Campbell Hall girls volleyball team rallies past Roosevelt, advances to Division 4 final

STUDIO CITY — Campbell Hall girls volleyball coach Sydney Carfagno knew this would be one of the defining moments of the season for her players.

The Eagles held a five-point lead midway through the opening set and was the first team to reach set point, but Roosevelt rallied and stunned the Vikings by winning the final three points of the game.

Campbell Hall quickly regrouped and dominated the next frame to level the match at a set apiece. The Vikings managed to keep momentum on their side the rest of the way and defeated No. 3-seeded Roosevelt 24-26, 25-14, 25-22, 25-19 in a CIF Southern Section Division 4 semifinal match Saturday evening.

Campbell Hall advanced to a section final for the first time since winning the Division 3A title in 2010. The Vikings (20-9) will travel to top-seeded Saugus (32-2) for the championship match on Nov. 5 unless the Division 4 final is added to the schedule of games at Cerritos College.

“I don’t know if we bounce back like that if this match was played earlier in the season,” said Carfagno, who was a senior middle blocker on Campbell Hall’s 2010 championship team. “These girls have developed a lot of grit as the season has gone on. They came back and kept the momentum going.”

Campbell Hall used a 10-2 run to take a 15-10 advantage in the opening set. Terra Whitaker and Mia Goettsche combined for five kills to spark a 7-1 run that put Roosevelt in front. The teams traded the lead a few times, but Campbell Hall reached set point at 24-23 after a Roosevelt attacking error.

An attacking error by Campbell Hall evened the score at 24, and Roosevelt (26-5) went on to win the set following kills by Goettsche and Celeste Paez.

Roosevelt made two big runs in that first set when Campbell Hall outside hitter Mila Mijailovic was in the back row, and the Mustangs had a plus-5 advantage in the first set when Mijailovic was stuck in the back.

Carfagno knew her team had to limit further damage in subsequent sets.

Campbell Hall, which beat No. 2-seeded Schuur in five sets in the quarterfinals, was plus-12 the rest of the way in similar spots and even made key runs when Mijailovic was on the service line.

Roosevelt is known for its defensive prowess, but Campbell Hall was able to match the Mustangs in that department Saturday. Isabella Marrero, Sierra Starkman and Cy Larks racked up the digs for the Vikings.

“We have been stressing the importance of earning points all-around and in as many rotations as we can,” Carfagno said. “We can do that in many ways, and I think our defense was a big reason for the win today.”

Mijailovic, a 5-foot-9 junior, came into the match averaging 5.9 kills per set. Roosevelt was able to contain her during the first two games, but Mijailovic erupted for seven kills in each of the final two sets and finished with a match-high 20 kills.

“Winning the second set  the way we did really changed the momentum for us,” Mijailovic said. “I think that really brought our energy up and we never lost it.”

Roosevelt raced out to a 9-3 lead in the third set, but Campbell Hall answered back and took a 15-14 lead on a block by Parker Van Zyl and Starkman. The score was tied at 19, but Mijailovic had a kill and an ace to helped the Vikings regain a lead they would not relinquish.

Campbell Hall grabbed an 8-2 lead in the fourth set, but Whitaker and Goettshce helped Roosevelt fight back and tie the score at 18. Campbell Hall went on a 7-1 closing run, five of those points coming with Mijailovic on the service line.

Maggie Lima’s sixth kill ended the match and sparked a celebration on the court for the Vikings.

“Right now, I’m in a bit of shock,” Campbell Hall setter Althea Morris said. “Our team is mostly juniors, so to make it this far is a little crazy.”

Whitaker and Goettsche finished with 19 and 13 kills, respectively, to lead the way for Roosevelt. The Mustangs, playing in a section semifinal for the first time in program history, will return to action Nov. 8 for the CIF State playoffs.

Starkman had nine kills and a match-high four aces for Campbell Hall.