By Courtney Hughey
Staff Writer
The Mira Costa girls varsity volleyball team participated in the Santa Barbara Tournament of Champions from Friday Oct. 26 to Saturday Oct. 27. Costa placed 6th overall with a record of 2-2.
The Mustangs started off the tournament strong in their first game on Friday against Dos Pueblos High School in a three-game sweep. Costa displayed dominance on both the offence and defense with senior Grayce Campbell, who had 15 kills and senior Carley Muller with 13 digs.
“We gained momentum early in the match and took advantage of the other team’s weak offense”, junior Sammy Furlan said. “Our first match gave us a lot of confidence, it was a great win for us.”
Despite winning their first match, Costa lost to Corona Del Mar High School in a four-game match, 3-1. The Mustangs had a total of 21 unforced errors, which amounted to a total of 42 errors throughout the match.
“After the first couple of mistakes, our heads weren’t fully in the game,” Furlan said, “It was really difficult to gain back a lead after Del Mar started scoring points on us.”
Costa struggled in their third game on Saturday against St. Francis High School losing 3-1. Though they took the first game with seniors Lexi Millington and Campbell having 10 kills each as well as senior Corie Bain contributing with 32 assists, the Mustangs fell back quickly losing the last three games.
“After coming from a long day on Friday, I felt our team was a little tired and couldn’t keep their energy up enough,” Furlan said, “We were really fatigued and that hurt us in this game.”
After losing their last two matches, Costa pushed through a 5-game match against La Costa Canyon High School and ended the tournament with a 3-2 victory. In this back-and-forth battle, Campbell led the offense with 21 kills and Bain with 56 assists along with Muller who led the defense with 24 digs.
“We really pushed ourselves in the last game, especially coming back from tough losses that really lowered our confidence level,” Furlan said, “We didn’t do as well as we thought, but I’m glad we ended the tournament on a good note.”
The girls prepare for their last Bay League match against Redondo Union High School on Tuesday Oct. 30 at home. The Mustangs’ overall record is currently 10-8 and the Redondo match will determine whether they stay in second or are tied for first in the Bay League.
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