Girls Volleyball (2023-2024)
Panthers’ Season Comes to an End at Head-Royce
October 28, 2023—On a Saturday evening on the campus of Head-Royce High School in Oakland, California, the Varsity Girls Volleyball Team took on the Head-Royce Jayhawks with a chance to punch their ticket to the North Coast Section (NCS) Semifinals. However, it would not be the Panthers night as they would lose to the Jayhawks by the score of 3-0, bringing their 2023-2024 season to a close.
With the loss, the Panthers head into an offseason where they will lose 5 key Seniors to graduation that played a major role in the Panthers’ success this season, including winning the program’s 3rd straight Tri County Athletic League Regular Season Title—Jae Vass, Alexa Madrigal, Lucia Greenberg, Ashley Taboada, & Ashley Melendez.
However, despite the Panthers losing these key players that were so instrumental to the program’s success ever since their first year, the Panthers will be returning a great mix of both veteran and young players, looking to run it back for the 2024-2025 and to claim that ever-so-coveted NCS Title that the program has been waiting for a long time. Congratulations on a fantastic season Panthers, and we look forward to next Fall.
Panthers Overcome Early Deficit to Advance to NCS Quarterfinals
October 25, 2023—On the opening night of the Panthers quest for an North Coast Section (NCS) Title, the Varsity Girls Volleyball Team traveled to Santa Rosa to take on the Roseland University Prep Knights in the First Round of the NCS playoffs. In fact, the Panthers would fall behind the Knights by the score of 2-1 until they showed the resiliency and determination that is necessary to make a deep run in NCS, giving them the crucial victories in the 4th and 5th sets and completing the 3-2 comeback victory.
With the victory, the Panthers punched their ticket for the NCS Quarterfinal Round where they will travel to Oakland, CA, to take on the Head-Royce High Jayhawks with the opportunity to punch another ticket to the NCS Semifinal Round. This matchup will also be a rematch from an early season showdown between the Jayhawks and the Panthers where the Jayhawks won a very close contest by the score of 3-2. However, the Panthers will seek revenge this time around and look to keep their hopes of an NCS Title alive.
The Quarterfinal matchup is scheduled for Saturday, October 28th, at 7:00pm.
Panthers Lose TCAL Tourney Championship to Red Hot Bruins, Await NCS Fate
October 18, 2023—On a warm evening on Hagler Court on the campus of Saint Mary’s College High School, the Varsity Girls Volleyball Team played host to the St. Patrick-St. Vincent Bruins with an opportunity to win a Tri County Athletic League (TCAL) Tournament Title for the second consecutive season.
However, even though the Panthers topped the Bruins on two separate occasions in regular season, beating an opponent for the third time in season is a very difficult task. Unfortunately for the panthers, that saying proved to be true as the Bruins would go on to defeat the Panthers by the score of 3-1, claiming the TCAL Tournament Championship.
Even though the Panthers took early leads in each of the four sets that were played, the Bruins would go on numerous scoring runs in those sets to give them not only firm control of those sets, but ultimately winning the three sets that they needed in order to clinch their championship victory.
Despite the loss, the Panthers will now shift their focus to the opportunity of claiming a North Coast Section (NCS) Title. The team will find out their NCS fate this weekend when the seedings for each team are revealed.
Panthers Punch TCAL Championship Ticket, Sweep Titans 3-0
October 16, 2023—In the Tri County Athletic League (TCAL) Tournament Semifinal game at Hagler Court, the Varsity Girls Volleyball team took on the Hercules High Titans with an opportunity to punch their ticket to the TCAL Tournament Championship Game. Without any doubt, the Panthers did just that as they would go on to sweep the Titans by the score of 3-0.
The Panthers would win each set by double-digit margins, and that had to do with the exceptional play of both the Panthers veteran players, as well as their young studs. Senior, Jae Vass; Juniors, Kameron Bazile and Dallas Faafiu; Sophomore, Kalaya Phung; and the Freshmen duo of Corinne Jones and London Crawford. The trio of Bazile, Faafiu, and Phung proved to be a dominant force at the net as they would combine for multiple blocks and points. The duo of Jones and Crawford also showcased a similar kind of dominance at the net as well, which proved to be too much for the Titans to handle.
With the victory, the Panthers will play host to the Saint Patrick-St. Vincent Bruins in the TCAL Tournament Championship, a team that the Panthers beat in four sets on their Senior Night on October 2nd at Hagler Court. The Panthers will also be looking to win their second straight TCAL Tournament Title as well. The match is scheduled for Wednesday, October 18th, at 6:00pm.
Panthers Avenge Early Season Loss to Capture 3rd Straight Regular Season TCAL Title
October 5, 2023—In what was the most anticipated and arguably the most important match of the regular season, the Varsity Girls Volleyball Team traveled to take on their crosstown rival, the Albany High Cougars, with the Tri-County Athletic League (TCAL) Regular Season Title on the line. However, the spotlight wouldn’t be too bright for the Panthers as they utilized their “been there, done that” attitude to sweep the Cougars in three straight sets, avenging their early season loss to the Cougars and capturing their 3rd straight TCAL Regular Season Title.
The first set of the match would prove to be the closer of the three as the Panthers would win by the narrow margin of 25-22. However, sets two and three would be all Panthers as they would go on to win those sets by the scores of 25-13 and 25-15 respectively, ultimately giving the Panthers the victory and finishing league play with a 9-1 record.
With the victory, the Panthers have also won 15 of their last 16 sets played dating back to Wednesday, September 20th.
The Panthers will now transition into non-league play as they will participate in the “Serve It Up Founders Classic” tournament at Sacred Heart Cathedral High School in San Francisco. The Panthers first match is scheduled for Saturday, October 7th, at 9:30AM.
Panthers Celebrate Senior Day with Crucial League Victory over SPSV
October 2, 2023—On a cool evening on the campus of Saint Mary’s College High School, the Varsity Girls Volleyball team took on the St. Patrick-St. Vincent Bruins in what would be the Panthers last home game of the regular season. Prior to the matchup, the Panthers also celebrated Senior Day where they honored 5 of their seniors for their dedication and commitment to the volleyball program—Jae Vass, Alexa Madrigal, Lucia Greenberg, Ashley Taboada, and Ashley Melendez.
After the Senior Day festivities concluded and the game was underway, it would be the Bruins who would set the tone earlier as that would win the first set by the score of 25-22. However, that would be the only blemish for the Panthers on the evening as they would go on to win the next three sets by the scores of 25-20, 25-15, and 25-18 respectively. The Panthers had a myriad of contributors that were crucial to this victory as Juniors Kameron Bazile and Dallas Faafiu were dominant at the net by scoring crucial points for the team, Sophomore Kalaya Phung was also pivotal as she recorded multiple kills on the evening, and the Freshmen duo of Corinne Jones and London Crawford proved to be too much for the Bruins as well.
With the victory, the Panthers improve to 8-1 in league, setting themselves up for their biggest game of the season against the Albany High Cougars with first place in the Tri-County Athletic League (TCAL) on the line. The game is scheduled for Wednesday, October 4th, at 7:00pm at Albany High School.
Panthers Handle Titans for 3rd Straight Sweep
September 27, 2023—On a nice Wednesday evening at Hagler Court on the campus of Saint Mary’s College High School, the Varsity Girls Volleyball team played host to the Hercules High Titans, a team that the Panthers beat earlier in the year who was looking for some payback. However, and very similar to their last two games, the Panthers would go on to defeat the Titans in a 3-0 sweep, making it the third consecutive sweep for the team since their victory over El Cerrito last Wednesday, September 20th.
The Panthers were led by Sophomore sensation, Kalaya Phung, who was dominant at the net scoring multiple points for her team, along with Junior, Dallas Faafiu, who showcased a similar dominance of her own. The Freshmen duo of London Crawford and Corinne Jones also proved to be too much the Titans as well, showcasing their own valuable contribution to an already well-talented and veteran group.
With the victory, the Panthers have won their last 9 sets and improve to a 7-1 record in league.
The Panthers will now have a few days off to prepare for their next opponent, the St. Patrick-St. Vincent Bruins, in yet another critical league matchup. This matchup will also be the Panthers Senior Day game where the team will honor 5 of their Seniors—Jae Vass, Alexa Madrigal, Lucia Greenberg, Ashley Taboada, and Ashley Melendez. The match is scheduled for Monday, October 2nd, at 7:00PM.
Panthers Defeat Jaguars in Second Consecutive Sweep in Back-to-Back Matches
September 25, 2023—After previously sweeping the El Cerrito High Gauchos in their last matchup, the Varsity Girls Volleyball team traveled to Vallejo to take on the Jesse Bethel High Jaguars where they ultimately defeated the Jaguars by the score of 3-0, giving the Panthers back-to-back sweeps in their last two contests.
The Panthers and Jaguars opened the first set by exchanging points and being deadlocked at the score of 4-4. However, the Panthers would then go on an impressive scoring run as they would outscore the Jaguars 21-10 the rest of the set, giving them the early 1-0 lead in the match.
In the second set, the Panthers would start out on fire as they jumped out to an early 9-4 lead. The early lead proved to be insurmountable for the Jaguars as the Panthers would go on to win the second set by the score of 25-18, giving them a commanding 2-0 lead.
In the third set, the Jaguars showed no quit as they would jump out to a quick 5-0 lead, forcing the Panthers to call a timeout to re-focus. After the timeout, the Panthers would have quite a response as they would score 8 out of the next 11 points to tie the third set at the score of 8-8. Both the Panthers and the Jaguars would eventually trade off points, eventually bringing the score to a 16-16 tie. However, the Panthers would eventually gain control down the stretch as they would ultimately win the third and final set by the score of 25-21.
With the victory, the Panthers are 6-1 in Tri-County Athletic League (TCAL) play.
The Panthers will now head home to Hagler Court for their next match against the Hercules High Titans. The game is scheduled for Wednesday, September 27th, at 7pm.
Panthers Lose in Close Matchup to Albany
September 18, 2023—On a Monday evening at Hagler Court on the campus of Saint Mary’s College High School, the Varsity Girls Volleyball Team played host to their crosstown rival, the Albany High Cougars, in a critical Tri-County Athletic League (TCAL) matchup that would give the victor sole control of first place in the league standings.
The Panthers found themselves in full control in the early stages of the game, winning the first two sets thanks to the stellar play of Juniors, Kameron Bazile and Sasha Bartel, and the Freshmen duo of Corinne Jones and London Crawford, allowing the Panthers to establish a 2-0 lead in the match.
With the 2-0 lead, the Panthers had victory in sight. However, the Cougars showcased resilience and determination in the next two sets, allowing them to even the matchup at two games apiece.
With the matchup going into the 5th and final set, there was a lot of exciting and fantastic plays by both the Cougars and the Panthers. Both teams would trade off points and find themselves deadlocked at the score of 8-8. The Panthers would then gain a little bit of momentum, stringing together consecutive points and even giving them a 14-12 lead. However, it would be the Cougars displaying their resilience, yet again, and scoring the next 4 points to win the fifth set by the score of 16-14 and winning the match by the score of 3-2.
The Panthers will now look to return to the win column on Wednesday, September 20th, when they travel to take on long-time rival, the El Cerrito High Gauchos. The match is scheduled for 7:00pm.
Panthers Return to Win Column, Complete Regular Season Sweep of Gauchos
September 20, 2023—In their second straight Tri-County Athletic League matchup of the week, the Panthers traveled to El Cerrito High School to take on the Gauchos for the second time this season. The Gauchos were looking to avenge their early season loss to the Panthers but, however, the Panthers, once again, proved to be too much for their long-time rival as they would go on to win the match by the score of 3-0. This victory would also be the second time that the Panthers have swept the Gauchos this season.
The first set of the match, however, did not have the makings of what would be an eventual sweep for the Panthers as both teams traded off points until the Panthers would pull away with a 25-21 victory. However, the second and third sets proved to be a dominant performance for the Panthers as they would outscore the Gauchos by the grand total of 50-28 in those two sets, ultimately cementing the Panther victory.
The Panthers will now have a few days off before they travel to Vallejo on Monday, September 25th, when they take on the Jesse Bethel Jaguars in yet another Tri-County Athletic League matchup. The match is set for 7:00PM.
Panthers Increase Win Streak to 3 Games with Sweep of Titans
September 11, 2023—On a cool evening on the campus of Hercules High School in Hercules, CA, the Varsity Girls Volleyball Team showcased a dominant effort as they would go on to sweep the Titans by the score of 3-0.
The Panthers, in fact, found themselves down early in both the first and second sets but were able to show off their resilient nature and overcome those early deficits to take the first two sets from the Titans. The third set would be the complete opposite in terms of the Panthers setting the tone early, eventually dominating what would be the final set of the matchup as well, giving them the decisive victory.
The Panthers will now look to extend their win streak to 4 games when they travel to Vallejo to take on their long-time league foe, the St. Patrick-St. Vincent Bruins, this Wednesday evening. The game time is set for 7:00PM.
Panthers Fall Short to Yellowjackets in Friday Night Showdown
September 1, 2023—In the much anticipated “Battle of Berkeley” showdown between Saint Mary’s and Berkeley High School on Friday evening at Hagler Court, the Varsity Girls Volleyball team fell short to the Yellowjackets in what looked like to be their toughest match in the early stages of the 2023 season.
The first set of the match proved to be a back-and-forth affair between the Panthers and the Yellowjackets, consisting of great rallies and hard-fought points from both sides. Hpwever, the Yellowjackets would eventually win the first set by the score of 25-21, giving them an early 1-0 lead in the match. In the second set, the Panthers would provide quite an answer of their own thanks to the fabulous play of Freshman standout, London Crawford, who provided killer hits every opportunity she got, helping the Panthers win the second set by the score of 25-19, and evening the match at one game apiece.
The third set was another neck-and-neck affair with Sophomore, Kalaya Phung, giving both her team and the Panther crowd the energy it needed thanks to her strong play and her ability to win critical points for her team. Unfortunately, though, Berkeley would find a way to quiet the storm, winning the critical third set by the score of 25-22.
In the fourth and final set, the Panthers came out on fire, giving themselves a 12-5 lead and looking to extend the match to a fifth set. However, the response from the Yellowjackets that was coupled with mistakes from the Panthers, proved to be enough for the Yellowjackets to win the fourth set by the score of 25-20, ultimately giving them the 3-1 victory.
Despite the outcome, the Panthers had a lot of positive moments and important lessons that came from this match that they will not only learn from, but also prove to be beneficial as the season goes along. In fact, the Panthers will look to return to the win column when they play host to fellow TCAL foe, the Jesse Bethel High Jaguars. The match is scheduled for Wednesday, September 6th, at 7:00PM.
Panthers Prove to Be Too Much For Gauchos
August 30, 2023—On a Wednesday evening on Hagler Court on the campus of Saint Mary’s, the Varsity Girls Volleyball team would prove to be dominate from start to finish in their three-game sweep of their course town rival, the El Cerrito High Gauchos, to open Tri-County Athletic League (TCAL) play.
The Panthers were led by Senior, Jae Vass, and Junior, Sasha Bartel, who would string a lot of the Panthers points together thanks to their effective serves that proved to be too much El Cerrito to handle. The Panthers also got a strong showing from Freshman standout, London Crawford, who has made her presence known in the early stages of not only her Freshman season, but also in the early stages of her Saint Mary’s career.
With the victory, the Panthers move to 1-0 in TCAL play and will look to build off of their impressive victory when they play host to the Berkeley High Yellowjackets. Game time is scheduled for Friday, September 1st, at 7:00pm.
Panthers Cruise to 3-0 Sweep in Home Opener
August 25, 2023—In the team’s home opener of the 2023 season at Hagler Court, the Varsity Girls Volleyball team did not disappoint in their performance on Hagler Court, winning in their second straight game in decisive fashion, completing a 3-0 sweep of the Alameda High Hornets. Although there were moments where both teams went back and forth trading of. points, the Panthers were in full control of the match right from the get-go. The Panthers would win the first set by the score of 25-21, the second set by the score of 25-16, and the third and final set by the score of 25-17.
The Panthers got a strong from performance from Junior standout, Dallas Faafiu, who recorded plenty of blocks and kills for the evening to lead the Panthers to victory. Sophomore, Kalaya Phung, also had quite the contribution as she followed up her strong performance at Pinole Valley with plenty of kills of her own.
The Panthers will now quickly turn their attention to Saturday morning as they will travel American Canyon High School to partake in the American Canyon Tournament. The tournament is scheduled for 8:00am.
Panthers Take Down Spartans For First Victory of 2023
August 23, 2023—On a Wednesday evening at Pinole Valley High School, the Varsity Girls Volleyball team found themselves in a very important early season game with hopes of bouncing back after their Monday night loss to Head Royce High School. However, the Panthers would indeed answer the bell, beating the Pinole Valley High Spartans in convincing fashion, winning their match by the score of 3-0.
The Panthers got key contributions from both their veteran players and young Freshmen. In fact, Senior, Jae Vass, made life difficult for the Spartans with her serves as she would win a lot of points for the Panthers from the service line; Sophomore, Kalaya Phung, also played a critical role in the team’s victory as she recorded a lot of points with her kills, and Freshman, London Crawford, made her presence known with great serves, kills, and digs of her own as well.
The Panthers will now look to build off of their dominant victory as they will play host to the Alameda High Hornets on Friday, August 25th, for their first home game of the season. The match is scheduled to start at 7:00pm.
Panthers Drop Close Matchup with Head Royce
August 21, 2023—In a rematch of last year’s NCS Division IV Semifinal matchup, the Varsity Girls Volleyball team squared off against the Head Royce High Jayhawks yet again in another classic match between the two teams. Although the Panthers aspired to seek revenge for last year’s 3-1 defeat in the postseason, they would unfortunately come up short as the Panthers would lose by the score of 3-2.
It was a very exciting back-and-forth affair as the Panthers would get on the board first by winning the first set by the score of 25-22. However, the Jayhawks would go on to have quite the answer as they would win the second and third sets by combined score of 50-29, putting themselves up by the score of 2-1. The Panthers would then respond themselves as they would go on to take the fourth set by the score of 25-15, forcing the match into the fifth and final set. However, the Panthers couldn’t build off of their victory in the fourth set, losing the final set by the score of 15-12.
The Panthers will now turn their attention to Wednesday’s matchup against Pinole Valley where they will look to get in the win column for the first time this season. The match is scheduled for 7:00PM at Pinole Valley High School.