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Setter Kayla Rhee-Pizano and outside hitter Jessie Dueck return for Soquel High’s girls volleyball team, the defending Santa Cruz Coast Athletic League champion. But 2021 runner-up Santa Cruz will again provide fierce competition.
For the Cardinals, All-SCCAL first-team opposite Gigi Brown leads a quartet of top players in a quest for the school’s first league title since ’01. SCCAL depth continues from there with Harbor and rebounding Aptos.
“Once again the league is strong and the heavy influence of the beach game should lead to a strong showing from all Santa Cruz County teams this fall,” Harbor coach Matt Schutz said.
Soquel beat Scotts Valley, Harbor and Mercy Burlingame to win the Central Coast Section Division IV title last year and defeated Menlo-Atherton and Sacred Heart Cathedral to reach the NorCal semifinals. Santa Cruz reached the CCS Division III final, where it fell to Burlingame, but ripped off three NorCal wins before dropping the NorCal final. Harbor was neck-and-neck with Soquel and Santa Cruz last year and reached the CCS semifinals.
Now add in Aptos and Mount Madonna, both of whom won state titles in 2019.
“It might be due to the offseason beach play, or that the competition breeds excellence, but once again we expect SCCAL to have a strong showing in CCS,” Santa Cruz coach Lina Manley-Diaz said. “I expect the top teams to be Soquel, Harbor and Santa Cruz High.” For Santa Cruz Sentinel full article, click here.