Santa Barbara High’s volleyball team recorded a signature win before its Channel League showdown with San Marcos, beating CIF 1AA school Harvard Westlake in four sets on Tuesday at J.R. Richards Gym. The scores were 27-25, 25-18, 23-25, 25-10.
Harvard Westlake is 11th in the latest CIF polls. Santa Barbara is ranked ninth in Division 1A.
Senior setter Lexi Rottman utilized all her hitters to confound Harvard Westlake’s defense. On the outside. Jessyca Beksa pounded 17 kills and Lourda Weger put away 14. In the middle, Katie Gallivan was a force with nine kills and three stuff blocks.
“She’s getting it going,” Dons coach John Gannon said of Gallivan. “It’s fun to see our senior middles stepping up their games. Katie and Caroline Anderson are playing well together.”
Rottman was stellar at the service line. In the fourth set, she went on a 10-point service run, which included three aces. She finished the match with five.
Gannon pointed to the team’s ball control as a key to the win.
“They were a good serving team. We stepped up our serve receive and passed well,” he said.
Santa Barbara (8-3) hosts San Marcos on Wednesday in the Channel League opener.
