Burlingame volleyball nets big win over Gators

That changed Thursday, though, when Burlingame (6-2) rallied past SHP in five sets 25-20, 25-15, 25-19, 25-20, 15-9.

“They were excited about it,” said Nga Tran, Burlingame’s first-year head coach. “It was a big win for them.”

It is a statement win for the Panthers, who are looking to contend in the Peninsula Athletic League Bay Division this season. It has been five years since Burlingame captured its last Bay Division title, though last year’s second-place finish was full of promise. Only eventual Northern California Division I champion Hillsdale — the 2021 PAL Bay champs ran the table in league play — was able to repel Burlingame in Bay Division matchups.

But with Hillsdale undergoing a massive roster turnover, the Bay Division looks to be up for grabs this season, leaving the Panthers ready to pounce.

“My hope is to finish top three,” Tran said. “My team’s hope is to win the league. They’re ambitious, they feel they can come out on top this year.”

Burlingame rallied behind a two-pronged attack Thursday. Morgan Toomey shared the match-high of 20 kills, while Ella Duong totaled 19 kills. But it was Toomey’s serving that set the tone, exploiting SHP’s struggling serve receive through the first two sets. Toomey finished with five service aces.

SHP (1-2) ironed out its passing game, though, and went on the attack in games 3 and 4. Junior setter Isabelle Marco shared the match-high with 20 kills, while adding 34 assists. Outside hitter Mia Radeff added 16 kills, while Tatum Baker totaled nine.

The Panthers went on a 5-0 run early in Game 5, which proved to be the difference. The defense did the rest, backed by senior Mallory Novitzky’s match-high 24 digs. Maddie Langlinais added 16 digs. SHP was paced by Ellie Wheeler with 11 digs.

“It was about [Toomey’s] offense at that point,” Tran said. “They had a hard time shutting her down.”

It helped that Langlinais and Novitzky “kind of dug a lot of impossible plays,” Tran said.

Tran may be new to the Burlingame Panthers, but this is her second stint as a coach in Burlingame. She served as the head coach at Mercy-Burlingame in 2010, with the Crusaders capturing the West Bay Athletic League Foothill Division championship, finishing one game ahead of second-place Sacred Heart Prep.

She most recently coached girls’ volleyball at Mercy-San Francisco for two years until the campus closed in 2019.

Most of Tran’s high school coaching experience is on the boys’ volleyball side. She is concurrently on staff at Sacred Heart Cathedral as the boys’ volleyball head coach, having run the program for the past 15 years. She and recently retired SHC girls’ head coach Margi Beima founded the Slainte Volleyball Club in San Francisco, which currently plays out of SHC and the Chinese American International School’s future middle school facility at the former campus of Mercy-SF.

Tran said she took a step back from coaching high school girls’ volleyball after the closure of Mercy-SF, but after the COVID closured started shopping for a new program. Her sister Darlene, who runs the junior-varsity volleyball team at Hillsdale, notified her when the Burlingame job became available.

“A little bit of a break makes you realize how much you love this sport, so I figured it was time,” Tran said.

Tran is Burlingame’s fourth head coach is the past six years.

THURSDAY

Notre Dame-Belmont 3, Presentation 0

The Tigers (3-0) won their third straight to start the season 25-14, 25-7, 25-16 over winless Pres (0-3), fronted by 13 kills by senior Ciara Mangan and some sharp all-around serving. NDB totaled 15 aces as a team, including five from freshman Gia Rivera, a career-high. Junior setter Jessica Ai added three aces and racked up 27 assists, and sophomore Adrianna Agresti totaled 11 digs.

Half Moon Bay 3, Scotts Valley 0

The Cougars (1-1) swept 25-22, 25-16, 25-19 past Scotts Valley (1-3) for their first win of the season. Joey Vetrone led the way from the service line, totaling six aces. Ava Cardiel added a seven-point service run in the second set. HMB totaled 16 team aces.

Mercy-Burlingame 3, Design Tech 0

Senior middle Katie Callagy totaled four blocks and senior Rachel Calderon exacted 18 digs and five service aces to lead the Crusaders (3-1) to their third straight win 25-18, 25-15, 25-7 past Design Tech (2-5). Mercy needed just 30 team kills, led by six from junior outside hitter Julianna Mufarreh.

In other action:

Valley Christian (2-0) swept Hillsdale (6-3); South City (1-2) earned its first win of the season in four sets 16-25, 25-16, 25-21, 25-12 over Pacific Bay Christian (2-2).

Sequoia (1-2) fell to Gunn (2-2) in straight sets 25-22, 25-19, 25-20.

Terra Nova (2-2) lost in four sets 25-19, 23-25, 25-14, 26-24 at Riordan (3-2).

Palo Alto (3-0) swept 25-22, 25-13, 25-23 past Woodside (0-1).

Summit Shasta (6-1) handed Crystal Springs Uplands (2-1) its first loss of the season in straight sets 25-23, 25-15, 25-13.