Christopher volleyball is on the rise.
Last year’s team qualified for the Central Coast Section playoffs for the first time since 2019 and lost the post-season opener. This year’s squad moved up a division in the league hierarchy, competed fiercely during the regular season and then really shined in the playoffs.
The Cougars won their first playoff match in a sweep of Lincoln and then lost the next to Monta Vista, a powerful team that then claimed the CCS Division II title and a NorCal Division III title, advancing to the CIF State Finals.
The Cougars grabbed that post-season win in a home game on Nov. 2 against Lincoln. CHS rolled 25-17, 25-21, 25-22.
“I was really happy to win,” Christopher’s Maddie Ridgway said. “The outcome was good, though we could have played a little better. We served strongly and had good energy.”
Finley Corona led the Cougars with 11 kills and middles Grace Wilson and Ridgway each delivered six kills. Hannah McGhie pounded five kills and Melody D’Angelo contributed four.
Setter Jenny Lee sparkled from the service line with five aces, part of a strong serving day for the Cougars who totaled 11 and kept the Lions out of system for much of the night.
“We played well as a team tonight,” Wilson said. “We worked together and we trusted each other. In serving, our coach gives us spots to hit to. And we trusted our back row. Energy helped us in the back row.”
Christopher rocketed out of the gate, jumping ahead 14-3 in the opening set and rolled to the win. The Lions then rebounded.
Lincoln jumped ahead 7-4 in the second set. The Cougars fought back with kills from Corona and Wilson. At 17-17, back-to-back aces from Lee and a McGhie power kill against an overpass were part of a run that put Christopher on top.
Down the final stretch, Corona went line for a kill and Wilson served an ace to close the set.
The third set was competitive throughout. At the end, it was Aubrey Luna blasting two kills, Corona drilling two more and Wilson ripping a service ace through the Lions’ libero. Victory in three.
“We started strong and then they adjusted,” Christopher coach Marcus Torres said. “The girls did a great job. It’s my first CCS win. What made the difference is everyone not playing afraid. They played like themselves. They have confidence and we trusted our guns.”
During the season, coach Torres often used a 6-2 offense with Lee and Brooke DeMare as setters. Later in the year, DeMare was injured and Lee directed a 5-1. The attack was led by junior outsides Corona and McGhie, with a strong middle presence on both offense and defense with Wilson and Ridgway.
D’Angelo and Luna completed the front line. Nyaradzo Musabayana and Alyssa Aguaristi provided depth.
Adyson Luna and Juliet Tassio shared time at libero and defensive specialist and Amaya Tovar also contributed at defensive specialist. Center back play was key to defensive success and featured six-rotation players Corona and McGhie.
In the next playoff game, Christopher fell in four sets to top-seeded Monta Vista, with the Matadors prevailing 23-25, 25-19, 25-14, 25-16. Monta Vista’s win was part of a seven-game win streak that carried them all the way to the CIF State Finals.
Noteworthy for Christopher is the Cougars did better against Monta Vista than the six other teams MV beat, including Westmont—which was swept by MV—and Aragon, which took only one set in two losses. Aragon had recently swept Branham.
Westmont and Branham had finished in the top two slots in the league, with Christopher several steps back. But in the playoffs, Christopher gave Monta Vista a tougher battle than Westmont or the Aragon team that twice drilled Branham. That illustrated how the Cougars improved during the season and played their best ball in the playoffs.
Highlights of the regular season included a 3-1 record in South County matches, sweeping Gilroy and Live Oak, while splitting two contests against Sobrato. The victory over the Bulldogs came with a 15-8 fifth-set decision at home on Senior Night.
Another great game came in a five-set victory over league champ Branham via an electric final set decided 15-13 for the Cougars.
Additional highlights included a sweep at Aptos, a tournament sweep of Los Altos, and wins over Leigh and Leland.
Christopher will see the graduation of Wilson, Luna and Musabayana but the Cougars retain a strong core with Corona, Lee, Tassio and others. Of note are the young contributors as D’Angelo is only a freshman and Ridgway is a sophomore.
The last two years have now marked the Cougars as a top-flight volleyball program. Consecutive playoff appearances, a playoff win and the stellar performance against state finalist Monta Vista illustrate the new elite level for Christopher.
