Bears beat Mayfair to stay undefeated

Warren High School senior Sabrina Santos, right, digs the ball in a girls volleyball match against Mayfair in Gateway League action Tuesday at Warren. Jaylynn Fierro, left, and Sophia Galvan, (center), look on. Warren won 3-0 (Photo by Mia Hattery)

DOWNEY – The Warren High School Girls Volleyball team kept on rolling and remain perfect in the Gateway League in the Suburban Valley Conference with a sweep of Mayfair, 3-0, Tuesday (October 4).

With the win, the Bears sit atop the league with a 6-0 record and are 13-5 overall.

With only two matches remaining in league play, Warren is geared for a run in the CIF-Southern Section playoffs, which begin a little more than a week.

The Bears are coming off of a second-place finish last season in the final year of the San Gabriel Valley League, in which they finished second with an 8-2 record to Downey, which won the league at 10-0.

“We had a pretty good team last year,” said Warren coach Scott Lane, who has been at Warren for 14 years.

Warren defeated Nordhoff, 3-0, in the first round of CIF Division 5, but fell to Bishop Amat in the second round.

The current roster for the Bears consists of eight seniors, one junior and four sophomores.

“We have a senior-based team, which has been together since middle school,” Lane said.

Four of those seniors have played together since middle school, since they were in the 7th grade – Mayra Gonzalez, Litzy Flores, Sabrina Santos and Jaylynn Fierro.

“All of the girls on the team have good chemistry on and off the court,” he added. “In league, we are 6-0, despite more than half of our team having two-plus years in club experience.”

As for the match, the Bears accomplished what they needed to stay above the rest in league.

“I think, literally, we won the serve and pass game pretty well,” Lane said. “Mayfair is a talented team and they have some good athletes.

Leading the way for Warren was senior opposite Fierro, with a match-high 10 kills. She also had seven service aces.

The Warren High School Girls Volleyball team celebrates a point in a Gateway League match against Mayfair Tuesday at Warren High. Warren won 3-0. (Photo by Mia Hattery)

“Jaylynn is very good at every position,” Lane added. “She can set, pass and serve well. She is super knowledgeable about the game. She does everything well.

“I believe she is a candidate for MVP of the league.”

In the first set, Fierro had a service run of 15 points, six of which were aces.

“The rest of the kids are playing really well and they are getting better,” Lane added. “I think the kids we have this year are so good. They have bought into the system. This year we needed to have everyone handle the ball well.”

Earlier in the season, the Bears went the distance with Cypress in five sets, losing in the fifth, 16-14 and in the Bellflower Tournament they were 3-3.

The final two games of the season will determine if Warren can win the league title, as Downey (15-7) is one game behind Warren with a 5-1 record in league.

As for the league, Lane knows how even it can be. “I think our league is pretty good and I never take a win for granted.”

Lane, in his 14 years said: “Every team I have put together, it’s a team under 6’.

“If you can serve and pass, you can play with anybody.”

Downey will play two games next week. The Vikings will play at Warren on Tuesday, which could determine the league title. They also end the regular season at home against Paramount.

“(Downey) is very well coached,” Lane said. “It’s going to be a challenge.

“A lot of pride is on both sides. It’s going to be in our house and there are great fans at Warren. Even at Warren it’s a packed house.”

This month is Breast Cancer Awareness Month and Warren Activities Director Andrea Sims makes sure it’s a big event.

“She puts on the “Dig Pink” game for Cancer Awareness,” Lane added. “The kids are excited to play in that game.”

Both coaches played at a high level nearly at the same time, as Lane was at Brigham Young University and Downey coach Shawn Patchell played at Long Beach State University.

Warren is scheduled to Gahr on Thursday, Oct. 6.

Photos by Mia Hattery