Crean Lutheran’s volleyball players celebrate a point in a match vs. Cypress. (Photo courtesy John Luciano, Crean Lutheran Shutterbugs).
Crean Lutheran’s girls volleyball team, which shared the Empire League title with Cypress, opens the CIF Division 5 playoffs Thursday night, hosting El Modena at 6 p.m.
Crean Lutheran (18-6) avenged a first-round league loss to Cypress with a four-set win in the second round on Thursday, Sept. 30. Both teams finished 9-1 in the Empire League.
“The girls worked hard to prepare for Cypress,” said second-year Coach Monty Johns. “They had faith in the game plan and executed it well. They also understood the importance of every match after Cypress and did a fantastic job of maintaining their intensity while preparing for each of those opponents.”
The top players for Crean Lutheran have been Madison Moore, Payton Tully, Katie Thies and Mia Rogers.
Now, the focus shifts to the playoffs against El Modena (11-12). El Modena is the No. 2 team from the North Hills League.
“The team is looking forward to participating in the CIF playoffs,” Johns said. “They believe in themselves and each other and are looking to go far in playoffs. Our division is packed with outstanding teams and the girls are embracing the challenge.”
Cypress (17-3) opens the Division 2 playoffs Thursday, hosting Los Alamitos at 5:30 p.m.
—Tim Burt, OC Sports Zone; timburt@ocsportszone.com
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