Erik Boal
PASADENA -- The Flintridge Prep girls' volleyball team was confident
entering its regular-season finale, so much so that a number of bottles
of Martinelli's sparkling cider were chilling in anticipation of
celebrating an outright Prep League title.
But somebody forgot to tell Pasadena Poly that the party wasn't
planned in its honor.
The host Panthers jumped on the Rebels early and never let up Saturday
night, posting a 15-5, 15-12, 15-8 sweep, and most likely creating a
three-way tie for the league title.
Flintridge Prep (14-2, 10-2 in league), Pasadena Poly and Chadwick --
all of which entered the week ranked in the top six in CIF Southern
Section Division IVA -- all split their season series' against each
other, with the home team winning all six matches.
Although Chadwick (10-2, 8-2 in league) has matches against Westridge
and Vivian Webb, and Pasadena Poly (11-3, 9-2 in league) hosts Vivian
Webb on Monday, both Rebel Coach Sean Beattie and Panther Coach Steve
Beerman are expecting a coin flip later in the week to decide how the
teams will be seeded for the playoffs, which begin Nov. 6.
"All three teams are going to be co-champions and sometime this week
the three athletic directors will meet somewhere off the freeway and have
a coin flip to decide who goes as what," said Beerman, whose squad
avenged a five-game loss to the Rebels on Oct. 9.
"All three teams have quality players and I think all three will be
properly ranked. We have experienced girls who've been in this situation
before and I'm happy with the way they performed."
Although Beattie remains confident in his team's ability to pick up
its level come playoff time, the fourth-year coach couldn't help but fear
the possibility of entering the postseason as the league's No. 3 seed
despite being in first place the entire season.
"[Pasadena] Poly had all the incentive coming in and they came out
fired up," said Beattie, whose squad went 3-2 down the stretch following
an 11-0 start.
"We played with moments of brilliance, but unfortunately volleyball
isn't played in moments.
"Now we could end up traveling to who knows where in the first round
and get stuck in the same bracket as [top-ranked] St. Margaret's."
Lindsay Fletcher led the Rebels with seven kills and Katherine Johnson
added six. Tasha Monroe had 13 kills, 13 digs and five blocks for the
Panthers and her sister, Andrea, added 11 kills.
BOX SCORE
Flint. Prep*5*12*8
Pasadena Poly*15*15*15
FLINTRIDGE PREP -- Fletcher 7 kills.
PASADENA POLY -- T. Monroe 13 kills, 13 digs, 5 blocks, A. Monroe 11
kills, Damasco 9 kills, Chan 27 assists, Molnar 13 digs.
