Mater Dei Dominates Rocklin to Win California Open Division Volleyball Title — Full State Championship Recap

The Monarchs powered to their third state crown behind Layli Ostovar and Westley Matavao, while champions were crowned across all six CIF divisions at Santiago Canyon College

Members of the Mater Dei rush to celebrate their three set sweep of Rocklin in the California Open Division state final at Santiago Canyon College. / Heston Quan

The California girls high school volleyball season concluded on Saturday November 22 at Santiago Canyon College in Orange. Six championship matches were contested, headlined by the Saturday night Open Division battle between Mater Dei-Santa Ana and upstart Rocklin.

Open Division: Mater Dei-Santa Ana d. Rocklin 25-13, 25-22, 25-18

The South won again in Open, as Mater Dei claimed its third state title and second in three years. Pin power from Layli Ostovar and Westley Matavao carried the Monarchs (35-5) to a 25-13, 25-22, 25-18 victory over Rocklin (32-5) before a large crowd packed mostly with red-clad MDHS fans. Ostovar belted 15 kills and Matavao contributed 11 as the Monarchs hit .341 for the match, including an incredible .478 in the first set. Middle Addison Coady added six kills on the night.

North champ Rocklin, making its first appearance in a state final, was led by Gianna Bogan with nine kills and Rylee Heinz and Sidney Jones with five each. The South has now won every Open Division match since Archbishop Mitty triumphed in 2017. In those seven title contests, South teams own a 21-1 advantage in sets.

“It doesn’t feel real yet,” said Ostovar, directly after the match. “It’s a great way to end my senior year.”

Four days after upsetting top-seed Sierra Canyon-Chatsworth in the SoCal Regional final – enacting revenge after the Trailblazers had beaten them for the Southern Section title – Mater Dei romped through the opening set and outbattled the Thunder in the next two.

Early on, it seemed as if every attack was going down for Mater Dei. In the first set, they nailed 15 balls in 23 attempts, part of their .478 attack percentage to that point. Ostovar had six kills, bashing four in a five-point span, part of an 8-2 run that broke things open.

“On the passing, we were locked in right away,” Mater Dei coach Dan O’Dell said. “When we pass that well, the setter can make it easy for everyone.”

But Rocklin would not go away. They switched up their defense to try to contain Ostovar and Matavao on the outside. Rocklin’s Rylee Heinz and Sidney Jones were effective in the middle, utilizing quick sets from Ava Pabalate. The Thunder led by as much as six and were holding on to a 20-17 lead when tables turned. At 22-22, Mater Dei closed with three straight, highlighted by a big block in the middle from Jael Smith and a kill from Ostovar.

The third set was even through 12-12 but then the Monarchs slowly pulled away. Emma Kingston, Shewa Adefemiwa and Coady provided depth on the Mater Dei side. The Monarchs simply had too many weapons. With a firm hold on things at 22-17, Ostovar closed the door with a blast off the block and two down the seam.

“When we had to close out a game, we were at our best,” O’Dell said. “I think we have so much talent. Layli and Westley will get their kills. But in every game, other kids step up. We always have complements to Layli and Westley.”

Mater Dei finished the night with 45 kills against just 14 errors. The Monarchs’ defense was also stellar. They combined net protection and blocking with great back-row play led by Oregon-bound libero Lizzy Robinson. Rocklin put down 24 kills with 16 errors, an .082 percentage.

Division I: Harvard-Westlake-Studio City d. Woodcreek-Roseville 25-22, 25-14, 25-17

The Wolverines (28-8) claimed their sixth state title by rallying past Woodcreek (42-7) in the first set and rolling from there. The initial set was tied at 23 when Maya Stillwell blasted down an overpass and Mattea Pisani served an ace. H-W controlled the action the rest of the way, with a dominant second set and a solid third, fending off one late Timberwolves’ flurry.

Kylie Parker ripped 14 kills, with a .310 attack percentage, to lead Harvard-Westlake. Sophia Cotter put down 11, with a .381 percentage, and Kahala Faucher contributed nine kills. “The Creek” was paced by Mya Taylor, Lilliana Saldivar and Kennedy Hull, each with five kills. Harvard-Westlake was fierce at the net and on defense, as they held Woodcreek to a .000 attack percentage (14 kills, 14 errors) over the final two sets.

“It was huge to hold off their late run in the first set,” H-W coach Morgan Wijay said. “Volleyball is a momentum game. The Mission League prepared us for this. Facing a big hitter - it’s not a big thing for us. This year, we’ve only lost to teams in the top ten in the nation.”

Division II: Cypress d. Clovis West-Fresno 25-20, 25-23, 25-22

In one of the most entertaining matches of the weekend, the Centurions (25-10) swept the Golden Eagles (31-14) in three tight sets. The contest was the first state appearance for both schools. Cypress rolled in the first set, nailing 14 kills with no hitting errors. Clovis West, third-place finisher in the competitive Tri-River League, stiffened their defense after that. However, they dropped a second set at deuce and a fierce third-set effort with 13 kills was hindered with 10 attack errors.

“They played very good defense, and on offense, they moved the ball around,” CW senior outside hitter Jaden Graham said.

Cypress was led by Isabella Faro with 14 kills and five aces. Kendel Harris added nine kills and Katrina Sokolowski contributed seven. Clovis West was paced by freshman Brooklyn Lopez with 15 kills and senior Layla Soares with 10.

Division III: Academy of Our Lady of Peace-San Diego d. Sequoia-Redwood City 25-18, 25-23, 25-19

The Pilots (22-11) utilized height and athleticism to control the net in sweeping the Ravens (25-16). OLP was paced by Charlotte Wickstrand with 13 kills, Talia Butler with eight, Dylan Wilson with seven and Delilah Wilson with six. The diverse attack overwhelmed Sequoia, as the Pilots hit .231 in the match.

Samantha McMurtry led Sequoia with 13 kills and Katalina Tuipulotu added 10 kills and 15 digs. The Ravens totaled 35 kills and 26 errors, hitting just .070 in the match. OLP held them under .100 in attack percentage in all three sets.

Sequoia’s best charge came in the second set. They led much of the way in their attempt to even the contest. OLP caught up at 18-18 and it was tied again at 23. The Pilots captured the set with a Sequoia hitting error and a Butler block, one of 16 for OLP on the day to just four for Sequoia.

In the third set, OLP put things out of reach with a late five-point spurt, fueled by two Butler kills and an ace from setter Caitlin Prior.

“Caitlin is a player that gets everyone involved,” OLP coach Mary-Kate Catton said. “She has done a fantastic job running the offense.”

Division IV: Immanuel-Reedley d. Capistrano Valley Christian-San Juan Capistrano 25-22, 25-13, 25-22

In the SoCal title match the previous Tuesday, CVC travelled 352 miles one way to play at an elevation of 7,880 feet in edging Mammoth-Mammoth Lakes in a competitive three-set sweep. They only had to travel 25 miles on Saturday and brought one of the largest fan bases of the weekend, but Immanuel (22-16) had too much firepower and too much defense for the Eagles (14-22-1).

“The loss hurts but I give absolute credit to Immanuel,” CVC coach Kelle Bond said. “They were fast and they kept the ball in.”

Spencer Horn led IHS with 13 kills and Lily Hughes added 10 kills with an attack percentage of .556. CVC was led by Faith Williams with 11 kills but there was little more to their attack. CVC entered the contest with a 14-21-1 record but had peaked late in the season. However, they were overmatched here and, in the final two sets, had just 14 kills and 14 errors for an attack percentage of .000. In that span, Immanuel smacked 27 kills.

“It’s pretty cool,” Immanuel coach Alyssa DenHartog said. “We got to go back-to-back in two different divisions (Immanuel won a 2024 CIF State title in Division V). The game went great. We executed the game plan. We served great. We keyed on their big hitters and we kept pressure on them.”

Division V: Hilmar d. Elsinore-Wildomar 26-24, 25-16, 25-19

In the first set, Hilmar fought off a set point for a tight win and the Yellowjackets (27-16) cruised thereafter. They were paced by Emma Gomes with 10 kills and a .417 attack percentage. Five other Hilmar players delivered between four and seven kills. Elsinore relied on Jaycee Hullar, who smacked 12 kills.

The Yellowjackets had more height and a better attack, and coupled that with a strong defense. Elsinore (17-18) fought hard early in the final two sets, but Hilmar took over in the later stages of both. Hilmar’s success was reflected in their statistics showing 27 kills with just six errors in the final two sets.

“It was service pressure versus Hilmar height,” Elsinore coach Lannie Maffucci. “We had Jaycee but few other options.”