“I’m tired,” said Dwayne Hauschild.
After all that winning, it’s no wonder.
The Dos Pueblos girls volleyball team stormed into Monday’s Dave Mohs Tournament Gold Division title match thanks to four big victories on Saturday.
The first victim was Dana Hills (25-15, 13-15, 15-11), then Upland (25-11, 25-18), Harvard-Westlake (23-25, 25-13, 15-13) and Newport Harbor (25-18, 25-23).
Monday’s final will be against Orange Lutheran, which outlasted Santa Barbara 20-25, 25-22, 15-10 in the semifinals.
For DP, the big win against Harvard-Westlake avenged the only loss the Chargers have suffered thus far, and the Newport Harbor match was reportedly also a sight to behold.
“The girls played shockingly well,” said Hauschild. “A guy came up to me and said it was a college-level match.
Dons coach John Gannon said that the buzz was all about DP in the 32-team tourney, which features many of the state’s top teams.
“They were the talk of the tournament,” he said.
The Dons (9-1) also blazed an impressive trail before their semifinal slip-up. The downed San Clemente 25-20, 25-22 and crushed Corona del Mar 21-14, 21-18. Gannon said that sophomore Eve Ettinger showed that she’s ready to play at the varsity level, and that Natalie Guerra’s setting was consistent throughout the weekend. He also said that Hadley Simmons had her best-ever match in the semifinal loss. Mimi Cuttrell and Guerra were named to the all-tournament team.
Orange Lutheran ended up having more energy and made the key defensive plays against Santa Barbara, according to Gannon.
Hauschild and the Chargers will have to rest up for Monday’s long drive to the championship.
