Santa Margarita Stops Mater Dei’s Streak

Santa Margarita controlled its serve and used the memory of an earlier five-game loss to Mater Dei to knock off the top-ranked Monarchs, 15-11, 15-6, 15-11 in a Serra League girls’ volleyball match Thursday.

The No. 3 Eagles (14-5, 3-1) handed the visiting Monarchs their first loss of the season in front of wildly enthusiastic student rooters donned almost entirely in red, anti-Mater Dei shirts.

“Our crowd really got us going,” said Eagle middle blocker Monique Gerlach, who finished with 16 kills. “We were really fired up. This is a much bigger rivalry than we ever had with [longtime rival] Newport Harbor and it will continue as the new league goes on.”

The Eagles wasted no time in their second shot at their rivals, jumping to a 7-0 first-game lead. The stunned Monarchs came back to go ahead, 10-8, but Eagle setter Anna Mosich directed assists to Caroline Skacel and Chrissy Bloomgren (six blocks) to lead a game-saving comeback.

The Eagles’ serving took care of the rest. The closest the Monarchs came to denting the scoreboard was when they took a 7-1 third-game lead. The Eagles responded with a 12-1 run, including eight in a row, to close out the match.

“They took it to us,” Mater Dei Coach Craig Pazani said. “We were resting on our laurels and they beat us in every aspect of the game.”

Lindsay Pavlik finished with 16 kills and Breegan Mulligan had 14 for the Monarchs (12-1, 4-1).