Holy Family brings storm

PANORAMA CITY — The Holy Family girls' volleyball team wasted little time getting acclaimated to the playoffs.

The Gaels stormed out of the gate on the way to sweeping St. Genevieve, 25-9, 25-10, 25-12, in the opening round of the CIF Southern Section Division IV-A playoffs at St. Genevieve High School.

"A win is a win wherever it happens," said Holy Family Coach Robert Bringas, whose squad was forced to play a scheduled home game on the road because of a venue issue. "We'll take it wherever it comes."

The Gaels controlled the entire match as they jumped out to early leads in each game.

It was the kind of effort Bringas expected from his team.

"We showed why we deserve to be in the playoffs this year," he said. "This unit has played the last five months together and they are peaking at the right time."

St. Genevieve had no answer for the Gaels' barrage on offense, as Holy Family scored at will and had no problem limiting its opponent's offensive advances.

For Bringas it was a near flawless victory, as the Valiants never led at any point during the match.

The Gaels got strong performances from Alex Cruz, who had 11 kills and 11 blocks, and Joanne Lacson, who had seven kills. Yna Rodriguez added 25 assists and four aces, while Jasmine Viray had five kills, six digs and four blocks for Holy Family.

"I think we played a pretty solid game," Bringas said. "As for mistakes, there weren't many."

With the win, Holy Family will now travel to take on Calvary Chapel on Thursday.

The Gaels understand what is at stake when they face the Grizzlies in Murietta.

"We worked hard to get to this point and it all comes down to one game at a time," Bringas said.