The Glendale High School varsity girls’ volleyball team maintains an impressive 32-match win streak dating back to September. The Nitros’ winning run has catapulted them to their first CIF State Division IV title match.
Glendale is set to face Marin Academy of San Rafael at Santiago Canyon College in Orange on Nov. 18 at 11 a.m. A CIF State crown would be the icing on the cake to a historical season for the Nitros, which captured the CIF Southern Section Division VI title earlier this month.
“In mid-September we were 7-6 [overall] and we had taken a break, not willingly, but because of COVID we had been forced to take a break for a week which really slowed us down and frustrated us,” Glendale coach Marji Keyfauver said. “We had some really tough team discussions … and we really wanted to change from a 7-6 [team] and reach that goal of at least 20 wins to make the playoffs. That was kind of the turning point for us, and once we had that talk we didn’t lose after that.”
The Nitros, the No. 1 seed in Southern California, have played host through the duration of the state playoffs.
Glendale defeated visiting No. 3 seed Chatsworth in four games, 25-21, 17-25, 25-21, 25-21, in their CIF State Southern California Regional finals match on Nov. 14 to secure a berth in the state title match.
Junior Aleina Manaois racked up 22 kills, 13 digs, two aces and one block, while junior Emerson Whiting amassed 34 assists, two digs and two aces. Senior Arianna Vargas tallied 19 digs and two assists, freshman Eileen Herrera registered 13 digs, nine kills, four blocks and one ace, and junior Mika Valiente finished with 10 blocks and five kills. Junior Erin Freeman recorded nine digs, junior Breanna Cuellar contributed eight blocks, seven digs and one ace, and junior Kiana Canales produced five kills and one ace.
Glendale defeated visiting No. 4 seed Cleveland High of Reseda in four games, 25-21, 24-26, 25-13, 25-22, in a regional semifinal showdown on Nov. 11.
Manaois registered 25 kills and eight digs, while Whiting finished with 34 assists, three digs and one kill. Herrera tallied 16 digs and five kills, Vargas recorded 12 digs and one ace, and Valiente chipped in nine kills and three blocks.
The Nitros had not dropped a set since Oct. 4, sweeping their way through the final stretch of Pacific League play and stretching that streak into section playoffs and the first round of CIF State play. That streak was broken on Nov. 9 in the CIF State second-round matchup against visiting No. 8 seed Mayfair High of Lakewood, and despite dropping their first set in more than a month, the Nitros secured a four-game victory over with scores of 25-17, 19-25, 25-23, 25-18.
Manaois racked up 16 kills, 16 digs and four aces, while Whiting contributed 28 assists and two aces. Herrera tallied 19 digs, five kills and two aces, while Vargas registered 18 digs and three aces. Cuellar produced 15 blocks and four digs, while Valiente finished with 10 blocks and seven kills.
First published in the November 18 print issue of the Glendale News-Press.
