They were down, but certainly not out as South Pasadena High’s girls’ volleyball team, facing elimination, battled back from a one set deficit Tuesday night to win the CIF Southern California Regional crown.
The Tigers were up one set in the best-of-five matchup, then trailed 2-1 before winning the final two at the CIF State Division IV Regional Championship against Walnut to claim the title, setting off a wild celebration.
A jubilant South Pasadena squad enjoyed the party atmosphere with friends, family members and fans of the team, at one point inviting everyone to join in for a group photo in the aftermath of the stunning comeback.
South Pasadena won the first set 25-18, before Walnut, the host team and top seed, evened it in the second, 25-12. Walnut went up a set in the third, 25-22, and was only a set away from taking home the plaque going to the winner, when the Tigers prevailed, tying it in the fourth, 25-13, and finally putting it away in the fifth,15-12, inching them closer to their ultimate goal.
The icing on the cake could come Saturday when the Tigers take on Hilmar in a match deciding the state champion. South Pasadena will travel to Santiago Canyon College in Orange for the 11 a.m. to play their next challenger. The Yellowjackets are a force, coming into the contest with a 30-9 overall record, including 9-3 in the Trans Valley League, good enough for second place.
After the Tigers were beaten by Oak Park in the CIF-Southern Section Division 6 semifinals recently, their showing impressed tournament officials enough to give them a No. 2 seed in the SoCal regionals, where they quickly took care of business, turning away High Tech, Chatsworth and Santa Monica Crossroads, ahead of knocking off host Walnut.
Coming back from down a set in Tuesday’s finale wasn’t easy, but making it happen were key shots by Senya Dorny, Kayla Boozer and Ava Conti who spearheaded the effort.
The Tigers, 17-16 overall, finished Rio Hondo League play at 7-3, for a third place finish. They’ll be facing a team from an unincorporated community of just over 5,164 people in Merced County on the way to Turlock on Highway 99 in central California.
The Tigers, coached by Ivy Chew, includes, along with Dorny, Boozer and Conti, Ella Garner, Evan Taylor, Shelby Kao, Jolene Wu, Maeve Kinney, Rian Sanchez, Grace Ipson, Kiana Park, Stella Sheng, Bella Ventura, Maiya Gallo, Isabelle Mullican, Amaya Mahler, Samantha Kim, Olivia Slattery, and Kayla Yau.
