Owls season ended in semifinals

The quest for a fourth consecutive trip to the CIF finals fell one victory short for the Laguna Blanca girls volleyball team Tuesday, as the Owls (16-3) fell on the road to Calvary Chapel Murrieta 25-18, 25-22, 25-19.

“There wasn’t a dry eye in the whole bunch of ’em,” said head coach Jim Alzina.

Four-year varsity player Katie Borden had eight kills with seven digs in her final high school match, while Annie Varni and Jackie Harvey added seven kills apiece. Jesse Ditmore notched five blocks for Laguna.

“I’m just extremely proud of the girls. They’ve more than met my expectations as far as maturity and how hard they played in every game,” said Alzina. “Their reception of me as a first-year coach was incredible. The seniors did an excellent job of leading the team.”

Alzina also thanked the fans and parents for showing “the most class of any program I’ve ever been at.”

(Photos taken by Michael Ditmore)