Heated Rematch: Mira Costa-Redondo Boys Volleyball

The anticipated showdown between Mira Costa and Redondo Union high schools at Redondo tonight at 7 could determine this season’s Bay League champ in boys volleyball. 

Though the Mustangs (21-1, 6-0) have been almost unbeatable and remain one of the top teams in Division I (they’re the No. 2 seed behind Santa Margarita), the Sea Hawks (20-5, 5-1) have a quiet confidence. 

Redondo Union Coach Duncan Avery said his club, the division’s No. 6 seed, has its work cut out for them. 

“Costa is playing some unbelievable ball,” Avery said. “We have to play a perfect match to beat them.” 

They weren’t close to that when the two teams met on April 14 at Mira Costa, when the Mustangs earned a sweep, 25-21, 25-15, 25-20. 

Avery didn’t want to make excuses, but… “we hadn’t competed in 14 days the first time we played,” he said. “Unfortunately, our guys were rusty and Costa was in a rhythm. That 14-day layoff really killed us. We were fairly close, but not where we wanted to be. In every match, serving and passing are the keys. We missed a ton of serves—we missed 17—so we need to execute our serves and pass the ball better. I think we’ll be OK.” 

Mike Ninnis, Mira Costa head coach, expects a stiff challenge. 

“We played well against them at our place, but I know they’re going to be tougher at theirs,” Ninnis said. “They will be motivated. I’m sure they will be gunning for us.” 

Mira Costa won the Redondo Varsity Classic Tournament on Saturday, taking out La Jolla, North Torrance, Foothill, South Torrance, Valencia, Westlake and San Clemente. The tournament included Redondo, West Torrance and top teams in Southern California, including some from San Diego.

Mira Costa 's Weston Carico was named the tournament's Most Valuable Player, and Karl Acres and Tony Ensbury were named to the all-tournament team.

Redondo Girls Lacrosse

The Redondo Union Sea Hawks captured their third straight league title last week with an 18-5 victory over Palos Verdes in girls lacrosse. Tom Borgia, Redondo's coach, has acknowledged the season as "a great run."

“We have a great group of girls,” he said.

The win Wednesday was Redondo’s 24th in a row and marked the second straight season the team has gone undefeated in league.

In the past three seasons, Redondo is a spectacular 33-1. Its lone loss occurred against Mira Costa in the regular season finale in 2009, when the Sea Hawks had already clinched the league crown.

They have been a picture of perfection since—and balance has been a major reason this season. The Sea Hawks have a talented core of players that fuel their high-octane offense. 

“Any given night, I’ve got four or five girls who can score four or five goals,” Borgia said. “We’re very athletic and we can run and gun.” 

The top guns include senior midfielders Julia Denney and Allison Field, both four-year starters. Denney leads the team with 56 goals and 17 assists, while Field has 45 goals and 13 assists. 

Junior Micayla Kotzbach, who plays an attack position, finished the regular season with 35 goals and 12 assists. Junior midfielder Brittany Ross scored 29 goals. 

Defensively, senior Ava Elsner has been the catalyst along with senior attacker Bailey Czech. Sophomore Heather Czech, Bailey’s sister, is the goalkeeper. A two-year starter, Heather is one of the area’s best, Borgia said. 

“She’s never lost a Bay League game,” he said. “She’s one tough customer, too.” 

The Sea Hawks (17-2 overall), whose only losses have been to Orange County powers Mission Viejo and Beckman, now look to be tough on the opposition in the CIF playoffs. They are the No. 1 seed and play No. 8 seed Palos Verdes today at 5:30. Mira Costa, the No. 3 seed, will lay tomorrow at 5:30 p.m.

Last season, Redondo had an outstanding run before falling in the title game to highly regarded Los Alamitos. With last year’s experience, nothing short of a title is good enough for Borgia and his bunch. 

“To come back this year and play as well as we’ve played has been great,” Borgia said. “We lost a lot of great players last year, but we’ve still really maintained a high level of play... We’re looking forward to the playoffs. It will be another good challenge for us.”