Glendale Adventist won its first title in school history on Friday by defeating Santa Clarita Christian for the Southern Section Division 9 championship. As a result, Glendale was rewarded with the No. 1 seed in Southern California D5 regional play. The Cougars earned a bye as there was not a full field for this regional, and they will play the winner of No. 8 Maywood CES vs. No. 9 Excelsior Charter on Saturday evening. 

A potential matchup of Glendale Adventist versus Carnegie in regional semifinal play has intrigue for those in the club volleyball world, as Wolverines coach Phil Sutherland is the club director for Mavericks Volleyball Club out of Corona.

The top seed out of NorCal went to San Marin, a North Coast Section Division 3 quarterfinalist.

Watch the CIF State Championship matches, Dec. 1-2, live right here on FloVolleyball.

*Live coverage in SoCal available through Spectrum.

 CIF SoCal D5 Team Seeds

1. Glendale Adventist Academy (22-5), Southern Section Division 9 champion

2. Maranatha Christian (29-1), San Diego Section Division 4 champion

3. Central City Value (24-3), Los Angeles City Section Division 3 champion

4. Carnegie (18-6), Southern Section Division 10 champion

5. Santa Clarita Christian (18-6), Southern Section Division 9 runner-up

6. California City (28-6-1), Central Section Division 5 champions

7. Faith Baptist (17-7-4), Southern Section Division 9 semifinalist

8. Maywood CES (18-9), Los Angeles City Section Division 4 champion

9. Excelsior Charter (24-7-1), Southern Section Division 10 runner-up

10. Liberty Charter (20-7), San Diego Section Division 5 champions.

11. Mammoth (27-6-2), Southern Section Division 9 semifinalist

12. Lone Pine (16-11-2), Southern Section Division 10 semifinalist

13. Sierra Pacific (14-13), Central Section Division 5 runner-up

14. Sherman Indian (11-9), Southern Section Division 10 semifinalist

15. Lakeview Charter (21-6), Los Angeles City Section Division 5 champion 

CIF SoCal D5 Players to Watch

(In alphabetical order)

Amy Buffini | Sophomore | Outside Hitter | Maranatha Christian

The daughter of former national team member and Olympian Beverly (Robinson) Buffini, Amy Buffini has racked up a team-high 377 kills, hitting .312. Her success can be partially attributed to her special connection with her twin sister Alysha, who is Maranatha Christian’s starting setter. 

Chloe Emory | Senior | Outside Hitter/Middle Blocker | California City 

Senior Emory carries a heavy load for California City, tallying 524 kills on the season (almost 400 kills more than the next highest contributor). Even taking that many swings, Emory has maintained a .377 hitting percentage, in addition to scoring 53 blocks, 365 digs, and 73 aces. 

Lily Karamanukyan | Junior | Middle Blocker | Faith Baptist

Junior Karamanukyan leads the Faith Baptist offense with 268 kills (3.6 per set), hitting at an impressive .411 clip. She’s also been credited with 32 solo blocks.

Kendall Lach | Sophomore | Outside Hitter | Mammoth

Five-foot-ten sophomore Kendall Lach averages 2.6 kills per set (219 total kills) for the Mammoth squad. She also has 90 digs and 33 aces on the season.

Abbey Moore | Sophomore | Setter/Opposite | California City

Moore directs the high-powered California City offense, collecting 699 assists in addition to scooping up 201 digs.

NorCal Division 5 Teams

1. San Marin (16-11), North Coast Section Division 3 quarterfinalist 

2. Durham (28-4), Northern Section Division 5 champion

3. Mt. Madonna (15-11), Central Coast Section Division 5 runner-up 

4. Berean Christian (21-10), North Coast Section Division 5 semifinalist 

5. Colusa (28-11), Northern Section Division 5 runner-up 

6. Justin-Siena (11-12), North Coast Section Division 4 quarterfinalist 

7. Clear Lake (27-6), North Coast Section Division 5 quarterfinalist 

8. Oakland Tech (17-3), Oakland Section Champion 

9. Union Mine (19-13), Sac-Joaquin Section Division 4 semifinalist 

10. East Nicolaus (19-11), Northern Section Division 5 semifinalist

11. Escalon (17-11), Sac-Joaquin Section Division 4 semifinalist

12. Golden Sierra (14-9), Sac-Joaquin Section Division 5 semifinalist 

13. Skyline (11-13), Oakland Section runner-up 

14. Bye

15. Bradshaw Christian (14-14), Sac-Joaquin Section Division 5 semifinalist 

16. Bye

NorCal Division 5 Players to Watch

Liz King | Junior | Outside Hitter | San Marin

San Marin’s top attacker Liz King leads the Mustangs with 212 kills on the season, hitting .242. She also leads the team with 59 aces and 34 total blocks and is second on the team with 164 digs.

Lindsey Bryant | Senior | Middle Blocker | Durham

Chico State-bound senior Lindsey Bryant has maintained a lofty .389 hitting percentage while averaging 4.2 kills per set for the Trojans, in addition to rejecting 69 opponent attacks and scoring 38 aces from behind the service line.

Jenna Campbell | Junior | Outside Hitter | Golden Sierra

The Grizzlies of Golden Sierra reached the Sac-Joaquin Section D5 semis in no small part thanks to the contributions of outside hitter Jenna Campbell. Her 197 kills leads the team, as does her 62 aces. She’s also accumulated 288 digs this season.

State Finals Prediction

Glendale Adventist comes out of the South winning a couple of really hard-fought matches in the quarterfinal and semifinals. They draw a battle tested San Marin team out of the North. 

Prediction: San Marin in four.

By Derryl Trujillo