La Costa Canyon High's Natalie Hagglund was sidelined the entire week of practice with a sore back.
The timing was worrisome, considering the Mavericks were scheduled to wrap up the volleyball regular season last night with a visit to the home gym of Avocado League rival Torrey Pines.
Hagglund, the reigning section Division I Player of the Year, was nagged by the injury, yet La Costa Canyon still played at the same high level it has all season.
“They're not No. 1 in the nation all year for any other reason,” Falcons coach Jim Harrah said. “They're good.”
In what could be a preview of the San Diego Section Division I final, the Mavericks took a 25-21, 25-23, 32-30 victory over Torrey Pines, finishing the regular season with another league title and the top seed in the playoffs all but assured.
“We have a lot of trust in each other,” La Costa Canyon setter Kendall Polan said. “This team is never going to stop fighting.”
At no time was that more apparent than in the final points of the third game. The Falcons were in position to win at 24-23, then 25-24, thanks to a kill by Lexi Campbell.
Then it was the Mavericks who had four consecutive opportunities to take the match, only to see Torrey Pines (18-8, 8-2) fight back again and again.
With the score 29-29, Campbell put up a block that sent the home crowd into a furious roar. But Natalie Loos answered for La Costa Canyon (29-1, 10-0), sandwiching a pair of kills around a ball hit long by the Falcons.
Afterward, Mavericks coach Pat McDougal couldn't say enough about Loos and Lydia Rudnick, both of whom played key roles in the victory.
“Loos gets better and better and better,” McDougal said. “She's so strong. And Lydia, people don't respect her like they need to. She can absolutely fly out there.”
The timing of Loos' final kill couldn't have been better for La Costa Canyon.
“It was kinda a chess game,” said McDougal, who acknowledged he would have sat Hagglund if the match had reached a fourth game. “My heart was pounding. I just wanted that thing to end.”
Said Loos: “It felt so good because we played with so much heart.”
Harrah was pleased with the effort he saw from his team, which he said has improved on the court and grown in confidence.
Another test against La Costa Canyon awaits in the playoffs.
Nicole Vargas: (619) 293-1390; nicole.vargas@uniontrib.com
