OCEANSIDE — When Rock Academy faced Hilltop in an early-season girls volleyball tournament, it got destroyed. Things got so bad that the Warriors notched only four kills in two sets and lost the second set, 25-3.

Apparently, you learn more from your losses than your wins.

Rock Academy ran its winning streak to 17 straight matches with Thursdays 25-16, 15-25, 25-16, 25-27, 15-4 win over The Monarch School in the Division 5-AA championship match. It was the most important win of them all, as it resulted in the first CIF San Diego Section championship in program history.

The Warriors (23-1) lost in last year’s championship match to Calipatria in four sets, so redemption was clearly a motivator.

Junior outside hitter Alexa Baird led the way for Rock Academy with 15 kills and three aces.

“We turned around from being able to fight last season and not being able to win the championship match, and that’s what made us so determined this season,” said Rock Academy coach Jasmine Julye. “I’m just proud. I don’t have any other words. I’m just proud of their fight and the way they played all in tonight.”

Junior outside hitter Alexa Baird led the way for Rock Academy with 15 kills and three aces.

For the Royals, who came in on a 12-match winning streak, getting here was a victory. This was the furthest trip for the school that features students who are either currently or recently unhoused.

“We came in not having any expectations for this team,” said Royals assistant coach Brianna Cannon, whose sister Serina is the head coach. “They come from a really tough background. We push them every single day at practice, and to make it this far and be runners-up is the greatest accomplishment. We made history and we’re so proud of the girls.”

The Royals (18-7) were led by seniors Daphne Allen, who had a team-high 13 kills with three blocks and an ace, and Chantal Bocanegra, who notched nine kills with four aces and two blocks.

Warriors senior setter Parker Duhs spread the ball around to more than just Baird. Aliya Landes chipped in with seven kills, two aces and a block, and middles Nevaeha Noguera( six kills and two aces) and Martha Mulumbilwa (four kills and a block) were forces at the net.

“I feel super comfortable setting to any position to any player that we have,” said Duhs, who also added two kills and three aces.

Rock Academy’s Alexa Baird hits against Monarch’s Mya Montero and Chantal Bocanegra during the CIF San Diego Section Division 5-AA championship game at MiraCosta College on Thursday, Nov. 7, 2024 in Oceanside, CA. (Meg McLaughlin / The San Diego Union-Tribune)

Senior libero Salma Montes De Oca finished with 18 digs for the Warriors.

Allen put away three straight balls in the middle to tie set one at 13 before Rock Academy’s offense caught fire. Baird had three kills near the end of the set.

The Royals appeared to be ending the night early in the second set as the Warriors went up 4-0 on two Mulumbilwa kills and two Landes aces.

That’s when Bocanegra took over. She had a kill in serve receive to get the Royals on the board then dialed up three straight aces.

She combined with Allen on a stuff block for an 11-7 lead. Allen had two late kills then Bocanegra crushed a ball on the outside after a long rally for a 23-15 lead in a set they’d take 25-15.

Set three was back and forth, but mostly due to serving, hitting and ball control errors. The Royals went up 8-6 before the Warriors offense got stronger. Mulumbilwa got a stuff block for a 10-8 lead. Duhs notched a pair of aces after a timeout. Before the Royals could call another timeout, the deficit was 19-12. Mulumbilwa ended set three with a huge kill on the outside in serve receive.

Baird had three kills in the convincing third-set win. Despite the Royals consistently digging her, she kept swinging.

“The biggest thing in my mentality is what the coaches have always told me to keep playing no matter what’s going on,” Baird said. “If we make one mistake, it’s not the game. It doesn’t change the way you’re playing, it doesn’t change the player you are. Not getting in your head, not playing for myself when I’m making mistakes.”

Not surprisingly, set four was neck and neck. Allen had three early kills, but the Warriors attack kept it close. And then the Royals refused to let balls drop on their side, raising their defensive effort to a championship level. An 18-11 lead turned in a nail-biting 27-25 win to send it to a fifth set.

Riki Salas Smith served an ace for the Royals to start set five. It was 3-3 before Rock Academy went on a run for the ages, closing it out with a 15-4 win.

According to Duhs, Julye has a clear motto of “all 13, all in.”

“I’m just thankful for everyone involved,” Duhs said. “I’m just really happy. We put in so much work. We were all in together.”

That mentality was never more evident than in that early-season loss to Hilltop.

If you’re curious if Baird still felt her team would win a championship after that blowout loss in August, her answer was clear.

“I did,” she said. “Our team has this chemistry and this drive. We have this work ethic where I knew we would get this far. We have amazing coaches who have poured into us since the start of the season that I just knew that even with one loss, we were going to have an amazing season.”