Redondo Union junior twins Addi Junk and Avery Junk are last team standing, capturing first program’s first CIF-Southern Section beach volleyball pairs title

HUNTINGTON BEACH – The girls beach volleyball program that had been in search for several years of one defining moment enjoyed yet another significant showcase Wednesday at the CIF-Southern Section pairs championships at the City Courts in Huntington Beach.

And Redondo Union’s success once again came as a result of another historic achievement against Bay League rival Mira Costa.

Addi Junk and Avery Junk, junior twin sisters for Redondo Union, overcame wind gusts of 15-20 mph throughout the day to outlast freshman Lucy Matuszak and junior Ruby Cochrane of Mira Costa by a 21-15, 14-21, 15-10 margin in the final to earn the first pairs title in program history.

Post-match interviews

The Junk siblings, who played with different partners Saturday, also contributed to a 3-2 victory for the Sea Hawks against Mira Costa in the Division 1 championship match at Long Beach City College, helping Redondo Union secure its first team crown after losing to the Mustangs the past two years in the final.

Redondo Union, which also snapped Mira Costa’s 170-match winning streak with a 3-2 triumph March 4, was represented for the first time in the three-year history of the pairs tournament by the Junk sisters.

The Junk twins defeated their first seven opponents without dropping a set, then scored the final seven points of the opener against Cochrane and Matuszak to grab the early advantage.

Rachel Scott, Avery Junk, Addi Junk and Mark Pa’aluhi of Redondo Union Beach Volleyball | Erik Boal photo

Cochrane and Matuszak, who outlasted defending champions and the top-seeded tandem of Palos Verdes senior twin sisters Mallory LaBreche and Molly LaBreche with a 21-19, 11-21, 15-12 semifinal victory, relied on a strong run midway through the second set against the Junk siblings to shift momentum in their favor.

Cochrane and Matuszak broke a 9-9 tie by scoring five unanswered points. The Junk twins closed to within 18-14, before the Mira Costa pair responded with three points in a row to force a deciding set to determine the champion.

Although the Redondo Union pair only led by a 3-2 margin on the first side change in the third set, the Junk sisters scored five in a row and never relinquished control.

Cochrane and Matuszak rallied from a 14-8 deficit to fight off two championship points, before the Junk twins finally secured the title on a shot down the line.

Redondo Union joined Mira Costa in 2023 in winning both the Division 1 team crown and the pairs title in the same season.

The Junk sisters, who received the No. 2 overall seed, prevailed 28-8 against Adamari Corrales and Leyah Morales of Bell Gardens to open pool play Tuesday, followed by a 28-12 win over Savannah Farris and Sienna Lee of Laguna Beach and a 28-9 triumph against Layla Garcia and Kyla Jones of Cerritos Gahr.

Redondo Union’s path to the final also included a 21-13, 21-13 sweep of Sadie Kocur and Maggie Rhew of Oaks Christian, as well as a 21-13, 21-12 victory against Keenan Engebretson and Lola Heckman from Santa Barbara and a 21-13, 21-10 quarterfinal triumph over Josephine Gamberdella and Cora Loomer of San Marcos.

The Junk twins knocked off third-seeded Emma Champagne and Sara Moynihan of JSerra with a 21-19, 21-14 semifinal win, marking the second year in a row the Lions’ tandem fell in the final four.

Mallory LaBreche and Molly LaBreche of Palos Verdes edged Champagne and Moynihan with a 17-21, 21-18, 15-13 semifinal victory last year, before capturing the championship with a 15-21, 21-19, 15-8 triumph in the final against Mira Costa’s Giselle Lau and Savanna Lau.

Cochrane and Matuszak, the No. 4 seed, became the fourth Mira Costa tandem to compete in the pairs final, with only Charlie Fuerbringer and Erin Inskeep winning the championship for the Mustangs in 2023.

Ruby Cochrane, left, and Lucy Matuszak of Mira Costa | Erik Boal photo

Cochrane and Matuszak defeated their first six opponents during the two-day event without dropping a set, producing a 28-6 win against Norco’s Peyton Humphris and Kayla Sobczyk, followed by a 28-15 triumph over Huntington Beach’s Olivia Foye and Molly Serafin and a 28-5 victory against Abigail Lennon and Sara Salehi of Archer School in pool-play competition.

Cochrane and Matuszak achieved a 21-6, 21-8 sweep of Samantha Duran and Sarah MacDonald from St. Margaret’s, along with a 21-5, 21-9 win over Linfield Christian’s Elizabeth Willis and Aubrey Yanover and a 21-15, 22-20 quarterfinal victory against Huntington Beach’s Taylor Ponchak and Zoe Znider to earn the semifinal showdown against Mallory LaBreche and Molly LaBreche.

Despite dropping their first set of the tournament in the semifinals, Cochrane and Matuszak demonstrated composure in the deciding set, breaking a 7-7 tie with three consecutive points and maintaining control the rest of the way.

Although the LaBreche sisters fought off one match point to cut the deficit to 14-12, Cochrane and Matuszak closed it out moments later to snap the impressive run of 13 consecutive pairs tournament victories over the past two years for the Palos Verdes siblings.

The Bay League produced three of the top four pairs Wednesday and have accounted for all six finalists in the tournament’s brief history.

Avery Junk and Addi Junk of Redondo Union, Ruby Cochrane and Lucy Matuszak from Mira Costa | Erik Boal photo

JSerra was the only school with two teams advancing to at least the quarterfinals, with Champagne and Moynihan knocking off teammates Ruby Hill and Skylar Noble by a 21-19, 21-11 margin in the elite eight.

Simrin Adams and Sadie Calderone, who helped Long Beach Wilson win its first Division 2 team title Saturday with a 3-2 victory against Long Beach Millikan, were the only pair representing a school outside of Division 1 to reach Wednesday’s quarterfinals, before enduring a 21-15, 21-19 setback against the LaBreche twins.