Cate and Laguna Blanca, which met as league rival last year as the No. 1 and No. 2 teams in their CIF division, met for the only scheduled meeting of the season on Saturday in the four-team Cate Mesa Mixer.
The Rams, now playing in the Frontier League, dealt the Owls a 25-21 defeat in the one-game championship match. But Laguna Blanca had the upper hand when the two teams met earlier in pool play, winning 24-26, 25-12, 15-12.
Owls head coach Jim Alzina praised Kendall White for her serving, Dani Abrams for her presence in the middle, Hannah White for a strong attack and Phoebe Madsen for strong overall play.
Rams head coach Greg Novak credited a lineup adjustment for Cate’s win in its second look at Laguna. The Rams hit .517 in that one-set win. Lydia McMahon, Delaney Mayfield and Peyton Shelburne all contributed multiple kills in the set.
Xandrine Griffin led Cate in hitting percentage for the day at .417 with 15 kills and two errors.
Santa Ynez and Pacifica Christian also competed.
Cate defeated Pacifica Christian 25-15, 25-21 in pool play and Santa Ynez 25-22, 25-20.
Laguna Blanca beat Santa Ynez 25-22, 25-14 and Cate, but lost to Pacifica Christian 26-24, 20-25, 15-10 in a rematch of last year’s CIF Division 4A Championship (also won by Pacifica Christian).
