The best is still yet to come for coach Julie Bennett and her Pacifica Christian volleyball team. But for now, the Seawolves will settle for a Liberty League Tournament Championship that they clinched in a four-game match against Providence on Tuesday.
The win, following the heels of a 3-0 shutout defeat to Village Christian nearly two weeks ago, should give the Seawolves the right kind of momentum they need heading into the CIF Southern Section Division 4A playoffs.
The Seawolves had a long stretch of not playing to let that loss sink in. Pacifica Christian finished the regular season undefeated in league play, going 8-0, while compiling an impressive 19-5 overall record for the year. This is Bennett’s first league title as head coach of the Seawolves.
This is Bennett’s first year as the official leader of this team, and it appears she has a solid grip on keeping up with past success the volleyball program had grown accustomed to under former head coach Billy Allen.
The Seawolves made it all the way to the CIF title game last year, only to fall short of victory, losing to Rolling Hills Prep in a five-game match. Thanks to returning stars like Grace Minchin and Maile Lane, Bennett and the rest of the Seawolves could find themselves back in the championship round.
Winning the Liberty League crown is a start in the right direction. On paper, the two teams are similarly matched, statistically. Pacifica Christian had defeated Providence earlier in the season in a quick 3-0 shutout. This time around, it took the Seawolves a little bit longer to wrap things up.
Pacifica Christian made it look easy the first two sets, claiming 25-19 and 25-16 victories. Providence got its act together in the third set, handing down a surprising 25-21 setback. The Seawolves ended the match with a 25-17 fourth set win.
