Etiwanda girls volleyball team wins championship at Mountain View Invitational – Press Enterprise

NORCO – Savannah Flores, coach of the Etiwanda girls volleyball team, called 2023 a rebuilding year for the program.

One week into the 2024 season, it appears the Eagles have what it takes to return to championship form.

A strong serve, a balanced attack and leadership from veteran setter Brooke Hansen were the keys to victory Saturday as Etiwanda took the title at the Mountain View Invitational at Norco High School.

The event featured five in-state teams playing a series of best-of-three round-robin matches throughout the day. Etiwanda remained undefeated and claimed the championship title with victories over Arrowhead Christian Academy (25-6, 25-15), Redlands (25-14, 28-26), defending champion Norco (25-12, 23-25, 15-8) and Aquinas (25-21, 25-15).

“We were young last season, so we have a lot of depth and experience this season,” Flores said. “I think the chemistry and trust between everyone is a big factor this year. There's trust no matter what lineup is out there.”

Etiwanda (5-0) played Saturday's games without junior outside hitter Nina Hemsley, so Flores often changed her lineup. One big change was moving sophomore middle blocker Saaliyah Brown to outside hitter.

“She doesn't have a lot of experience on the left side, but she stepped up and played great today,” Flores said of Brown, who moved to Etiwanda after a strong first season at Summit.

Many observers believed that the winner of the Etiwanda-Redlands game would ultimately win the championship.

Sophomore Lauren Furnald hit two aces to give Etiwanda an advantage in the early stages of the first set, and that was a sign of things to come. The Eagles clung to a 10-8 lead but managed an 11-4 run to take the lead. Brown had three kills during that decisive run, while Furnald and third-grader Mya Yaisrael each had two kills. First-grader Janae Childs closed the set with an ace.

The second set featured 12 ties and three lead changes. Seniors Saniyah Sobers and Devi'arre Lucas pounded the pins to give Redlands an early lead. The Terriers led by as many as four points, but Etiwanda prevailed, thanks largely to her serve (seven aces in the second set). Childs had three aces in the set, giving her five aces in the match.

Redlands fended off four match points before Hansen and middle blocker Kelis Hawkins combined to put a block in the match to finish the match.

“We just never lost our confidence in this set,” said Hansen, who is headed to Cal Poly and was named the event's most valuable player.

Etiwanda used an 11-3 run to take control of the first set against Norco. Hansen spread the ball around to her hitters in the opening round, with Brown, Furnald, Yaisrael and Hawkins combining for 12 kills in 20 attempts.

The Eagles appeared to be on their way to another sweep after taking a 14-10 lead in the second set. But Norco fought back to take a 13-2 lead. Veteran outside hitter Savannah Smith had three kills and two aces for the Cougars in the period. Etiwanda fended off four set points, but a service error gave Norco the second set.

Brown had the best hand for Etiwanda in the deciding set, putting the ball on the ground on all three shots to lead a 10-3 run by the Eagles. And Furnald's ninth kill of the match was the finishing touch to another victory.

“I think we just brought the same energy and attitude that we had in the first set,” said Furnald, who was named to the All-Tournament team along with Hansen. “We knew we had to have a sense of urgency and we played the way we were supposed to play.”

RESULTS OF THE MOUNTAIN VIEW INVITATIONAL

Final score

1. Ethiopia 4-0

2. Redlands 3-1

3. Norco-2-2

4. Arrowhead Christian Academy 1-3

5. Thomas Aquinas 0-4

Match results

Etiwanda defeats Arrowhead Christian 25-6, 25-15

Redlands defeated Aquinas 25-10, 25-8

Etiwanda defeats Redlands 25-14, 28-26

Norco defeats Aquinas 20-25, 25-20, 15-7

Redlands defeats Norco 25-21, 25-18

Arrowhead Christian defeats Aquinas 25-14, 16-25, 15-2

Etiwanda defeats Norco 25-12, 23-25, 15-8

Redlands defeated Arrowhead Christian 25-15, 25-9

Etiwanda defeats Aquinas 25-21, 25-15

Norco defeats Arrowhead Christian 25-15, 25-18