The two best schools faced off twice on the final day of the Ann Kang Invitational in Honolulu and finished 1-1 against one another. Though the matches were split, it was Mira Costa of Manhattan Beach walking away from the prestigious tournament with bragging rights after sweeping Sierra Canyon of Chatsworth, 25-20, 25-22, in the championship clash. It was Sierra Canyon’s only loss after the Trailblazers defeated the Mustangs earlier in the day as they finished out pool play. “It’s incredible. This is a really, really tough tournament and there are so many good teams here, including two from our league,” Mira Costa coach Cam Green said. “We knew it was going to be tough going in so it’s gigantic to win it. It means a ton for us moving forward with the confidence and belief in ourselves it gives us.” There was no way the rematch in the final could top the pair’s first meeting, which produced by far the best match of the tournament and one of the most memorable high school matches these eyes have ever witnessed. Though Sierra Canyon and Mira Costa were guaranteed spots in the semifinals as they met for first place in Pool A with both being 6-0, the two So Cal schools performed as if they had everything riding on the outcome. It was only the first week of the high school season but it’s going to be hard for any match to top Sierra Canyon’s thrilling victory over Mira Costa that delivered an epic overscore in the third set as the Trailblazers prevailed, 21-25, 25-20, 25-23. Mira Costa was up 14-12 in the final set, holding two match points with no sign of what was about to come. Sierra Canyon clawed back to 14-14 all and then saved three more match points before gaining their first chance at victory leading 18-17. The tide changed from there, as Sierra Canyon held another five match points before finally finishing off the Mustangs in a high-level conclusion in which teams were trading blows and earning points without the benefit of errors. “I was a little upset we lost of course, but I was impressed at the level of volleyball,” Green said. “We saw a high level of play and we gave ourselves a chance to win it. We had chances and for me I was proud and happy for the girls to play in a match like that. It was a big-time level of volleyball.” “That’s one of the best matches I’ve ever been a part of,” Sierra Canyon coach Darrin Phillips said. “It ranks up there when we played La Salle to in the semifinals to get to the state final and we were down 0-2 and came back to win in five in 2016. That set was top two for me for sure.” With the semifinalists out of Pool A known and the energy still buzzing in the air from the incredible match, Pool B was not yet decided as the final round started. It featured Bay League foes Palos Verdes and Redondo Union squaring off in one of the gyms while host school ‘Iolani took on Harvard-Westlake in the other. Palos Verdes, Redondo and ‘Iolani each had a chance to advance to the semifinals but there were only spots for two. Redondo and Palos Verdes went three in what normally would be an exciting conclusion but felt a bit ordinary compared to what happened between Sierra Canyon and Mira Costa. Redondo pulled out the tight victory, 25-14, 22-25, 16-14, to hand Palos Verdes its only loss in Pool B. ‘Iolani swept past Harvard-Westlake as ‘Iolani, Palos Verdes and Redondo ended in a three-way tie at 6-1. ‘Iolani took first in the pool based on set percentage, while Palos Verdes was second. It left Redondo in third and missing the semifinals. ‘Iolani sweeping Redondo to start Day 2 was the key result of Pool B. Had Redondo managed to win a set against ‘Iolani all three teams would have tied in set percentage at 13-3. The semifinals began in the afternoon, with Sierra Canyon first sweeping Palos Verdes, 25-22, 25-23, before Mira Costa downed ‘Iolani in straight sets, 25-20, 25-17, to set up the rematch between the two So Cal schools in the final. Sierra Canyon has never captured the Ann Kang title before, while Mira Costa had finished first six previous times since the tourney started in 1989, the most of any school. The last title for the Mustangs came in 2016 and after turning it around against the Trailblazers, Mira Costa extended its record number to seven titles. “It’s always an incredible tournament,” Green said. “Thank you to (‘Iolani coach) Kainoa (Obrey) and ‘Iolani. We love coming here and want to keep coming here. It was a great stepping stone to where we want to get to. Learning to win is a big deal. I’m proud to be here with this team and love coaching this group.” *** The final finishing order ended like this: 1. Mira Costa 2. Sierra Canyon T3. ‘Iolani T3. Palos Verdes 5. Punahou 6. Redondo Union 7. Moanalua 8. Harvard-Westlake 9. Santa Margarita 10. Corona del Mar 11. Le Jardin 12. Hawaii Baptist 13. Baldwin 14. Maryknoll 15. Edison 16. La Jolla Country Day
