RANCHO SANTA MARGARITA — Mater Dei’s girls volleyball team overcame a slow start to beat Santa Margarita in a Trinity League game Thursday at Santa Margarita High.
The Monarchs fell in the first set but beat Santa Margarita, 19-25, 25-20, 27-25, 25-13.
“I think we settled down a lot,” Mater Dei coach Dan O’Dell said. “Santa Margarita came out serving us really tough and our passing was shaky early. After set one we settled down and started playing like we are capable of.”
The Monarchs (22-3, 2-0) lost to Santa Margarita (14-6, 1-1) in the preseason Queens Court tournament.
Mater Dei was coming off winning the Durango Fall Classic last weekend in Las Vegas. Sophomore Westley Matavao was named MVP of the tournament.
Matavao has played 10 games since becoming eligible after transferring from Orange Lutheran. The team is 10-0 in those games and O’Dell feels the team is already used to having her in the lineup.
“I think after Las Vegas we are pretty comfortable with her. Having seven matches in two days was a good comfort thing for us,” O’Dell said. “She’s fantastic. She sees the court well and impacts it so much as an all-around player. Most people notice her hitting but she does everything well which sets her apart.”
Matavao led Mater Dei with 13 kills and Layli Ostovar had 12 kills with four aces. Ostovar had four consecutive kills in the second set and opened the fourth set with three consecutive aces.
“Even if Layli’s hitting is off, she’s going to be your top passer, make incredible defensive plays and get aces for you,” O’Dell said.
Santa Margarita opened the game with a 17-6 lead in the first set which prompted a Mater Dei timeout. Kaliya Ndiaye, a 6-foot-4 senior, had a block to end the first set with the Eagles winning 25-19.
Memphis Burnett led Santa Margarita in kills with 13 and had four aces. Sophomore Ireland Real had eight kills for the Eagles.
The third set was back and forth until an ace by Ostovar gave the Monarchs a 27-25 win. Ireland was notably absent from the court for the second half of the third set.
“I was very surprised not to see Ireland out there,” O’Dell said. “She’s such a big presence with blocking that it forces us offensively to set away from her, so without her we were able to spread the ball around.”
Mater Dei dominated the fifth set and a block by Emma Kingston ended the match.
Samantha Capinpin led Mater Dei with 17 assists and Ayva Ostovar added 13. The Monarchs had 14 service aces.
Mater Dei has won 11 consecutive matches and Thursday’s win extended its league winning streak to 15 games dating back to 2022.
“I knew early on that the Trinity League is going to be strong this year and it’s going to be even stronger next year,” O’Dell said. “Road Trinity League games are never an easy task. Going on the road and grinding out wins helps us for the playoffs.”
Mater Dei is the defending CIF-SS Division 1 champion and CIF State champion. The Monarchs are ranked No. 1 in the nation by MaxPreps and will play JSerra on the road Tuesday.
Santa Margarita will host Orange Lutheran Tuesday.
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