PMA girls volleyball upsets Garden Grove in CIF state first round
St. Pius X-St. Matthias Academy’s Olivia Haddad (14) and Marianne Urena (22) leap to block a shot as they play Rialto during the CIF Championship volleyball game. (Photo by Keith Durflinger)
The St. Pius- St. Matthews Academy girls volleyball team continues to make history with its long playoff run for the 2024 season.
With each match the team plays, they’re adding to a history-making run in the CIF post season.
After four consecutive victories in the CIF-SS D9 playoffs, the team ran into a very hot Rialto team in the championship, losing in three sets, 16-25, 9-25, 11-25.
The Warriors came into the title game two players short, which included top player junior outside hitter Vera Vasquez, who hurt her back in the pregame warmups.
Even with the loss, all runner ups from the CIF title matches are invited to continue their season in the CIF State Regional playoffs.
The latest win for No. 10 Seed St. Pius was in the first D5 CIF State playoff in school history with a 3-0 sweep over No. 7 Seed Garden Grove Saturday (Nov. 9) in round one.
The Warriors won, 25-23, 25-23, 25-21.
Leading the way for PMA (17-18) was Vasquez (3 Aces, 4 Assts., 5 Digs), who returned for the state playoff match, and senior outside Monica Boone (2 Aces, 3 D), with 12 and 11 kills, respectively. Junior middle blocker Stephanie Zesati had five kills and four aces, while junior setter Olivia Haddad had 20 assists.
“The magic that is there with this group is phenomenal,” said PMA coach Arial Guzman-Avila, of his team. “It (the state win) felt really good and affirmed what we knew we could do. What they’re doing now is historical.”
The first set was the most competitive of the three.
“If we could put that (CIF D9 Championship loss) behind us, we’d be ok,” added Guzman. “We just didn’t generate a rhythm, and it was a lot to overcome losing two players to start the championship match.”
However, in the state game, that loss was all but put behind them.
“As soon as we started to get in a groove, we were fine,” Guzman said.
That groove came as the Warriors were down, 9-6, in the opening state set.
A time out was called by Guzman, and from there they didn’t look back.
“Stephanie (Zesati) had some big plays on the net and had a couple of blocks later in the opening set,” Guzman added.
In the second set, the team was stronger with an 8-2 start, but Garden Grove came back and tied the set, 8-8. The six-point comeback by Rialto was all in PMA mistakes.
“We didn’t look back again just like the first set,” Guzman said. “Eva (Godoy – junior opposite) had some good balls and we won a couple of the long rally points.”
Vasquez had a kill at a sharp angle to win the set.
In the third set, Garden Grove was a little more erratic and trying to play catch up, being down two sets to none.
In one of the runs for the Warriors, they had a couple of aces and Zesati and Boone had some really big kills.
With PMA leading, 24-21, with the set and match point at hand, it ended on a long rally. A Garden Grove player made a big play on a diving ball, but on the return by the Warriors with a touch block, it rolled across the tape and the Argonauts couldn’t make the play and the match was history.
“It’s (state first-round win) a big deal, especially coming off of (the CIF title loss),” summoned up Guzman. “No matter what they do, they are making history.
“It’s been an honor to be coaching this team, especially with my dad (Chris Guzman – assistant coach). Not everyone can say they made it to a championship.”
Highlighting the stats for the CIF Championship match were Haddad with three kills,10 assists and an ace, and four players with two kills each – Leah Delgado, Godoy, Boone and Mari Anne Urena.
Comments below are from the CIF Championship loss.
What they said:
Samantha Bayardo, SR Libero: “Unfortunately we lost our game in three sets. It was a horrible feeling to get this far, and it was heart-breaking.”
Vera Vazquez, JR OH: “I got injured right before the game and I was contemplating everything and tears just started, and this was everything that I ever wanted and what I dreamed about. We may have lost, but I love this team, and I wish it could never end.”
