Owls get started with win over Brethren Christian

The Laguna Blanca girls volleyball team made head coach Jim Alzina a happy man after its season opener on Friday night, having polished off a 25-19, 25-18, 25-21 sweep of Brethren Christian.

“They exceeded all of my expectations,” Alzina said, pointing out that his team hasn’t been able to practice at full strength yet because of missing players. “We’ve only been together for a week and haven’t had everyone there yet.”

Amanda Harvey led the Owls offensively with 12 kills and Amanda Schulenberg added seven kills and seven aces. Lillie Hodges, Krysta Brown and Grace Woolf got it done on defense. Hodges collected a team-high nine digs while Brown and Woolf each recorded a team high in blocks with four.

Schulenberg’s performance at the service line was especially important for the Owls, as the senior was able to put together two long runs during the match.

Laguna Blanca, which holds a preseason No. 1 CIF rank, hosts its own tournament on Saturday, opening up against Carpinteria at 8:30 a.m. in Merovick Gym.