Preps of the week: Branson, Tam claim top two section titles in girls volleyball
A slew of North Coast Section and league titles were up for grabs this past week, highlighted by the girls volleyball teams from The Branson School and Tam winning the top two divisions of the section playoffs.
In tennis, four titles were on the line between the MCAL and Bay Counties League West singles and doubles tournaments. Marin high schools swept all four of them, although that was always going to be the case in the two MCAL finals.
In football, Tam secured a must-win game to advance to the NCS playoffs. Redwood made a statement with an upset victory to boost their own NCS resume. San Marin got a huge special teams play to preserve a hard-fought win against Rancho Cotate.
Additionally, a slew of water polo teams successfully navigated the first two rounds of those NCS playoffs and remain in the hunt with the semifinals set for Wednesday.
Abby King and Elena Fisher, Branson girls volleyball
The Bulls claimed their 14th North Coast Section pennant in 15 postseasons and won the inaugural NCS Open Division championship on Saturday. King stepped up and provided a huge presence at the net in the final against Marin Catholic with 10 blocks and eight kills. King also had six blocks in the semifinal victory against Foothill. Fisher had a strong all-around game against Foothill with a team-high 14 kills, adding eight digs and five aces. Fisher also tied for team-high honors with 10 kills against MC.
Natalia Clifford and Natalie Stanford, Tam girls volleyball
Clifford and Stanford piled up the kills as the Red-tailed Hawks took down Campolindo in four sets to win the NCS D-I championship on Saturday. Clifford had 25 kills and Stanford added 14 more, including the final two points to win the match as Tam claimed perhaps the biggest victory in program history by winning its second section title. Both players had double-digit kills in a three-set win over Monte Vista in the semifinals. Clifford had 12 kills and Stanford added 10. The two also combined for seven aces, 10 digs, and six blocks.
Mirabel Arlander, Branson girls tennis
Arlander entered the MCAL singles tournament as the No. 2 seed and emerged as the winner without dropping a set. Arlander took down Marin Catholic’s Ellie Damiani and Archie Williams’ Eva Mohtashem in the first two rounds. Arlander faced San Marin’s Deepti Bhat in the semifinals before facing Branson teammate Katie Warrin — the No. 4 seed — in the finals. Arlander won that match 7-6 (2), 6-2.
Jordan Marotto and Ella Povio, Redwood girls tennis
The top seeds held true to form in the MCAL doubles bracket as Redwood’s top two players joined forces and claimed the title without dropping a set. Marotto and Povio won their first two matches then squared off against the No. 4 team of Georgia Compagno/Heidi Koch from MC. Marotto and Povio won to set up an all-Redwood final against the unseeded team of Julia Laury and Gwenn Ricordel, who took down the Nos. 2 and 3 teams en route to the final. Marotto and Povio prevailed, 6-2, 6-4.
Carly Amborn, San Domenico girls tennis
Amborn remained undefeated on the season by rolling through three matches in the Bay Counties League West singles tournament to claim the title. Amborn didn’t drop a set all week in claiming her second consecutive league title. She also made it to the MCAL singles final in 2022 as a sophomore at Archie Williams.
Ann McDermott and Jane McDermott, Marin Academy girls tennis
The BCL West doubles champions were also repeat winners as the sisters from MA claimed their second crown in a row this past week. Next up, the McDermotts will seek to defend their NCS D-II doubles championship.
Timo Ural, Tam football
Tam’s standout wideout eclipsed the 1,000-yard mark for the season with another 100-yard game in a must-win game against Napa on Saturday. Ural caught five passes for 103 yards and a touchdown — adding another score on a 3-yard run — as Tam won 26-14 and qualified for the postseason. Ural has 39 catches for 1,049 yards on the season — a staggering 26.9 yards-per-catch average — and has scored 12 total touchdowns.
Sean Cunneen, Redwood football
The Giants were already playoff eligible but a 21-6 upset victory over American Canyon on Friday night vaulted Redwood up to second place in the Redwood Empire Valley and helped the Giants secure the No. 5 seed in the NCS D-IV playoffs. Cunneen ran wild as he often has this season, piling up more than 200 yards and scoring a pair of rushing touchdowns.
Ryan Houlihan, San Marin football
The Mustangs were clinging to a 17-16 lead late against Rancho Cotate on Friday night, having just given up the potential game-tying touchdown. Rancho Cotate lined up for the extra point and Houlihan, one of the top defensive players in the league, came up with a huge block to preserve the victory.
Maddox McLellan, Redwood boys water polo
The sophomore scored a team-high four goals as Redwood needed a second-half rally to get by Terra Linda 12-8 in the NCS D-I quarterfinals. McLellan scored twice in the third quarter to help the Giants overturn a 5-3 halftime deficit.
Justin Tachiki, Marin Academy boys water polo
Tachiki scored three goals in No. 3 Marin Academy’s first round matchup against Vintage then added four more goals — including one in overtime — as the Wildcats held on for a 9-7 victory against No. 6 Heritage in the NCS D-II quarterfinals.
Emma Slaught, Marin Catholic girls water polo
Slaught had a pair of massive performances to guide No. 2 MC to a pair of wins in the NCS D-II playoffs. Slaught scored 11 of MC’s 18 goals in the first round against American Canyon then provided eight more goals in the quarterfinal victory against Heritage.
Taylor Fahy and Holly Hovey, Archie Williams girls water polo
Fahy and Hovey provided a good chunk of the scoring as the Peregrine Falcons remained alive in the NCS D-I bracket with wins against Amador Valley and Monte Vista. Both players scored four times against Amador Valley. Fahy led the way with five goals in an 11-10 win over Monte Vista while Hovey scored four times.