San Marcos overcame a slow start and rallied past Westlake in a battle of CIF Division 1A top-10 girls volleyball teams on Thursday night in Westlake.
The No. 7-ranked Royals fought back from an 0-2 deficit in sets against the No. 10 Warriors and pulled out an 18-25, 24-26, 25-20, 25-21, 15-13 non-league victory.
“We had a great game. I could not have been happier for the girls,” San Marcos coach Erica Downing said. “We were very flat in games one and two. We dug deep and came to win in five against a very good Westlake team.”
Senior and UCSB commit Chloe Allen led the comeback with 23 kills, including six in the pivotal third set. She hit .250 for the match. Middle Kamille Williams added 12 kills and Jenna McFarlane had 11.
Taryn Stevens came up big in the third set, serving two aces and picking up three digs. Stevens had nine digs on the night.
“Taryn Stevens had a great game for us tonight. She showed senior leadership and was very consistent in the back row,” Downing said.
The Royals picked up their game in the last three sets and finished strong. McFarlane had five kills in the fourth set, and the team hit .410. San Marcos’ attack percentage was .370 in the fifth set.
Next up for the Royals is the Channel League opener against eighth-ranked Ventura. The teams shared the league title last year.
