CHULA VISTA — Every November in San Diego, the evenings get crisper, the leaves start to change colors, the coffee shop drink menu gets a refresh — and Cathedral Catholic wins a girls volleyball championships.
The top-seeded Dons made it four consecutive Open Division championships — and 21 CIF titles overall when you add in the USDHS years — with Saturdays 25-18, 25-23, 25-15 win over rival Torrey Pines at Southwestern College.
“I get lucky,” said coach Juliana Conn, whose Dons are ranked 14th in the nation by MaxPreps.com. “I get a lot of great players. We just keep a really good program that’s known for volleyball. I’m glad kids aren’t just going here and showing up. They’re actually working hard. Playing Torrey Pines is always fun. We know they had a big streak of six championships, and we know we’ve had it the last four years. Two great teams, and there’s always going to be good volleyball there.”
Cathedral Catholic players celebrate after beating Torrey Pines in the CIF San Diego Section Open Division volleyball championship game Nov., 9, 2024 at Southwestern College in Chula Vista, Calif. (Photo by Denis Poroy)
The win Saturday makes it eight straight for Cathedral Catholic (42-3) in the rivalry. The last win for Torrey Pines came five years ago to the day, which was also the last time the Falcons won the Open Division.
Well-balanced only begins to tell the story of the 2024 Dons, and Saturday was no exception. Three players — all underclassmen — shared the team lead with eight kills each — Jojo Wilson, Madyson McCarthy and Sophia Johnson.
Johnson, who at 5-foot-7 is the shortest non-defensive player on the court not including Dons setter Lauren Hanson, had four blocks from her opposite position.
“Size hasn’t mattered,” said Dons libero Maya Evens, who had 15 digs. “We work really hard on our ball control so we can run our middles. When we all do our jobs well, we flourish as a team.
Cathedral Catholic’s Mae Kordas hits over Torrey Pines’ Emery Gonzales, left, Marina Vosloo, center, and Jaycee Mack during the CIF San Diego Section Open Division volleyball championship game Nov., 9, 2024 in Chula Vista, Calif. (Photo by Denis Poroy)
The Falcons (28-8) got a huge night from sophomore outside hitter Jaycee Mack, who finished with a match-high 14 kills while adding two blocks and an ace.
Playing without star outside and Penn State commit Finley Krystkowiak — out since Oct. 12 with an injury — Torrey Pines was not able to overcome the Dons firepower.
“She kept us in the match,” Falcons coach Brennan Dean said of Mack. “It’s tough when one of your studs is out, but it doesn’t take away from what they did. They put a lot of pressure on us offensively. It’s a big, physical team, and we struggled staying in system and being able to defend, transition and score.”
Cathedral Catholic players celebrate after beating Torrey Pines in the CIF San Diego Section Open Division volleyball championship game Nov., 9, 2024 at Southwestern College in Chula Vista, Calif. (Photo by Denis Poroy)
The first set saw a consistent sideout game for the Dons. They only gave up two straight points twice and were up by at least four points at every moment except once after taking an 8-4 lead. The Falcons got to 21-18 after a Dons service error, but Cathedral Catholic ran off the last four points.
The Dons jumped out to a 5-1 lead in set two, three of those points coming on stuff blocks. But Torrey Pines fought back and remained in striking distance as the set progressed, getting to within one point at 18-17, 19-18, 20-19, 23-22 and 24-23. Allison Dzieciuch’s kill in the middle ended the set.
“We’ve beat them with Finley and without Finley,” said Dons senior middle Mae Kordas, who finished with six kills and four blocks. “But they’re so good everywhere else too. Our main focus was to try to stop their outsides, and I think we did that well.”
The Falcons got a combined nine kills from Danica Nordlicht and Lilia Decker. Nordlicht’s kill closed the gap to 11-8 in set three, but they wouldn’t get any closer.
The Open Division began for San Diego girls volleyball in 2013. Torrey Pines dominated at first, winning six of the first seven championships. It’s been all Dons since then with Saturday’s fourth straight title.
This one has special meaning for Conn, whose daughter, Evens, is the Dons libero. Evens is one of six seniors on the Dons roster and is now the first player to win an Open Championship in all four years in program history.
“It’s hard to talk about it,” Conn said. “They’re all special, but to know she won them all with me and now she’s going off to college. With me and Maya it’s such a special bond that we share that volleyball passion, and it’s getting to a point where I’m not going to be coaching her anymore.”