Sierra Canyon faced a familiar foe Saturday night in the Southern California Regional Open Division girls’ volleyball semifinals in Chatsworth. The Trailblazers needed five match points to finally put away Mission League rival Marymount, winning 25-18, 19-25, 25-22, 25-23, and move within two wins of a state title.
This was the fifth meeting between the teams—the most in a season between two Southern Section schools from the same league since 2006, when Bay League rivals Redondo Union and Mira Costa also faced off five times. Sierra Canyon went 11-2 in its final 13 sets against Marymount, posting seven straight wins, though none of them were easy.
“It gets harder every time we play them because they know our tendencies,” said Missouri-bound setter Lucky Fasavalu, who dished out 44 assists. “It makes us better, but it makes them better too.”
Hanna McGinest led Sierra Canyon with 15 kills, the last of which ended the match. McKenna McIntosh contributed 13 kills and 15 digs, Kendall Omoruyi had 13 kills and four blocks, and Eva Jeffries added eight kills and eight digs.
On the Marymount side, Washington commit Sammy Destler led the Sailors with 20 kills, including seven in the second set.
Top-seeded Sierra Canyon (41-3), which has already set the program single-season record for wins, improved to 4-1 this fall against the fifth-seeded Sailors (38-7). The Trailblazers have yet to lose a match in California this season; their three losses came in out-of-state tournaments.
After defeating Mater Dei for the first time in 10 tries to win the Southern Section Division 1 title on Nov. 8, Sierra Canyon will try to make it two in a row against the visiting Monarchs in the regional final on Saturday night. Mater Dei, the No. 2 seed with a 33-5 record, beat Torrey Pines in four sets in the semifinals.
“They’re both incredible teams,” Fasavalu said, referring to Marymount and Mater Dei. “Marymount is scrappy, has weapons everywhere, and has two great middles. Mater Dei’s pins are explosive and they have great game IQ. Both are full of seniors who really want to win—and so do we!”
Asked if she is happy to be playing Mater Dei, Fasavalu admitted she was, since her cousin Westley Matavao plays for the Monarchs.
“We know how good they are but we can play great volleyball,” Fasavalu said. “I’ve got great options as a setter. McKenna and Kendall demand the ball a lot, and it’s my job to read the other side of the net and see where the mismatches are.”
https://www.latimes.com/sports/highschool/story/2025-11-15/sierra-canyon-defeats-marymount-girls-volleyball-semifinals
