Aptos High Mariners’ Girls Volleyball Take CIF Div. IV Championship!
FRONT ROW (from left) Leilani Valdez, Sophia Wilford, Peyton Dueck, Emma Yeaman, Brynn Mitchell, and Mikayla Santaella. BACK ROW (from left) Coach Raymond Cascio, Coach Yyler Krinkie, Angelina Ontiveros, Izzy Pfeiffer,Jordyn Waite-Ward, Ava Riccabonna, Gabby Giuffre, Natalia Ackerman, Rylee Mennie, Alana Patyk-Randa, and Coach Lake Merchen.
The 2019-20 Aptos High School Girls Volleyball Team took a No. 7 at-large birth in the CIF Division IV Tournament and turned it into the school’s first-ever volleyball state title with a four-set victory over top-seed Nordhoff High from Ojai.
The 25-12, 25-17, 26-28, 25-21 win capped a miraculous run in the state tournament, winning four-straight games as the underdog, including a 3-0 victory over fifth-seed Tamalpais High in the D-IV NorCal Final to reach the championship match.
The Mariners (21-13, 9-3 SCCAL) took a roundabout road to earning their at-large bid. Aptos finished third in the Santa Cruz Coast Athletic League tournament, being swept by Soquel in the semifinals. The Mariners then went on to reach the finals of the CCS Div. III Tournament, only to lose to Burlingame in four sets.
With their low seed, Aptos traveled all over the state, wracking up over 1,400 miles in a two week period and earning victories against Union Mine High School from Eldorado, CA, Marin Academy from San Raphael, Escalon High School from Escalon, and of course Best Mount Tamalpais in the NorCal Championship Game.
The final road trip brought the Mariners to Santiago Canyon Junior College in Orange for the final against the SoCal Champions.
The win marks only the third time a non-cross country Aptos team has reached the state finals, and the school’s first win. The 1986 Boys Basketball team and the 1992 Girls Volleyball team also won NorCal titles. Girls Cross Country teams won state titles in 2005 and 2015.
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The Mariners’ head coach is Lake Merchen, along with assistants Tyler Krinkie, Kori Williams, and Raymond Cascio.
The players are: Emma Yeaman (L-So), Sophia Wilford (L, DS–Sr), Peyton Dueck (L, OH–Jr), Ava Riccabonna (OH–Jr), Angelina Ontiveros (OPP–Jr), Leilani Valdez (L–Jr), Brynn Mitchell (OH, OPP–Sr), Izzy Pfeiffer (S–So), Mikayla Santaella (OH–Fr), Natalia Ackerman (OH, OPP–Sr), Gabby Giuffre (MB–Sr), Rylee Mennie (MB–Sr), Alana Patyk-Randa (OH, OPP, S–Sr), and Jordyn Waite-Ward (MB–Fr)
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Submitted by AHS Athletic Director Travis Fox