Cypress caps memorable season with sweep over Clovis West for CIF state championship

Cypress players and coaches after winning the CIF state title Saturday. (PHOTO: Tom Connolly, For OC Sports Zone).

The Cypress girls volleyball team has had an outstanding season, however on Saturday afternoon at Santiago Canyon College it got even better.

The Centurions (25-10) defeated Clovis West of Fresno in straight sets (25-20, 25-23, 25-22) to capture the CIF Division II State Volleyball Championship. It marks the first state championship Cypress girls volleyball’s program has won in school history.

Katrina Sokolowski, Kendel Harris, Isabella Faro, Hannah Schoffstall, and Alexis Leona led the way for the Centurions as they won their 10^th consecutive match. Cypress never trailed by more than two points at any time during the match.  

“It’s amazing to win a state championship and accomplish what we have this season,” said Faro, who led the way with 27 kills, including 14 kills in the third set. “We worked so hard for four years.”  

Faro also served up nine aces.

Centurions’ Coach Alex Griffiths was thrilled with the team’s victory.  

“It’s wonderful for the girls and their families and the school to win a state championship,” said Griffiths, who is in her 10^th year as head coach. “The girls bought all in to our system, held each other accountable and they pushed hard all season and the support they’ve received from their families is a blessing. We came out on fire, and the girls showed their passion and now they’re champions. We peaked at the right time.”

The first set started out tight as both teams went back and forth. The game was tied 11 times. Cypress fell behind 14-12, but following a timeout, the Centurions, powered by Alexis, Faro, Schoffstall and Sokolowski, went on an 8-0 run to take a 20-14 lead. The Eagles rallied but Alexis’ closed out game one with a kill to give Cypress a 1-0 lead.

“It definitely was a team effort; it was a long season, and it was tough,” said Alexis, who recorded 15 kills and 15 digs in the match. “It’s surreal to win a state championship. We all pulled for each other, we worked hard, and we all felt we could do it.”

Cypress appeared to be gaining a smooth rhythm in set two, jumping out to leads of a 7-3 and 14-10. However, Clovis West continued to battle hard and took a 19-18 lead following a kill by freshman Brooklyn Lopez. But Sokolowski, Alexis, and Faro each registered a crucial kill down the stretch and Cypress held on to win set 2, 25-23, and take a 2-0 lead in the match.

“It’s been an amazing season,” said Sokolowski, a junior who had 15 kills in the match. “It started out slow but then we got on a roll. I’m sad in a way to be losing the seniors, but I’m glad we were able to win for them.”  

Cypress built a seven-point lead in the third set and appeared headed for an easy win, but the Eagles rallied.

Behind the aggressive play of Layla Soares and Lopez, Clovis West stormed back and tied the score at 22-22, following a Lopez kill and a Cypress miscue. The Centurions were able to close out the set and match when Faro blasted a kill sandwiched between two Clovis West misfired shots.

Following the match, Schoffstall was presented with the CIF Pursuing Victory with Honor Award.

“I’m proud to receive this award on behalf of my family and teammates support,” Schoffstall said. Schoffstall had a huge match, dishing out 61 assists and recorded 24 digs.

Harris also had an outstanding match as she registered 19 kills and 17 digs and was a dominating force at the net throughout the match.  

Earlier this month, Cypress won the school’s second CIF girls’ volleyball title. The Centurions then went onto win the southern California Regional Tournament before advancing to the state finals.

Clovis West (31-14) had won four consecutive matches before Saturday and was making its first appearance in the state final. Lopez led the Eagles with 30 kills and Soars added 21 kills. Soars was also presented with a CIF Pursuing Victory with Honor Award.

Notes:

—Cypress coach Alex Griffiths won a California State Volleyball Title while playing for Los Alamitos High in 2007.

—On Saturday evening, Griffiths and a few of the Centurions players are headed to Rome, Italy for a week where several Cypress players will be participating in a volleyball tournament. “We can’t stay long after our match today, we have a 5 p.m./ flight today,” said Griffiths before Saturday’s championship match.

—-After finishing second in the Crestview League this season, the Centurions went on to capture the CIF Division 3 championship and then defeated Venice, Scripps Ranch, Carlsbad, and Liberty in the southern California Regional Tournament before advancing to the state finals. 

—Clovis West defeated Marta Vista, Christian Brothers, Palo Alto and St. Francis in the Northern Regional.

—Eagles coach Rhonda DeRuiter has been the head coach of Clovis West for 21 years. Saturday was her first trip to the state finals. The Eagles started two sophomores and two freshmen on Saturday, “It’s the first time I’ve ever started freshmen,” said DeRuiter, who played college volleyball at Fresno Pacific University. “We have a unique blend of young and veteran talent,” she added. “We’re proud of what we accomplished this season. We were very competitive, and we played a strong schedule.”