Sacred Heart Prep volleyball team hungry to compete

With setter extraordinaire Millie Muir now graduated and on roster as a freshman at Duke University, the Gators turn to junior Isabelle Marco to anchor the offense — an offense that led the way in giving head coach Ali Magner her fourth 20-win team in the past five full seasons.

“We are golden,” Magner said. “Our returning setter is quite frankly one of the most talented athletes we’ve ever coached here at Sacred Heart all around.”

Paired with Muir in the 6-2 offense last season, Marco was a versatile weapon. Not only did she total 357 assists, averaging 4.6 assists per set — ranking second on the team behind Muir’s 442 and 5.7 — Marco was the Gators’ leading scoring, pacing the team with 207 kills and 2.7 kills per set.

“She’s just a kid you have to have on the court,” Magner said. “She is a fierce competitor, and she provided a level of support for Millie that I don’t think Millie had in a partner on the court. … And those two produced a ton of offense for us last season.”

It was quite a season for SHP, finishing with a 23-6 overall record while qualifying for the Central Coast Section Open Division for the first time in program history.

The Gators were haunted by West Bay Athletic League Foothill Division rival Menlo School, though, as the Knights not only won the league championship, but eliminated SHP from the CCS Open tournament in the postseason opener. The Gators went on to have their season ended in the CIF Northern California Division I tournament opener with a loss to Monte Vista-Danville.

This year, SHP reloads with two junior setters joining the varsity squad to complement Marco in Jillian Amaro and Erika Maas, who last season piloted the junior-varsity Gators to a league championship. Where they fit into the complex varsity scheme is yet to be determined, but Magner said utilizing three setters in the rotation is entirely possible.

“We will see,” Magner said. “Very strong setters. They both play club. They are both smart. They already are completely meshing with the team.”

The Gators open the season next Thursday, Aug. 25 hosting powerhouse Archbishop Mitty, who finished last season as champs of both the CCS Open Division and CIF Northern California Open Division and falling to Marymount-Los Angeles in the Open Division state championship.

“In order to be the best, you play the best,” Magner said. “I have a tremendous amount of respect for that program. We’ve been wanting to have a stacked preseason for a long time, and I don’t think there’s a better group of individuals that can handle it.”

The Gators also hit the floor next Monday, Aug. 22 at Woodside for a CCS Sportsmanship Game scrimmage at 7 p.m.

While SHP’s varsity roster was finalized Thursday, Magner has yet to determine the 2022 lineup.

“Way too early to tell,” Magner said. “We have an incredibly strong team this year. I think it’s truly the most all-around we’ve ever had … so, we’re very excited for the versatility of the team. And time will tell.”

SHP returns two other scoring weapons in junior Mia Radeff and senior Tatum Baker, who last season ranked as the team’s third and fourth leading scorers, respectively, after Marco and Muir.

Magner, though, is most excited about SHP’s junior class. Accounting for 10 players on the varsity roster, the group is synonymous with the lost 2020 COVID season, as they were freshmen during the pandemic when the freshman and junior-varsity seasons were canceled, and the varsity team played just one match.

Of their return to the court last season, Magner said of her current junior class: “I would have to say they really didn’t skip a beat given the unfortunate circumstances.”