Coastal Challenge pitted locals against state's elite players
Local girls' volleyball teams got a taste of the nation's elite last weekend at the 15th annual California Challenge, hosted by Torrey Pines High.
Five of the tournament's 24 schools were in ESPN's Fab 50 national rankings, including No. 1 La Costa Canyon, the only ranked squad from San Diego and the winner of the championship match against No. 10 Mira Costa (Manhattan Beach).
Six other teams from the county competed, including the La Jolla Vikings, who had never played in the tournament before.
"We came here to be challenged," said their coach, David Jones, "and we got challenged." The Vikings entered the weekend with a record of 17-2. They left 17-6.
"I believe we have a great team this year," said Jones. "This gave us an opportunity to see what changes we need to make."
Setting goals Jones said that the level of competition that they faced at the California Challenge will prepare them for trials later in the season.
"Our goals this year are to do well in the Western League and CIF," he said. "The major hurdle in both of those is Cathedral Catholic, and this is very similar to what we will see with them."
The Bishop's Knights held their own, splitting even with a 2-2 record for the tournament. "There are some tough teams here," said Bishop's junior Thea Derrough, who notched 17 kills, 17 digs and seven blocks in the two Saturday matches. "We got better watching other players."
Looking ahead Bishop's also saw the tournament as training for the rest of the year. Their league - the Coastal South - boasts four of the county's top 13 teams.
"We improved a lot this weekend," said senior Kendall Lord. "The number one spot in league is up for grabs."
Santa Fe Christian's Eagles played without two starters - both out due to concussions sustained in an Oct. 3 match against Bishop's - and still managed a 1-3 performance. "Friday they played their hearts out," said coach Gail Malone. "The good thing about our team is that they really like each other and know how to dig down."
Torrey Pines, led by all-tournament selection Boo Schroeder, was the only local team besides La Costa Canyon to qualify for the championship bracket on Saturday. They finished at 2-2 after being knocked out by eventual runner-up Mira Costa.
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