Edison moves on in state

Matt Skolnik was around Edison High the last time its girls’ volleyball program made the CIF State tournament. It was 12 years ago, when he was an assistant coach.

Skolnik is now in his third year in charge of the Chargers, and he has led them back to state. To Skolnik, the Chargers’ first state appearance since 2004 has started out much like the last one.

The Chargers won their second match in the tournament at home, sweeping Fresno Clovis West, 25-18, 25-20, 25-13, on Saturday to advance to the SoCal Regional Division I semifinals.

Next up for No. 2-seeded Edison (33-8) is another match at home. The Chargers get No. 6 San Diego Canyon Crest Academy or No. 3 Lakewood on Tuesday.

Unlike their previous trip to state, the Chargers plan to win more than two matches this time around.

“I think we have an opportunity to win a state championship,” said Skolnik, who still remembers how Mater Dei ended Edison’s season in the SoCal Regional Division II finals in 2004, preventing the Chargers from playing for the state crown. “The girls have been working hard all year, and we have a really good team, a complete team.”

The Chargers showed how talented they are against No. 7 Clovis West (35-11), a CIF Central Section Division I finalist. They faced a team that had to travel 268 miles for the contest.

Clovis West Coach Rhonda DeRuiter said the team left Fresno at 10 a.m. and arrived in Huntington Beach 5½ hours later. DeRuiter said the Golden Eagles spent some time at the beach before coming to Edison’s gym.

After playing in the sand, Clovis West only played a little more than an hour on the court. Outside hitters Hannah Phair and Cassidy Dennison led the way for Edison, each finishing with 11 kills, while opposite Taylor Gray contributed seven kills and nine digs. Middle blocker Kristin Austin added seven kills.

Clovis West and Edison, which shared the Sunset League title, have a common opponent in Los Alamitos. The Griffins swept the Golden Eagles at the Durango Fall Classic in Las Vegas in mid-September.

Two months later, Edison became the second Sunset League team to sweep Clovis West.

After Clovis West scored the match’s first point, the Chargers ripped off the next five. Phair and Gray each had a kill during the run, and Phair and Maggie Gunther teamed up for a block. Austin served well during Edison’s spurt.

Edison went up, 8-2, before the Golden Eagles called a timeout. Edison kept firing away, going ahead by as many as eight points twice. Dennison had five kills in Game 1, but Clovis West managed to cut the deficit to 17-14, forcing Edison to call a timeout.

When play resumed, the Golden Eagles got within 17-15. Micah Hebert and Julia Altamirano combined to turn away Phair’s shot for a second time. Two points was as close as Clovis West got to Edison.

Gray and Austin helped close things out for the Chargers. Gray recorded her fourth kill in the opening set and Austin’s second solo block clinched it.

The Chargers got off to a slow start in Game 2. Clovis West jumped out to a 5-1 lead, and then Edison stormed back. Phair led the way with a kill, sparking an 8-0 run. Behind strong serving by Lindsey Sparks, which included a service ace, the Chargers took a 10-7 lead.

Game 2 stayed close, with Clovis West evening things up at 16-16. Tiersa Bailey had an ace for Clovis West, which tied it because Edison began to misfire.

The teams went back and forth the rest of the way. The Golden Eagles took an 18-17 lead and the Chargers answered by scoring the next four points to go back in front, 21-18.

Edison finished off Clovis West. Sparks, Gunther, Gray and Dennison scored the final four points in Game 2. The Chargers were one set away from their second sweep in the tournament, and playing at home for the third time during the state tournament.

“In the CIF [Southern Section Division 1] playoffs, we went to Valencia [and won in the second round], and then we went to [Manhattan Beach] Mira Costa [and lost in the quarterfinals], so it’s nice right now to have some home games and have the support of our fans,” Skolnik said. “It’s been a good season and I’m excited that it’s going to continue.”