phantoms to the brink in the deciding game, only to fall in a 25-19, 18-25, 15-13, opening-season loss in the match at Providence High.

SOUTH PASADENA - The South Pasadena High boys' volleyball team had to play Saturday evening's CIF Southern Section Division III quarterfinal playoff match against Heritage Christian not at home as scheduled, but a few blocks away at South Pasadena Middle School. A bingo game has been slated for the Tigers' home gym. Yep, South Pasadena got bumped for bingo. No matter. The way the Tigers played for much of Saturday, they would have been successful regardless of the venue, as South Pasadena defeated Heritage Christian in four games, 25-15, 20-25, 25-15, 25-19.

The Burroughs High boys' volleyball team was poised for a lengthy run in the CIF Southern Section playoffs this season. However, after making it to the championship match and the semifinals the past two years in Division III, the Indians were moved up to Division II this season. Riding a win in its opener two days earlier, Burroughs was hoping to punch its ticket to the quarterfinals with a win Thursday at Dos Pueblos. However, instead of advancing, the Indians saw their season come to an end with a 25-19, 24-26, 25-12, 25-20 loss.

BURBANK - The Providence boys' volleyball team had a commendable, and perhaps, unpredictably superb season conclude in the second round of the CIF Southern Section Division V playoffs Thursday evening. With just one senior with postseason experience, the Pioneers grew and learned on the fly in a season that saw them overcome the inexperience to win the Liberty League championship and finish the season taking nine of the last 10 matches, including a first-round victory over California Academy of Math & Science on Tuesday.

BOYS' VOLLEYBALL El Segundo d. Burbank, 25-17, 25-21, 25-12 : The Bulldogs had a lead in the second game of their CIF Southern Section Division II first-round playoff match Tuesday on the road, but couldn't hold on, suffering a three-game sweep. After losing the first game, the Bulldogs (11-16) were ahead, 20-16, only to see the Eagles (16-3) go on a 7-0 run to take control of the second. "That was the point that really hurt us, being up and then them coming back," Burbank Coach Patrick McMenamin said.

BURBANK - After wrapping up their CIF Southern Section Division V first-round playoff match, the members of the Providence High boys' volleyball team noticed some pluses and minuses. On the positive side, the Pioneers got another strong effort from both Phil Harvey and Taylor Saldana. On the other end of the spectrum, the Pioneers agreed they need to work on raising their concentration level throughout an entire contest. Providence received 14 kills from Harvey and nine from Saldana on Tuesday to earn a 25-6, 26-24, 23-25, 25-15 home victory against California Academy of Math and Science.

When the CIF Southern Section boys' volleyball playoffs get going Tuesday, the city of Burbank will be well represented. Burbank, Burroughs and Providence all earned berths to the postseason when the CIF Southern Section playoff pairings were released Saturday morning. The Bulldogs and Indians will participate in Division II, while the Pioneers are in Division V. No area team has enjoyed more postseason success the last two seasons than has Burroughs, which advanced to the Division III finals in 2011 and the semifinals in 2012.

BOYS' VOLLEYBALL Providence d. Oakwood, 25-13, 25-18, 25-22 : The Pioneers secured their first Liberty League championship in 13 years Thursday by sweeping the Gorillas at home. Providence (15-9, 9-1 in league) finished one match in front of Pacifica Christian (8-2 in league), a team that handed the Pioneers their lone loss in league. "We needed to beat Oakwood or we would have to settle for co-league champions," Providence Coach Josh Eggleston said. "And the guys really didn't want that.

CLAREMONT - The Burroughs High boys' volleyball team made a tough situation inherently more difficult Tuesday evening against Claremont. With their lone loss in the Pacific League coming against the Wolfpack earlier in the season, the Indians needed to defeat undefeated Claremont to claim a share of the championship in the regular-season finale. However, winning in Claremont's gym has proven to be a challenge for Burroughs. The Indians didn't help their cause by dropping the first game of the match.

BURBANK - With just one win to account for this season for the Bellarmine-Jefferson High boys' volleyball team, the Providence players might have thought they were in for a quick and easy time when the teams met Monday to renew their annual cross-town rivalry. That's because as the Guards have struggled, the Pioneers are enjoying a successful campaign. Not only is Providence undefeated in the Liberty League and poised to win its first title in more than a decade and a half, the Pioneers are also ranked No. 10 in the latest CIF Southern Section Division V poll.