Sierra Canyon girls volleyball finds new motivations as No. 1-ranked program
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Sierra Canyon players celebrate after pulling away from Harvard-Westlake during a girls’ volleyball match at Sierra Canyon School in Chatsworth on Sept. 10, 2026.(Photo by Andy Holzman, Contributing Photographer)
Sierra Canyon’s Raneighla Gonzalez saves the ball during a girls volleyball match against Harvard-Westlake at Sierra Canyon School in Chatsworth on Sept. 10, 2026.(Photo by Andy Holzman, Contributing Photographer)
Sierra Canyon’s Hanna McGinest and Raneighla Gonzalez block a hit by Harvard-Westlake’s Sophia Cotter during a girls volleyball match at Sierra Canyon School in Chatsworth on Sept. 10, 2026.(Photo by Andy Holzman, Contributing Photographer)
Sierra Canyon’s McKenna McIntosh hits the ball as Harvard-Westlake’s Michaella Armour and Kahala Faucher defend at the net during a girls’ volleyball match at Sierra Canyon School in Chatsworth on Sept. 10, 2026.(Photo by Andy Holzman, Contributing Photographer)
Harvard-Westlake’s Ashley Sakonju passes the ball during a game against Sierra Canyon in Chatsworth on Sept. 10, 2026.(Photo by Andy Holzman, Contributing Photographer)
Harvard-Westlake’s Grace Ge sets the ball during a game against Sierra Canyon in Chatsworth on Sept. 10, 2026.(Photo by Andy Holzman, Contributing Photographer)
Harvard-Westlake’s Grace Ge and Ruby Sampson try to make a block during a game against Sierra Canyon in Chatsworth on Sept. 10, 2026.(Photo by Andy Holzman, Contributing Photographer)
Lucky Fasavalu passes the ball for Sierra Canyon as they host Harvard-Westlake for girls volleyball match in Chatsworth on Sept. 10, 2026.(Photo by Andy Holzman, Contributing Photographer)
Sierra Canyon’s Hanna McGinest and Raneighla Gonzalez defend at the net during a girls volleyball match against Harvard-Westlake at Sierra Canyon School in Chatsworth on Sept. 10, 2026.(Photo by Andy Holzman, Contributing Photographer)
Sierra Canyon’s McKenna McIntosh hits the ball against Harvard-Westlake during a girls volleyball match at Sierra Canyon School in Chatsworth on Sept. 10, 2026.(Photo by Andy Holzman, Contributing Photographer)
Sierra Canyon’s Lucky Fasavalu and Harvard-Westlake’s Lucy Stillwell go up at the net during a girls volleyball match in Chatsworth on Sept. 10, 2026.(Photo by Andy Holzman, Contributing Photographer)
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Sierra Canyon players celebrate after pulling away from Harvard-Westlake during a girls’ volleyball match at Sierra Canyon School in Chatsworth on Sept. 10, 2026.(Photo by Andy Holzman, Contributing Photographer)
CHATSWORTH — How does the No. 1-ranked team in the country find a new challenge?
Sierra Canyon senior outside hitter Hanna McGinest doesn’t have to look too far, only to the coaching box occupied by Stefanie Wigfall. Wigfall is directing her team to play for each other and as a unit when points fall their way.
Sierra Canyon used its talent, combined with a unique chemistry on a team of six senior Division I commits, including a USA National Team U/23 member, to defeat Harvard-Westlake in four sets, 25-14 25-16 19-25 25-19, on Thursday.
McGinest finished with 13 kills as Sierra Canyon improved to 15-0.
“The biggest challenge is the pressure,” McGinest said. “Everyone expects us to win, win, win and beat everybody super fast. It’s just the pressure. We don’t let it get to us. She works us very hard.”
Nebraska commit Kendall Omoruyi was fresh off winning a gold medal for the U/23 national team and continued making her impact felt against Harvard-Westlake (9-5). Omoruyi had 10 kills while the Wolverines struggled with their serve receive and allowed 13 aces.
An upbeat and resilient night for the six Division I bound seniors, including outside hitter Eva Jeffries (Tennessee), McKenna McIntosh (USC), setter Olive Shum-Koubek (UC Irvine) and setter Lucky Fasavalu (Missouri).
“We are going to go through hard times because everyone is going to bring their best,” Jeffries said. “It’s about how we handle it, how we come out and how we finish. We know how to handle pressure now, and now we just have to stay calm as a team, not just individuals.”
Senior outside hitters Kahala Faucher and Ruby Sampson will get another shot at Sierra Canyon after losing its second meeting this year. The two Mission League rivals face off again on Tuesday, Sept. 29 at 6 p.m.
Sampson finished with nine kills and four blocks, and Faucher led Harvard Westlake with 15 kills.
“We are proud of the third set, but we have a lot of work to do,” Sampson said. “In between the second and third set, we talked. about how we had nothing to lose. I think that was the mentality we had through the third set. We served our hardest, we hit our hardest. We communicated, and we became the best team we could.”
