Irvine girls volleyball team advances to state regional semifinals

Irvine’s girls volleyball team opened the CIF Division 4 state playoffs defeating St. Monica Tuesday night at Irvine to advance into the regional semifinals Thursday against Exeter at Exeter.

The scores were 24-26, 25-21, 25-16, 25-18.

“We had a lead in game one, but head coach Josh Scheib called some great timeouts and his girls did a great job of fighting back and taking the first set,” said Irvine Coach Noel Nguyen.

“In game two, we rallied back to get a quick lead, but every time, they would find a way to make it competitive.  Senior outside hitter Nikki Chen ended up being our spark on offense and gave everyone around her the confidence to come alive.”

In the third set, senior Madi Lee and sophomore Maili Walker led the way for Irvine.

“In game four it was our right sides who went to work,” Nguyen said.

Sophomore opposite Cozy Zimmerman led Irvine with five kills, two assists and three aces in the set.

“Senior setter Sierra Suttle found her mark too, keeping every hitter in rhythm, and getting two kills of her own,” Nguyen said. “She even found a way to get our sophomore outside hitter Anna Glebova to get into the swing of things even though she’s had to miss a few practices due to an injury.”

Nguyen said he and his players appreciated the support.

“We would also like to thank our admin, students, faculty, family and friends as their support was critical for us in order to come out on top,” he said.