CdM falls in four

Joseph Boo

TORRANCE - At first, it looked as if Corona del Mar High’s girls

volleyball team could extend its improbable run.

Unfortunately, host Bishop Montgomery High, being the harsh neorealist,

ruined the happy ending with a 6-15, 15-5, 15-4, 16-14 win in the CIF

Division III Southern Region semifinal Tuesday night.

Carrying the momentum from the Harvard-Westlake match over, the visiting

Sea Kings (21-11) played flawlessly in the first game, silencing a

sizable home crowd.

“We were playing out of our minds,” CdM Coach Steve Conti said. “There

was no higher level for us to go to.”

After a 5-5 tie, two aces from Jamie Brownell triggered a 6-0 CdM run.

Dimitra Havriluk, with 17 kills in the match, led CdM’s attack. But the

key in the first game was balance, with Meghan Gallagher and Marissa

Becker also getting good hits. Becker ended up with five kills in that

game.

In games two and three, Bishop Montgomery played like the defending state

champion. The Knights led for the entire second game. And they

transformed a 3-0 deficit into a 15-4 win.

“In the second and third game,” Conti said. “They really took it to us.

We got a little timid, and that has been our nemesis all year.

If there was a reason to be timid though, Bishop Montgomery provided it.

Excluding the state championships and the Southern Section championship

this year, the Knight featured USC-bound 6-foot-3 middle blocker Katie

Olsovsky, who even has her number retired on the gym wall.

Olsovsky ended up with 19 kills, 16 digs, four blocks and two aces to

lead Bishop Montgomery’s effort.

“They’re a pretty big and physical team,” Conti said. “We played against

big teams before though, so that’s no excuse.”

Bishop Montgomery rolled out to a 7-1 lead in game four, and it seemed as

the match was going to end soon. But the Sea Kings mounted a furious

comeback to take a 12-9 lead. CdM capitalized on Bishop Montgomery

mistakes as well as aces from Jacqueline and Marissa Becker.

Bishop Montgomery came back, but CdM had a game point at 14-13 with the

serve. The Knights got a sideout and seemingly tied the game on an

Olsovsky kill off a CdM blocker. But with differing calls, the point was

replayed.

Bishop Montgomery won the point, and served out for the match.

The match ends a playoff run for CdM that took it from an at-large berth

to an upset over nemesis Harvard-Westlake. But ultimately, Bishop

Montgomery proved to be too much.

“I told them after the match we have nothing to be ashamed of,” Conti

said. “We gave 100%. We tried our best, and that’s what life is about.

Giving your best.”