Daily Pilot Girls’ Volleyball Dream Team: Huntington Beach’s Haylee LaFontaine led with all-business approach
If Bill Belichick coached volleyball, he might give a look to Huntington Beach High School sophomore outside hitter Haylee LaFontaine.
The New England Patriots head coach is known for his “Do your job” philosophy, and by all accounts, that is what LaFontaine is all about.
Craig Pazanti, who coaches both boys’ and girls’ volleyball at Huntington Beach, referred to LaFontaine as the steady hand of his team, which advanced to the CIF Southern Section Division 2 final, the program’s first appearance in a section championship match since 1996.
LaFontaine, a six-rotation player, led the Oilers with 362 kills, 252 digs and 33 total blocks. She is the Daily Pilot Girls’ Volleyball Dream Team Player of the Year.
“She did an amazing job, but I’m a big advocate of the fact that individual awards are won by a team,” Pazanti said. “I think this award is showing that’s the case because Haylee doesn’t get that recognition if our team doesn’t do what it did as a team.”
Huntington Beach (28-7, 6-0), the Surf League champion, rattled off 21 wins in a row before falling at home to Aliso Niguel in four sets in the Division 2 title match.
“We just wanted to keep winning because we knew that once we lost that we wouldn’t be able to play together probably ever again, and so I think that’s what really motivated us,” LaFontaine said. “We just wanted to stay together.”
LaFontaine comes from a family of volleyball players. Her father Dan, mother Michelle and brother Cayman all have played the sport. She remembers her parents taking her to the beach, where she picked up the game.
Having coached both siblings, Pazanti can vouch for athletic ability running in the family, but he jokes that people would not know they were related if not for carrying the same last name.
“They both bring a lot,” Pazanti said. “Cayman was super athletic, and as he got older, he wasn’t quite as high-strung and emotional on the floor. Then Haylee is just that straight-faced, ‘just tell me what to do and I’m going to do it,’ type [of personality] …
“We needed the emotion out of Cayman and the fire and the energy. With Haylee, we needed the steadying influence and the calming, when it came down to someone who is going to be out there.”
LaFontaine has turned her full attention to volleyball now, but she also played softball growing up. Her favorite pitch to throw was the curveball, but on the court, opponents should be expecting the heater.
“I was one of the hitters, and so I think when the games got tight, I always wanted to be set,” LaFontaine said. “I wanted to be the one to score the point. I also started jump serving this year, and I was not very comfortable with it, but by the end of the season, I was scoring the team some points with it.”
Additional accolades followed a standout season for LaFontaine. She was named the Most Valuable Player of the Surf League and she received a selection to the all-CIF Division 2 team.
COACH OF THE YEAR
Craig Pazanti
Huntington Beach
When the coronavirus pandemic wiped out the girls’ volleyball season during the 2020-21 school year, a makeshift solution had some teams participating in six-on-six volleyball on the sand. Huntington Beach looked like a beach volleyball team this year, relying heavily on its back row to transition from defense to offense with ball control. The Oilers had a deep rotation, allowing them to withstand some injuries and stay on track. A 21-match winning streak saw Huntington Beach win its first league title since taking the Sunset League in 2017, which preceded the reorganization of the Sunset Conference into the Surf League and Wave League. Huntington Beach also made its first CIF finals appearance since 1996.
FIRST TEAM
Tori Hagan
L | Huntington Beach | Jr.
Huntington Beach hung its hat on defense. Pazanti once remarked he felt his team had three liberos on the floor when freshman outside hitter Olivia Foye and sophomore setter Dani Sparks were out there at the same time. Hagan, a first-team all-Surf League honoree, was the anchor of the back row, amassing 318 digs, 83 assists and 34 service aces for the Oilers.
Natalia Hagopian
S | Laguna Beach | Sr.
Laguna Beach had an up-and-down season, but the dynamic duo of Hagopian and senior outside hitter Sophie Reavis always gave the Breakers a fighting chance. The Breakers (18-16, 3-3) had to fight to get into the postseason, earning back-to-back wins against Los Alamitos to earn the second automatic playoff bid from the Surf League. Hagopian, a Northeastern-bound setter, had 698 assists, 229 digs, 159 kills, 63 aces and 24 total blocks. She was a first-team honoree in the Surf League.
Lorelei Hobbis
OH-MB | Costa Mesa | Sr.
The 6-foot-4 Hobbis towered over the competition when she turned up on the varsity team as a freshman, but she evolved into a more complete player over time. Costa Mesa coach Jillian Rifkin gave her more opportunities to produce from the pins, and she responded well for the Mustangs (19-7, 8-2). Hobbis, a first-team all-Orange Coast League selection and an all-CIF Division 7 honoree, averaged 16.8 kills, 8.2 digs, 2.4 aces and 1.5 blocks per match. Costa Mesa, which finished second behind Calvary Chapel in league, advanced to the Division 7 quarterfinals, bowing out against Santa Monica St. Monica Catholic.
Rebecca Penjoyan
MB | Pacifica Christian | Jr.
After the loss of a season due to the pandemic last year, Pacifica Christian Orange County was fortunate to have some familiar faces in the fold when competition resumed. Penjoyan became the go-to option offensively for the Tritons (20-11, 6-2), who earned the No. 3 seed in the Division 8 playoffs and advanced to the semifinals. El Segundo Wiseburn Da Vinci was responsible for Pacifica Christian’s ouster in both the section and state playoffs. Penjoyan, who was the Academy League Player of the Year and an all-CIF Division 8 performer, had 236 kills, 11 blocks and nine aces.
Lillian Perkins
OPP | Huntington Beach | Sr.
Huntington Beach had a deep roster with a bounty of young talent to turn to, but Perkins provided intangibles characteristic of a veteran. An emotional leader for the Oilers, Perkins combined passion and power to propel her team to great heights, including a 21-match winning streak that sent Huntington Beach to its first section championship match in 25 years. Perkins had 327 kills on .281 hitting and 43 total blocks. She was named to the all-Surf League first team and an all-CIF Division 2 honoree.
Quinn Perry
OH | Newport Harbor | Jr.
Led by the all-around contributions of Perry, Newport Harbor finished the season with a winning record for the first time since 2012. The Sailors (27-9, 6-0) were the undefeated champions of the Wave League, earning the top seed in the Division 3 playoffs and advancing to the quarterfinals before falling in five sets on the road to Mission Viejo. Perry and company would return the favor against the Diablos in the CIF State Southern California Division II regional playoffs. The Wave League MVP award was a shared honor this season between Perry and her teammate Emma Fults, a senior outside hitter. Perry is committed to Cal Poly, San Luis Obispo for beach volleyball.
Sophie Reavis
OH | Laguna Beach | Sr.
Despite hovering around .500 for the entire season, Laguna Beach was a force to be reckoned with in the playoffs. The explosive swings of Reavis played a big part in that. The Breakers made a run to the Division 2 quarterfinals, falling in five sets to Aliso Niguel, which went on to win the section title. Reavis, who signed with UC Santa Barbara, compiled 491 kills, 243 digs, 48 aces and 33 total blocks. She was an all-CIF Division 2 and a first-team all-Surf League selection.
SECOND TEAM
Position, Name, School, Year
S Kate Bland, Newport Harbor, Sr.
L Isabel Escuro, Ocean View, So.
OPP Anabel Kotzakov, Newport Harbor, Jr.
OH Emma Fults, Newport Harbor, Sr.
S Ava Maguire, Edison, Sr.
MB Sydney Murrey, Huntington Beach, Sr.
S Jordan Packer, Marina, Jr.
OH Ruby Uchytil, Estancia, Sr.
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