RANCHO SANTA MARGARITA – Santa Margarita’s girls volleyball team battled and battled some more, kept the scores close and even grabbed the lead a few times.
The Eagles, however, could not overcome the plentiful skills of the deeply talented roster of the No. 1 team in the nation.
Santa Margarita lost to Sierra Canyon in three sets, 25-20, 25-22, 25-21, in a nonleague match Wednesday at Santa Margarita High.
Sierra Canyon is 18-0 and ranked No. 1 in the nation by MaxPreps.com.
Santa Margarita senior Ireland Real led the Eagles (10-8) with 13 kills. She also had two service aces.
Real is a 6-foot-4 outside hitter who is committed to Texas. She strikes the ball with high velocity and can get low for the quick digs on the defensive side of her game.
Eagles senior outside hitter Kate Jackson, a USC commit who was celebrating her 18th birthday Wednesday, contributed six kills and two aces. Middle blocker Ella Opene, who is committed to Cal for beach volleyball, had four kills.
Sierra Canyon has more than a half-dozen players who have committed to NCAA Division I schools.
The Trailblazers’ 6-foot senior outside hitter, Hanna McGinest, who is the daughter of former USC and NFL linebacker Willie McGinest, had a team-high seven kills. She committed to Texas Tech.
Senior outside hitter, McKenna McIntosh (USC commit), junior middle blocker Raneighla Gonzalez and senior middle blocker Kendall Omoruyi (Nebraska-commit) had five kills each. Senior opposite hitter Eva Jeffries, a 6-foot-3 Tennessee commit, had four kills.
Sierra Canyon constructed a 9-5 run midway through the first set to grab a 25-20 win.
Santa Margarita took a 4-1 lead early in the second set and had a 20-18 lead in that set, but could not put away. The Trailblazers prevailed, 25-22.
The Eagles led only once in the third set won by Sierra Canyon, 25-21.
No matter where Santa Margarita set the ball – left, right, middle – almost always there were two sets of Sierra Canyon outstretched arms to create a barrier. Scoring against that is difficult for any team, even a team as good as Santa Margarita.
Eagles coach Chandler Gibb was impressed.
“That team’s got every piece you could ever want,” Gibb said. “They’re just wicked good.”
Gibb saw through the sweep to appreciate the good moments from his team, especially in the second set.
“I liked our patience and our response in the second set,” he said. “We made a few too many errors, got a little tight in our passing. We got that 20-18 lead there, but we just need a little more patience.”
Sierra Canyon has beaten every team in its path, including Marymount, Harvard-Westlake and Mira Costa. All three of those teams are in the CIF Southern Section’s Top 10 rankings by the Massey Ratings System. Santa Margarita is ranked No. 13.
Sierra Canyon has won 41 of the 48 sets it has played this season.
The No. 2 team in MaxPreps’ national rankings is Mater Dei. Sierra Canyon and Mater Dei are entered this week in the Durango Fall Classic tournament at Las Vegas. Sierra Canyon and Mater Dei could meet in the tournament Saturday.