The Rancho Christian girls volleyball team is on a roll, winning 11 consecutive matches and 29 straight sets over the past month.
The Eagles already were flying high, but the offense received another boost when senior setter Bailey Morrison became eligible again when the sit-out period ended Sept. 13. Morrison, who is headed to Cal State Stanislaus, transferred from Murrieta Valley.
Senior Sophia Duguid and freshman Celeste Kemle shared the setting duties for the Eagles during the first month of the season and performed well despite playing out of position. Duguid is the team’s starting opposite, while Kemle is a natural outside hitter.
“We kept the offense simple at the beginning of the season and it worked well for us,” Rancho Christian coach Caitlyn Bato said. “Bailey can run things at a faster speed because she is a natural setter. Having her come in and be ready to do that for us really helped elevate our offense to another level immediately. … Those connections that weren’t quite there at the start are there now.”
Bato took over the program on an interim basis three weeks into the 2024 season. She guided the Eagles to the Ivy League title and was chosen the IE Varsity Coach of the Year. The interim tag was shed, and Bato had a full offseason to prepare the squad.
“We were trying to figure out all of the pieces on the fly,” Bato said of stepping into the coaching role last year. “We graduated a big senior class, so we had to find some key components. We luckily found them before the season started. … This team is really small in terms of numbers, but we all have a great understanding of accountability and what needs to be done to be successful.”
Rancho Christian is 24-4 overall and 6-0 in Ivy League play heading into Wednesday night’s rematch against Riverside Poly (7-1 in league). The Eagles have a tough finishing stretch, including two matches against upset-minded Paloma Valley (5-2 in league).
Janiah Burrage, an explosive 6-foot-1, sophomore outside hitter, leads the offense with 3.6 kills per set. Kemle and Duguid have settled back into their natural positions and, respectively, are averaging 2.5 kills and 2.2 kills per set for the Eagles this season.
Rancho Christian was bounced in the first round of the CIF Southern Section Division 2 playoffs last season. Bato bolstered the schedule a bit this season, so the Eagles would be prepared for high-level playoff volleyball this season. Rancho Christian again is projected to be in the Division 2 playoffs this season.
“We need to execute and be more aggressive,” Bato said. “We’ve already shown we can compete against those top schools.”
REDLANDS OUTLASTS BEAUMONT … AGAIN
Kameryn Carpenter and Jaydee Zook combined for 30 kills as Redlands rallied from a set down to knock off Beaumont 25-15, 22-25, 17-25, 25-21, 15-8, in a Citrus Belt League match.
The result puts the Terriers (20-4 overall, 6-0 in league) in position to claim their fourth straight league crown.
Setter Natallia Caravia tallied 21 assists, five blocks and four aces, and libero Ava Reyes registered 16 digs.
It was the second time Redlands went the distance to beat the Cougars this season. The Terriers pulled out a 25-13, 21-25, 25-21, 13-25, 15-12 over Beaumont last month in the league opener.
Redlands will compete at the SoCal Invitational at Alliant Sportscenter in San Diego on Friday and Saturday.
STAT LEADERS
Inland players have been posting some impressive numbers this season.
Woodcrest Christian’s Evelyn Pool leads all CIF Southern Section players with 457 kills and 5.6 kills per set, according to Maxpreps.com’s database. Calvary Baptist’s Alexandra Martin ranks second in both categories with 427 kills and 5.5 kills per set. Centennial’s Asia Udo-Ema is fourth with 361 kills, and Etiwanda’s Lauren Furnald is eighth with 309 kills.
Diamond Bar’s Kristen Yang leads the section with a .460 hitting percentage, and Calvary Baptist’s Martin checks in at No. 3 with a .451 attacking percentage. Santiago’s Addyson Ellis is tied for seventh (.393), while Rancho Christian’s Burrage is ninth (.380).
Murrieta Mesa’s Analei Bradley leads the section with 915 assists, and Centennial’s Londyn Neal ranks second with 881 assists.
Tahquitz’s Marley Tuliau ranks second in the section with 106 total blocks, while Liberty’s Madison Rosal is third with 100 blocks. Diamond Bar’s Yang and Etiwanda’s Kaila Nassar are tied for fifth with 98 blocks apiece.
Crossroads Christian’s Karla Garcia leads the second with 106 aces, while Calvary Baptist’s Martin ranks second with 99 aces. Martin’s teammate Tatiana Dashjian is third with 90 aces, and Etiwanda’s Furnald is fourth with 89 aces.
North’s Athena Lee is third in the section with 482 digs, King’s Angeline Morales checks in at No. 4 with 440 digs and Chaparral’s Shay Roddy rounds out the top five with 437 digs.
