The girls volleyball team was defeated in the second round of CCS Open Division playoffs last Tuesday by AMHS. Staff photo by Ty Corley.

By Emilio Simbeck

In a highly anticipated rematch from the beginning of the season, Menlo’s girl volleyball team fell to Archbishop Mitty High School. Mitty came into the game ranked 2nd in the state and 7th in the country according to MaxPreps.

Menlo lost to Mitty in a tournament earlier in the year in a shorter match, which saw the Monarchs triumph 2-1 in sets. This time around, although Mitty was a favorite, both teams knew it would be a hard fought battle.

Top seeded Mitty got off the blocks quickly, winning the first set 15-16. The Knights, who were given the fifth seed in the playoff bracket, then turned things around.

The Knights took an early lead in the second set and were neck and neck with their opponents, before giving up a couple crucial points that resulted in them being down 24-21. When it seemed like the Monarchs would put it away, senior captain Ashley Dreyer contributed two clutch kills for the Knights. With help from Anna Guiragossian, Menlo tied it up 24-24.

Senior Caroline Bradley’s ace then gave the Knights a lead they so desperately needed, and a Monarch’s hitting error sealed the deal on the game. Unfortunately for Menlo, that was the last bright spot of the day.

Mitty won the next two sets, and took the match 3-1 overall. Senior Grace Enright played a stellar game, totalling 20 digs against a team that prides themselves on great spikes and kills. Junior Selina Xu also had a big game for Menlo with 26 assists.