Paly, Gunn girls Paly, Gunn girls (November 12, 2004)have huge tests in volleyball

by Keith Peters

The Palo Alto and Gunn girls' volleyball programs have reached some milestones this season, which will be something to look back on following this weekend.

Both teams are playing David to a couple of Goliaths on Saturday in the second round of the Central Coast Section Division II playoffs. Don't expect history to repeat itself, however.

After winning the first league volleyball title in school history and compiling the second-best record, No. 9-seeded Palo Alto (25-9) faces No. 1 Mitty (22-2) on Saturday at Leland at 5 p.m. The Monarchs are ranked No. 1 in the state and have been rated as high as No. 1 in the nation. They won the Division II state championship in 2003 and are favored to repeat.

For Palo Alto to win, well, the Mitty bus may have to have a flat tire.

"This will be a mighty big chore, indeed," said Paly coach Dave Huan. "According to other coaches and other people I've talked to, on one truly believes that we have a chance in hell against them.

"Despite that fact, they have told me that they will be cheering for us on the sidelines. I mean, who would really rather cheer for the juggernaut than the underdog? You'd either have to somehow be associated with Mitty or just sick and twisted to cheer for Goliath. It's nice to know we'll have a lot of support, but I don't think they're giving us any chance against Mitty. All I can ask of the girls is to their best; to play their hardest and to the best of their abilities through every point - and whatever the outcome of the match, they could leave feeling proud."

The Vikings have been superlative at times this season, but did compete in the weaker SCVAL El Camino Division while compiling their 12-0 title-winning record. Mitty competed in the powerful West Catholic Athletic League and faced the likes of Presentation and St. Francis on a regular basis.

For Paly, there may be no sling big enough to slay Mitty.

The Vikings did have their moment Wednesday in a 25-9, 20-25, 25-23, 14-25, 15-5 win over No. 8 Leland (18-11) in the Vikings' gym. Senior Katrina Zawojski led the way with 20 kills, 19 digs and 16 assists while senior Lindsey Harris added 16 kills and 16 digs. Senior Shaina Epstein added 32 assists and Callie Strawn had 23 digs.

Fifth-seeded Gunn (20-11) reached the 20-win plateau with a 25-16, 25-23, 25-13 win over No. 12 Lincoln in San Jose. Senior Jennifer Wang netted six kills to led the Titans, who made quick work of their host.

Next up for Gunn, however, is No. 4 seed Presentation (23-10) on Saturday at 3 p.m. at Leland. Presentation was runnerup to Mitty in the WCAL and is heavily favored to face the Monarchs again in next Wednesday's semifinals at Leland. The division championship match looks to be Mitty against Los Gatos in a repeat of last year's NorCal title match won by the Monarchs.

In CCS Division I action Saturday, No. 4 Menlo-Atherton (22-12) takes on No. 5 San Benito (26-8) at Valley Christian-San Jose at 3 p.m.

In Division IV quarterfinals Saturday, No. 3 Castilleja (31-4) will play No. 5 Santa Catalina (21-4) at Valley Christian at 11 a.m. Second-seeded Menlo (19-11) will face No. 10 San Lorenzo Valley (15-6) at North Salinas High at 1 p.m. Should Castilleja and Menlo both advance, they'll face each other on Wednesday at Valley Christian, likely at 6 p.m.

In a Division IV opener Wednesday, No. 9 Sacred Heart Prep (16-22) saw its season end in a 19-25, 25-13, 25-17, 18-25, 15-11 loss to No. 8 Harker. Melissa Davison led the Gators with 24 kills.
Girls tennis

This week's rainy weather already has caused some scheduling problems with the CCS team tournament.

Pinewood (19-5) had its match at St. Francis (18-2) rained out Wednesday and rescheduled for Thursday, but it rained again. Those teams now are likely to play today at Cuesta Park in Mountain View at 2:30 p.m., weather permitting.

That means the scheduled quarterfinal today between the Pinewood-St. Francis winner and host Sacred Heart Prep likely will be pushed back to Saturday on the Gators' courts. The CCS semifinals are still scheduled for Monday at noon and 2 p.m. at Courtside Tennis Club in Los Gatos, with the team championship is set for Wednesday at Courtside at 2 p.m.

Second-seeded Menlo (22-3) will go ahead as planned with its scheduled match against the Aragon/Notre Dame-San Jose winner today. Menlo has four players playing in a tournament in Blackhawk on Saturday, while Aragon has homecoming activities scheduled Saturday.

Menlo advanced to the quarterfinals with a 7-0 romp over PAL Bay Division rival Mills on Wednesday. Sophomore Sarah Hoffman, junior Katie Bouret, junior Amanda Pade and junior Ashley Carlisle swept the singles in straight sets - losing only 10 games combined.

Shine is looking forward to the semifinals, where Saratoga likely awaits.

"I'll be really happy just to get there," Shine said. "I think we're closer to Saratoga than Monta Vista. There's just a bigger gap between Monta Vista and everyone else."

Also advancing on Wednesday was No. 4 seed Sacred Heart Prep, a 7-0 winner over visiting Burlingame. The Gators also dominated the singles matches as sophomore Sam Rosekrans, freshman Haley Hemm, junior Mollie Parker and junior Lauren Evans lost only 10 games combined.

Castilleja (13-6), which won its CCS opener on Tuesday when Anisha Bhalla posted a 6-3, 6-1 win at No. 1 singles to clinch a 4-3 nail-biter over Notre Dame-Salinas at Paly, was eliminated Wednesday in a 5-2 loss at Los Altos.

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