Beckman girls volleyball team makes history defeating Campbell Hall for first CIF title

Beckman’s girls volleyball team brought home the CIF title. (Photos: Tom Connolly, For OC Sports Zone).

The Beckman High girls volleyball team placed its name in the history books on Saturday capturing the CIF Division 3 championship with a 3-1 win over No. 2-seeded Campbell Hall at Cerritos College.

It’s the first time in school’s history the girls volleyball team has captured a CIF title. Following the match, the top-seeded Patriots received their individual championship CIF patches and hoisted the CIF championship plaque to the cheering of their adoring fans.  

“I’m so happy for all of the girls, and especially the 11 seniors who go out on top,” said Patriots Coach Darin McBain, who was doused with water, streamers and cupcakes during the Beckman celebration that ensued outside following the match. “This is such a great win for the girls, the fans, the school and the program. This is the first volleyball title and I think something like the seventh CIF championship for the school.”

Beckman (34-5) was led by Camryn Hayek who had 20 kills and six blocks and Nika Safavi who recorded 15 kills.

“I think our win shows how much character we really have,” Hayek said. “They started to make a comeback, but we continued to work hard and we got reenergized and pulled through.”

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Safavi said she was pleased to bring home the title to the school in the second trip to the finals for a Beckman team.

“We’re so happy to bring home the first volleyball championship to the school,” said Safavi. “We remained calm and kept a smile on our face, even when things weren’t going our way.”

Both teams were jittery in the first set. The Patriots stumbled a bit and fell behind but battled back. The game was tied 12 times before Safavi recorded the final two kills to give Beckman a 25-22 win.

After falling behind early in set two, the Patriots sparked by Hayek, Sophia Saad, Stacy Reeves, Natalie Chien-Pham and Victoria Turner rallied and won handily as Saad pounded the final kill, giving the Patriots a 25-15 win and a 2-0 lead in the match.  

But Campbell Hall (31-5) wouldn’t quit.

The Vikings dominated the third set 25-15, led by the aggressive play of  Sierra Starkman, Mila Mijailovic and Maggie Lima.  

The fourth set was tight and was tied at 15-15. Then Hayek, Saad, and Turner elevated the pressure on Campbell Hall. The Patriots won five of the final six points to close out the match. Saad blasted the final kill to give Beckman the championship.

“We’re such a close group on and off the floor and I really believe that helped us come together,” said Saad. “This was a tough team and we had to make adjustments.”

Olivia Ramirez, Reeves, Deeya Bhalodia, Turner and Joy Lee also were outstanding for Beckman. Reeves had 32 digs and Turner and Lee added 17 assists each.

“They dug the heck out of us,” said Campbell Hall Coach Kathleen Thyen. “We’re known for putting the ball on the ground, but we couldn’t get it done. They played an outstanding defensive game.”

Lee expressed her excitement and said the team’s cohesiveness was the key.  

“It feels amazing to win the championship,” said Lee. “We’ve been playing together for so long and we’ve developed such a strong connection on the court. I feel it really made a difference for us.”

Reeves also said the win is special.

“We’ve been playing together since we were 10 years old,” said Reeves, who is committed to playing beach volleyball at TCU next season. “It feels so surreal to win a championship in our senior year. We’ve worked so hard to get here and to win is an amazing feeling. “

Both Beckman and Campbell Hall  have qualified for the state volleyball tournament that will begin on Tuesday. The Patriots snapped the Vikings 21-game winning streak and dealt Campbell Hall, the Gold Coast champions, their second consecutive loss in the CIF finals.

—Tom Connolly, For OC Sports Zone