Vikings sweep CSM to claim 5th-straight Coast-South crown

The West Valley volleyball team swept College of San Mateo Friday night to capture its 5th-consecutive Coast-South Conference championship. The Vikings rocked the large Bob Burton Court crowd with a wire-to-wire win and maybe their best overall performance of the year when it mattered most.

The 25-18, 25-16, 25-16 victory clinched the title and helped the Vikings end the regular season with a 9-1 Coast-South mark, one match better than the 8-2 Bulldogs. The sweep also avenged a 3-1 Oct. 23 WVC loss at San Mateo.

West Valley jumped out to a 3-0 lead in the 1st set and then, after CSM rallied for a two-point lead midway through, pulled away for the win. The 2nd set was a back-and-forth affair until Sophie Ehret, Francesca Zanotti and Lavelua Stepp took control at the net. Ehret, who hit .610 for the match, connected on multiple Zanotti assists, while Stepp was a blocking machine on defense. Defense was a highlight all night as Rachel Sanchez, Jennifer Truong and Jess Watanabe came up with acrobatic digs and diving saves. Stepp and Zanotti each had three solo blocks in the match.

Another 3-0 start elevated the Vikings in the 3rd set, the outcome of which was never in doubt thereafter. Ehret kaboomed a final kill to ignite a Viking celebration and bring the partisan crowd to its loudest point of a loud evening.

Ehret finished with 25 kills on 41 swings. Julia LaPierre follwed Ehret with eight kills, and Zanotti had seven on nine attempts (.778%). Sanchez had a team-high 14 digs, followed by Truong with 12 and Watanabe's 10. Ehret also had seven big digs. Sanchez had two of WVC's four service aces.

The Vikings, and their 14-12 overall record against one of the state's toughest schedules, must now wait until the Nov. 21 seeding meeting to find out their playoff destiny. Watch this space for all the facts.

Courtesy WVC Athletics