Edison captures first state title
ORANGE — Their goodbyes had been postponed for 27 days.
How happy the Edison High girls’ volleyball team was to have that extra time together.
It won’t prevent the tears, but the backdrop for that powerful display of emotion has changed dramatically.
Edison swept Menlo-Atherton, 25-20, 25-20, 25-18, to capture the CIF State Division 1 girls’ volleyball title on Friday at Santiago Canyon College.
“I’m so proud of all the girls,” Chargers Coach Matthew Skolnik said. “They battled all year, and it culminated in playing our best volleyball at the end of the year.”
“I’m excited to bring home a first volleyball state championship and put a banner up in the stands.”
Edison (36-8) defeated Granada Hills, Clovis West, Lakewood, and crosstown rival Huntington Beach to reach the state championship game. The Chargers dropped just two sets in the entire tournament, pulling out a five-set victory over Lakewood in the regional semifinals.
The victory erased the pain of being eliminated in the CIF Southern Section Division 1 quarterfinals, sending out Edison’s five seniors on the highest note possible.
“It’s a great way to end the season,” senior outside hitter Hannah Phair said. “It’s been so much fun playing with all these girls. I’m going to miss them, but it was nice to go out with a bang.”
“It’s nice to come home with some jewelry.”
Phair tied with Menlo-Atherton’s Jacqueline DiSanto for the leading kill count with 13. She had the set-ending kill in the second, and her blast from the right side of the net clinched the state crown.
Junior setter Lindsey Sparks had one of her 37 assists on the match’s final point. As a varsity player since her freshman year, she wanted to show her appreciation to the seniors she has played with all along.
“This has been the longest season I’ve ever put in,” she said. “Some of these girls, it’s going to make me cry when they leave.”
Edison opened up a 20-14 lead in the opening set following two big swings from Cassidy Dennison. Taylor Gray dropped a lob over the middle blocker to close out the first set, 25-20.
The length of middle blockers Kristin Austin and Maggie Gunther bothered a tentative Menlo-Atherton team.
The Bears (30-6) rallied late. They led 16-12 in the final set, but an 11-0 run by Edison derailed any hopes that Menlo-Atherton had of extending the match.
After falling to Mira Costa in the Southern Section quarterfinals, Dennison said that the team stayed motivated and quickly reset its goals once they learned that they had made the state tournament.
“We weren’t looking back at what happened,” the senior outside hitter said. “We were looking forward. No matter what, we pushed, and we ended up winning. I’m proud of us.”
Dennison’s twin sister, Dani, is the team’s libero. She led all players in digs with 19.
Menlo-Atherton had to settle for being the runner-up in the state final for the second year in a row. The Bears were swept by Redondo Union in 2015.
Senior setter Kirby Knapp urged her teammates not to lose sight of the accomplishments they have had en route to those disheartening state finals results.
“I think that, short term, right now, it sucks to lose,” she said. “We’re the second [Menlo-Atherton] girls’ team to make it to state. We’re the first girls’ team to make it twice to state.”
“We’ve set a ton of school records. We’re definitely going to be remembered there.”
Phair mentioned that Skolnik frequently implored the team to not let any single moment be the highlight of their season. It was so firmly ingrained in the team culture that it became a running joke for all the good that occurred this year.
After bringing home the program’s first state championship, the Chargers can say, without question, that they know where the highlight of their season occurred.
