SAN DIEGO – Cathedral Catholic got a taste of revenge against Mater Dei more than 10 weeks earlier, but it only made the Dons hungrier to enjoy an even sweeter victory Tuesday night in their highly anticipated rematch in the Southern California Open Division girls volleyball regional final.
Despite defeating the Monarchs to capture the Dave Mohs Tournament title in September, Cathedral Catholic was even more determined to square off with Mater Dei again in the regional playoffs in an effort to atone for last year’s setback that denied the Dons a chance to pursue back-to-back Open Division state championships.
And this time it was top-seeded Cathedral Catholic celebrating on its home floor, preventing reigning Open Division state champion Mater Dei from an opportunity to repeat with a 25-20, 22-25, 25-20, 25-22 victory against the No. 2 Monarchs at Claver Center.
Mae Kordas, a Yale-bound outside hitter, had 17 kills, five blocks and three aces in the final home match of her career, punctuating the victory by powering her last swing against a triple block in the middle by Mater Dei (37-5), with the ball landing on the floor and the subsequent whistle setting off a dog pile of Dons’ players near center court.
Cathedral Catholic (45-3), which has won 22 in a row since enduring back-to-back losses Sept. 21 at the Durango Fall Classic in Las Vegas, will square off Saturday against 14-time state champion Archbishop Mitty (29-6) – which swept Mountain View St. Francis 25-11, 25-18, 25-19 in the Northern California regional final – in the Open Division championship at Santiago Canyon College in Orange County.
The Dons are seeking a second Open Division title in three years and a seventh state championship in eight appearances in program history.
Cathedral Catholic girls volleyball | Erik Boal photo
Archbishop Mitty won Open Division state crowns in 2016-17, but the Monarchs lost in the 2021 Open Division final to Marymount and again last season in the championship match to Mater Dei.
Cathedral Catholic and Archbishop Mitty have never met to decide a state title, with the Dons earning their first victory all-time in the series at the 2022 Durango Fall Classic following four consecutive losses to the Monarchs from 2007-17.
Archbishop Mitty lost a West Catholic Athletic League showdown Sept. 17 to Mountain View St. Francis, before defeating the Lancers in three consecutive matchups, including Tuesday’s sweep.
After suffering a five-set loss to St. Ignatius in the Central Coast Section Open Division semifinals, Archbishop Mitty received the No. 5 seed in the Northern California regional and had to win twice on the road, including Tuesday at Mountain View St. Francis, in order to return to the state final.
Cathedral Catholic was able to play host to all three Southern California regional matchups, benefiting from Mater Dei needing five sets to outlast Torrey Pines and Sierra Canyon to reach Tuesday’s final.
Kordas helped the Dons get off to an impressive start Tuesday with six kills in the opening set to gain an early advantage.
Cathedral Catholic built a 9-3 lead in the second set, before the Monarchs responded with a five-point run and eventually tied the score at 12.
Despite facing a pair of four-point deficits late in the set, the Dons pulled to within 23-22, before a kill by Presley Kiffin and an ace from Layli Ostovar helped Mater Dei even the match.
But just like during Cathedral Catholic’s 25-14, 28-30, 16-14 victory Sept. 7 in the Dave Mohs Tournament final, the Dons quickly regained the momentum by scoring the first four points of the third set and building multiple eight-point leads to seize control.
Mater Dei had relied on comeback victories against Torrey Pines and Sierra Canyon, with the Monarchs in position to force a potential fifth set Tuesday by rallying from a 21-17 deficit to pull even at 22 in the fourth.
But a Mater Dei service error, followed by a Kordas block and her 17th kill helped Cathedral Catholic finally erase the disappointment of a 25-22, 25-20, 19-25, 25-16 loss to the Monarchs in last year’s regional final.
Mae Kordas, left, and Layli Ostovar, right | Photo courtesy of Cathedral Catholic
It marked the first time that Mater Dei lost to a California opponent this season with both Westley Matavao – an Orange Lutheran transfer who had to sit out the first matchup against the Dons at the Dave Mohs Tournament – and Layli Ostovar in the lineup and just the second setback all season for the Monarchs with their complete roster, including Oct. 5 against Scottsdale Horizon in the Premier Division Platinum Bracket semifinals at the Nike Tournament of Champions in Arizona.
Matavao and Ostovar were held to a combined five kills in the final set, with the blocking of Madyson McCarthy, Allison Dzieciuch, Sophia Johnson, Kensley Hennessy, Jojo Wilson and Kordas, in addition to a team-high 11 digs and four aces from Notre Dame-bound libero Maya Evens able to slow down Mater Dei’s high-powered offense.
McCarthy added 11 kills, Johnson and Dzieciuch both contributed eight kills apiece for Cathedral Catholic, which also received five kills and four aces – three in the final set – from Wilson.