HUNTINGTON BEACH — Another playoff match, another sweep for the Orange Lutheran volleyball team.
The Lancers defeated Marina, 25-21, 25-15, 25-23, in a CIF-SS Division 2 second-round playoff game Thursday at Marina High School.
The victory came two days after Orange Lutheran (26-10) defeated Sunny Hills in three sets in a first-round match.
Orange Lutheran will play host to West Ranch in the quarterfinals Wednesday, Oct. 29.
The Wildcats swept Roosevelt in their second-round match and have swept their two playoff opponents.
As was the case against Sunny Hills, the Lancers relied on their quick offense and setting their talented freshmen outside hitters, Addison Underwood and Sienna Cicero, who had 16 and eight kills, respectively.
“We’re accustomed to going fast pin to pin and it just opens up our offense,” Lancers coach Henry Valiente said. “I mean on any given day anybody on our team can score for us.”
When the Lancers got the ball to Addison and Cicero, they were almost always swinging at the left side of the net.
Defensively, the Lancers also focused on limiting scoring opportunities for Korynn Mayo, the Vikings’ 6-foot middle blocker.
Mayo, a junior, still finished with 11 kills and a block.
“We watched a lot of film,” Underwood said. “We knew their tendencies. We knew they were going to go to (Mayo). Of course, she is going to get her kills, and we’re going to get our kills.”
Outside hitter Addison Brown was also effective for the Vikings (20-13), finishing with 11 kills.
Marina had an 18-13 lead in the first set before the Lancers rallied and closed out the set on a 12-3 run.
The Lancers pulled away early in the second set, partly because of a series of hitting errors by the Vikings.
“Unfortunately, we didn’t play great in that second set,” Marina coach Ryan Parker said. “We just got stuck a couple of times.”
Orange Lutheran also maintained the lead throughout most of the third set, but Marina managed to stay close and tied the score, 23-23, off of a kill from Brown and block by Ximena Martinez on consecutive rallies.
But the Lancers closed out the set and the match on a kill from Underwood and a hitting error by Marina.
The Vikings were in Division 2 this season after playing the past three seasons in Division 3.
“The expectations have gotten higher and we’ve stepped up every step of the way,” Parker said. “I’m super proud of the team.”