Daily Pilot Girls’ Volleyball Dream Team: Huntington Beach could leave it to ‘Liv’
The Huntington Beach girls’ volleyball program has been a perennial contender, the talent pool appearing to replenish what was lost due to graduation year after year.
Those closest to the program knew early, but not long before the rest, that Olivia Foye would become an impact player for the Oilers.
Foye found her way onto the floor throughout her freshman year, and when she was out there with Tori Hagan, the starting libero at the time, and former Daily Pilot Dream Team Girls’ Volleyball Player of the Year Dani Sparks, Huntington Beach coach Craig Pazanti fondly remarked it was “like having three liberos.”
Huntington Beach, buoyed by the defensive contributions of that trio, advanced to the CIF Southern Section Division 2 final in 2021. Three years later, Foye was the last remaining from the group, and her presence was ever so vital.
“I realized how good she was during the summer before her freshman year,” Pazanti said of Foye, a Princeton commit for indoor volleyball. “She never looked scared or intimidated. She really started to become a leader this year.
“We had several strong personalities on the team that were a year older than her, so this was the first year we needed that from her.”
Foye, referred to as “Liv,” largely had free rein to roam wherever she chose, seeking out the missiles sent from some of the best pin hitters in the prep game.
“I’ve been coaching a long time,” Pazanti said. “She is definitely one of the best I’ve ever had in this position [libero]. She wasn’t the most technical, but her ability to read the other team’s attackers and offense put her in a class of her own.”
Foye racked up the accolades as an All-CIF Division 1 selection and the co-Sunset League MVP, an honor shared with Los Alamitos outside hitter Ashley Repetti. She is also the Daily Pilot Girls’ Volleyball Player of the Year.
A veritable rover that would require flexibility from the other five positions, Foye was fortunate to be playing with one of her regular beach volleyball partners in opposite Taylor Ponchak.
“I think all of the girls kind of already understood that, but Taylor understood it to a whole other level,” Foye said of the freedom to chase down most balls within reach. “I don’t think anyone knows my game as well as Taylor does. … I think that relationship and that connection of knowing each other’s game so well helped us in other aspects. I knew where she was going to hit it, I knew what kind of set she wanted at any given time.”
The position of libero demands one be willing to perform an unenviable task — to dive onto the floor and take high-velocity strikes off the arms with regularity.
“I definitely remember my little skinny arms when I was 7 years old getting bruised from the ball,” Foye said. “I know what it’s like, but it’s still worth it in the end.”
Huntington Beach went 32-8 overall and 11-1 in the Sunset League, sharing the league championship with Los Alamitos. The Oilers qualified for the CIF Division 1 playoffs, and although they went winless in pool play, they rebounded in the CIF State Division I playoffs to reach the regional semifinals against Palos Verdes.
Foye produced 580 digs, 148 assists, 71 service aces, and a 2.51 passing rating in her senior season.
Princeton lies ahead, which she said she chose for academic reasons. She plans to pursue physics or chemical engineering.
COACH OF THE YEAR
Jacob Lee
Costa Mesa
Previously an assistant coach for the Mustangs under Jillian Rifkin, Lee took the reins and led the program on a deep playoff run in his first year at the helm. Costa Mesa (20-12) pulled out a five-setter in the first round at Chino Don Lugo, then forced another fifth set in a dramatic quarterfinal against an Oak Hills team that was eventually crowned the Division 6 champion. Along the way, Costa Mesa upset fourth-seeded Diamond Bar in the second round at home. The Mustangs mustered their postseason success with a young roster that is set to graduate just one starter.
FIRST TEAM
Ellie Esko
OH | Huntington Beach | Jr.
The Montana State commit enjoyed a 518-kill season with her sister, Tori, handling the setting duties for Huntington Beach. Esko added 234 digs, 62 aces and 56 blocks for the Oilers, who shared the Sunset League championship with Los Alamitos. She was a Sunset League first-team selection.
Bella Giarla
OH | Sage Hill | Sr.
A McNeese State commit, Giarla pounded out 331 kills on .322 hitting in leading the Lightning to the Pacific Hills League championship. Giarla garnered Pacific Hills League MVP honors. She added 71 aces and provided a 2.55 passing rating for Sage Hill (18-6), which advanced to the second round of the Division 4 playoffs.
Sadie Holmes
MB | Laguna Beach | Sr.
After a rocky regular season, the Breakers snuck into the postseason via a tiebreaking match for the Pacific Coast League’s last automatic berth. Laguna Beach (12-26) took full advantage in capturing its sixth section title, after which Holmes was named the CIF Division 7 Player of the Year. A Weber State commit, the first-team all-league performer had 155 kills and 30 aces. She had 22 solo blocks and 60 block assists, finishing with 114 career blocks, which ranks second for the program behind Sara Johnson since the rally-scoring format was implemented.
Korynn Mayo
OH | Marina | So.
Mayo makes a second appearance as a Dream Team selection in as many seasons after steadying the Vikings with a combination of 464 kills and 318 digs. Marina (18-14) stayed afloat in a challenging Sunset League, due in large part to the efforts of the first-team all-league honoree. Mayo was an All-CIF performer in Division 3 after the Vikings advanced to the quarterfinals. She added 37 aces and 37 blocks.
Ella Olson
OH | Newport Harbor | So.
Olson has become a feared pin hitter for the Sailors, supplying 327 kills on .332 hitting to pace the team. The Sunset League first-team selection had much to do with keeping the offense in rhythm, contributing a 2.5 passing rating to go with 172 digs. Newport Harbor (20-9), the third-place team in league, exited in the second round of the Division 2 playoffs in meeting Palos Verdes, a section finalist that went on to claim the Division I state title.
Isabel Ortega-Davidson
S / OPP | Costa Mesa | Jr.
Ortega-Davidson wore many hats for the Mustangs, making a difference on all three touches when the ball came over to her team’s side of the net. A Golden West League first-team selection, the versatile junior accumulated 469 assists, 333 digs, 182 kills and 89 aces.
Taylor Ponchak
OPP | Huntington Beach | Sr.
A four-year varsity contributor for the Oilers, Ponchak was moved around the court to take advantage of her powerful right arm. The Sunset League first-team honoree finished with 345 kills, 92 blocks and 30 aces. Years of playing in the sand showed up in her defensive work with 279 digs, and Ponchak will be continuing her playing career for the Stanford beach volleyball program.
SECOND TEAM
Position, Name, School, Year
MB / OPP Blake Borgquist, Laguna Beach, So.
OH Brooklyn Enriquez, Marina, So.
MB Samantha Fleischli, Newport Harbor, Sr.
MB Eve Fowler, Sage Hill, Fr.
S / OPP Addie Roberson, Pacifica Christian, Jr.
OH Jenna Schroeder, Estancia, Sr.
MB Amika Swanson, Huntington Beach, Sr.
OH Chara Wondercheck, Pacifica Christian, Sr.
OH Addison Williams, Huntington Beach, Jr.
OH Aubrey Spallone, Costa Mesa, Sr.
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