Boys Water Polo Game Day: The @jserra_boys_water_polo team travels to Northern California on Thursday to begin play in the North vs South Challenge, as the Lions take on Campolindo High School in a showcase game at Sacred Heart Prep in Atherton.
Girls Tennis Match Day: The @jserra.girlstennis team heads out on the road on Thursday, as the Lions tangle with the Santa Margarita Eagles in a Trinity League showdown at Santa Margarita High School in Rancho Santa Margarita.
EAGLES OUTLAST LIONS IN TIE BREAKER: The @jserra.girlsvb team and Santa Margarita produced a marathon thriller on Wednesday, with the Eagles slipping past the Lions 33-31, 23-25, 25-20, 22-25, 16-14 in a Trinity League tie-breaker match at Santa Margarita Catholic High School in Rancho Santa Margarita.
The Eagles secured the final automatic Trinity League playoff berth with the win, while JSerra will seek an at-large postseason berth when the CIF-SS playoff brackets are revealed on Saturday.
Eight days after going the distance on the Eagles home hardwood, the two teams renewed acquaintances in another back-and-forth battle.
The opening set featured 21 ties and a combined nine set point opportunities before the Eagles pulled out a two-point triumph.
The teams were deadlocked at 21-21 in the second set, but junior Makayla Ziegler put the Lions ahead for good with a kill and then sealed a two-point set win with a crosscourt kill.
The third set was knotted at 18-18 before Santa Margarita scored seven of the final nine points to take a 2-1 lead.
The Lions and Eagles were tied 10-10 in the fourth set, but big plays from Ziegler, senior Catherine Beadles, junior Riley Tsai, sophomore Madison Goodrich, and senior Ava Ziegler helped propel the Lions to seven-point set lead.
The Eagles made a late push, narrowing the deficit to 23-22, but senior Charlotte Nowak and Ava Ziegler closed out the set win for the Lions to force a deciding fifth set.
Santa Margarita charged out to an 7-4 lead, but powered by a kill from junior Layla Graham, an ace from Tsai, and kills by Nowak and Makayla Ziegler, JSerra surged to a 10-8 lead.
The Eagles responded with four straight points to recapture a two-point lead, but kills by Makayla Ziegler and Ava Ziegler, along with a combo block by the two sisters helped tie the set at 14-14.
But the Eagles produced the final two points of the match to escape with the triumph.
Makayla Ziegler finished with a season-high 32 kills and a team-leading five aces, while Ava Ziegler added 15 kills.
LIONS DEFEAT MONARCHS: The @jserra_boys_water_polo team is one league victory away from winning a fourth straight Trinity League title, as the Lions knocked off the Mater Dei Monarchs 12-10 on Wednesday at Mater Dei High School in Santa Ana.
Despite first period goals from junior Luke Lee and senior Connor Colman, JSerra trailed the Monarchs 3-2 after one period.
Mater Dei led 4-2 in the second period, but the Lions closed the quarter with two goals from junior Joe Wraith and a score from sophomore Dylan Park helped tie the contest at 5-5 at halftime.
Colman recorded his second goal and Wraith completed his hat trick in the third period, while the Lions held the Monarchs scoreless, helping JSerra assume a 7-5 advantage heading into the fourth period.
Colman secured a hat trick and Park tallied his second goal less than three minutes into the fourth quarter to help give the Lions a 9-6 lead.
Sophomore Andrew Schneider produced his lone goal of the game to push the Lions to a 10-7 lead with just over four minutes remaining, before two goals from sophomore Lars Knepper sealed the victory.
Senior goalie Jonas Ransford produced nine saves.
The Lions are now 15-7 overall and 4-0 in league, and can clinch the league title next Wednesday when they host the Santa Margarita Eagles in the regular season finale.
