Crystal clinches state volleyball title

 Gabby Tomatis led Crystal (27-4) with 16 kills, Ellie Lee had 10 and Elle Beebe contributed nine kills. Alexa Tarnarider had 22 assists. Sladewski led the defense with 20 digs. Oceanside (24-12) was paced by lefty Faye Naotala with 24 kills and Mikayla Poumele-Flores had 11 kills.

 “Crystal Springs Uplands did an outstanding job,” Oceanside coach Nathan Fristed said. “There is very little opportunity to make errors against them. They covered the floor really well. They put up a bigger block than what we thought.”

 Oceanside came out strong. A five-point mid-set run put them ahead comfortably and they won 25-17. Poumele-Flores, Trinity Faasa and Kobi Kohler were strong up front and the lefty Naotala was putting the ball down. Crystal was off track with eight kills and nine errors in 32 total attacks for a -.031 attack percentage.

 After the first set, Crystal adjusted its block to slow Naotala and Poumele-Flores.

 “We made a big change to the block,” Spray said. “We went from angle blocking to blocking the line. And adjusted Maile (Bateman) and Ella (Beebe) and Petra (Hennessy) in the middle.”

 The net front play hindered Oceanside and allowed Sladewski and the back row to dig successfully and keep the ball in play.

 In the second set, Beebe led the way with four kills. Crystal broke away from a 20-20 tie with winners from Tomatis and Beebe for a 25-23 win.

 The third set stood at 15-13 when a Hennessy block provided a side out. Sladewski served out the set with a remarkable run that included five aces. The momentum fully shifted to the Crystal side.

 But it changed fast. Oceanside moved Naotala around to give her new hitting positions and to avoid the Crystal block. At 9-8, the Pirates ran off an 8-3 surge to take control and they soon had the fourth set in their pocket. A decisive fifth set was next and it was Sladewski time again.

 With the score 2-2, the Crystal libero served nine straight points to open up an 11-2 lead. The Pirates put together a brief rally but the Gryphons held them off for the win.

 Sladewski totaled 10 aces in the contest, tied for second all-time in CIF State history behind Sacramento St. Francis’ Taryn Wright’s 2005 12-ace performance.

 “We do pressure serving in practice,” Sladewski said. “Just knowing it’s the one thing you can take control of. Self-confidence on the back line is really important.”

 Beebe was outstanding, collecting three solo blocks and three block assists. The overall defense really shined in the final set, holding Oceanside to three kills and four hitting errors on 20 total attacks.

 “After the fourth set, we talked about the mental push,” Tarnarider said. “Bodies on the floor and nothing drops. We fostered the connection between the back row and the front row.”

 Sladewski echoed the keys to defense that stifled Oceanside for much of the match.

 “We keep that bond between the two positions, back row and front row,” Sladewski said. “We have one job to do in the back row. And we trust Ella (Beebe) and Petra (Hennessy) and others to get the block to slow down the hit.”

Defense, powerful serving and coming through in the pressure moments. Crystal’s bench erupted with the final point, a cross from Ellie Lee. They joined the six on the floor for a big celebration. Crystal had their first state trophy.