Sage Hill girls’ volleyball falls short again in CIF semifinals, loses to La Salle

Having been there before did not make the sting of defeat any easier to take for the Sage Hill School girls’ volleyball team.

For the second year in a row, the Lightning fell one contest short of reaching the CIF Southern Section Division 3 championship match. Sage Hill went the distance again in the semifinals, only to lose again in five sets.

Top-seeded Pasadena La Salle went on the road to defeat No. 4 Sage Hill 15-25, 25-18, 25-23, 23-25, 15-11 on Tuesday and advance to the section finale.

Sofia Sanchez and Chloe Howell combined for the decisive block for La Salle, which prevented Sage Hill from making its first trip to the section finals in three years.

“These are girls that have a special place in my heart,” Lightning senior setter Jade Blevins said. “It’s been the most warm, welcoming and friendly team that I’ve ever been on. That’s what makes it so hard to leave and know that I will be gone next year.”

Blevins, who is set to sign with the University of Portland on Wednesday, had 37 assists, 10 digs and two kills to lead Sage Hill (22-10).

Junior outside hitters Amiyah De’Long and Sydnee Francis have been starting alongside Blevins for three seasons. Even against a stout defensive team in La Salle (26-5), the trio found ways to be effective.

De’Long had a team-high 16 kills to go with four blocks. Francis had 13 kills, 10 digs and four service aces, with sophomore opposite Danielle Beder adding 10 kills and five blocks.

“They blocked really well,” Lightning coach Dan Thomassen said of the Lancers. “Every single one of their front row players was a good blocker. There are no holes in their blocking or defense.”

A major part of La Salle’s defense was the passing of libero Vanessa Ramirez. Her 16 digs came secondary to her ability to get the ball to setters Tamia Cephus and Victoria Ashkinos near the net, providing the Lancers with opportunities to take aggressive swings on offense.

“I’m very fortunate to have good rotations,” Lancers coach Tiare Tuitama said. “We have hitters in every rotation, and all of them do something different, which is great.

“[Sage Hill is] a really good team. They have some really good hitters that we had a hard time stopping.”

Sanchez, a senior outside hitter, finished with a match-high 17 kills to go with two blocks. Claire Forrest had 16 kills and four blocks, Sophia Anderson had seven kills and 18 digs, and Ashkinos had 35 assists.

La Salle made three consecutive section finals appearances from 2011 to 2013, winning the last two. None of the Lancers on this year’s roster had ever experienced such a run, until now.

“It’s honestly unbelievable,” Sanchez said of making it to the section final for the first time. “All the hard work, all the practices, the late nights, the suicide runs really paid off. It’s just an amazing feeling. I’m in shock.”

La Salle will face second-seeded Chatsworth Sierra Canyon for the championship at Cerritos College. Tuitama said the match will be on Saturday, but the time is yet to be determined.

Sierra Canyon (31-7) swept Pasadena Westridge 25-12, 25-12, 25-15 in the other semifinal on Tuesday.

The season is not over for Academy League champion Sage Hill, as it expects to qualify for the CIF State Southern California Regional Division II playoffs. The draws will be released on Sunday.

“Moving forward, it’s kind of like we have nothing to lose,” Blevins said. “We want to be together for as long as we can. I think it’s sad that we only get to be together for a portion of the year.

“I love them. Right now, it’s just about elongating what time we have.”

As for her last section match, Blevins said she could not have asked for a better one.

“I’m glad that we got to play a team like [La Salle] and really battle it out because it showed the best of both teams,” Blevins said. “I think that is really important when you have gone this far. You want to be competitive, and if you’re going to lose, you want to lose to somebody who can stand up to how you think you can play.”

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