Cate’s balanced attack was too much for Pacifica Christian, as the Rams took a four-set win over the top-ranked girls volleyball team in CIF Division 4-A on Saturday in Culver City. The scores were 25-17, 27-29, 25-19, 25-20.
Maddie Becker led the diversified offense for third-ranked Cate with nine kills, while Peyton Shelburne, Delaney Mayfield and Cydney Pierce all had eight kills. Tasmyn Walker added seven kills.
“Those are good numbers to see,” said Cate coach Greg Novak. “They had some pretty good swings and we were just digging them and getting kills.”
Ellen Lempres and Brenna Geiger ran the Rams’ “modified 5-1” offense.
“This feels pretty good, especially after losing to them last year in a great match,” Novak said. “There was a lot of pre-game hype. Cate brought a busload of kids and the football team rushed down there, too, after their game, so we had a a big crowd. It was the first time we had student bodies at both sides of the gym, so there was a lot of banter. It was great.”
Novak said the win was “definitely” one of the best in program history. “Knowing that they’re seeded first, to beat the No. 1 in our division is a pretty significant win.”
The Rams improve to 5-1 on the season. They return to Condor League play on Wednesday against Providence.
