Royals check SLO tournament title off their list of seasonal goals

San Marcos survived some tough pool-play matches and rolled through the playoffs to win the San Luis Obispo girls volleyball tournament on Saturday. The Royals beat Clovis North in a one-game final, 25-18.

Chloe Allen was named the tournament MVP and Emily Allen and Anika Wilson were picked to the all-tournament team.

“We had to work hard all day to get to the finals,” San Marcos coach Erica Menzel Downing said. “We had a few tough matches in the morning, but we continued to get better as the day went on.”

In pool play, the Royals defeated Elsinore (25-12, 17-25, 15-11), Atascadero (25-19, 23-25, 15-6) and La Reina (18-25, 25-14, 18-16)

San Marcos beat Sonora (25-21) and El Toro (25-18) in the playoffs before topping Clovis North in the final. There were 45 teams in the tournament.

“As a team, we served very well the whole tournament,” Menzel said. “Winning this tournament was a team goal that was set in the beginning of the season. (The players) now can check that off the list and move onto to our next goal.

“This team is competitive and works hard for each win,” she added. “They all enjoy the game so much and have great respect and support for each other.”

San Marcos is home Tuesday against Oxnard.