After facing two perennial nonleague powers, and then a talented and highly competitive 12-team girls’ field for their own Greg Paganini Invitational Tournament, to open the season, the Sonoma Valley High School varsity volleyball girls will begin their quest to capture a fourth straight Sonoma County League title.
The three-time defending champion Lady Dragons will host longtime rival Petaluma in tonight's SCL opener at Pfeiffer Gym, with the junior varsity beginning at 5, and the varsity playing at 6:30 p.m.
Comprising Sonoma's varsity volleyball roster – directed by head coach Chelsea Scott and assistant coach Haley Ross – are seniors Mackenzie Albrecht, Hannah Herrick, Cheyenne McCambridge, Ciara Smith and Delaney Swanson; juniors Courtney Cogbill, Carlie Vollert and Sami Von Gober; sophomores Sydney Eckhert, Jenna Mak and Kiara Miles; and freshman Layla Schoeningh.
Joining the Lady Dragon spikers in Saturday's action-packed Greg Paganini Invitational Varsity Tournament at Pfeiffer Gym – Sonoma's annual event that benefits the Greg Paganini Scholarship Fund – were Maria Carrillo, Drake, Cardinal Newman, Novato, Montgomery, Marin Academy, Healdsburg, San Marin, Rancho Cotate, Fairfield, and Tokay from Lodi.
When the competitive dust settled after pool and bracket play, the hosting Lady Dragons had a 4-1 record and reached the tourney's semifinals, where they lost two-of-three sets by scores of 25-23, 20-25, 15-1, to Maria Carrillo, which defeated Healdsburg 25-19 and 25-16 to claim the Paganini Invitational crown.
In reaching the semifinals, the Sonoma spikers swept through pool play with six straight wins, topping Marin Academy 25-11, 25-18; downing Tokay 25-5, 25-18; and upending Montgomery 25-20 , 25-17.
Facing Novato in a quarterfinal match, the Lady Dragons posted another 2-0 victory with set scores of 25-20 and 25-19.
Leading Sonoma were Albrecht's 31 assists, six digs, three kills and two serving aces; Swanson's 12 kills and 12 digs; Smith's seven kills; Mak's six digs, three kills and one ace; McCambridge's four digs and one ace; Herrick's four kills; and Miles and Von Gober's four digs
The Lady Dragons were paced in their semifinal loss to Maria Carrillo by Albrecht's 29 assists, seven digs, two kills and one ace; Mak's 11 digs, seven aces and five kills; Miles' 10 digs; Smith's nine kills; Swanson's eight kills, seven digs and two aces; Herrick's eight digs, three kills and one ace; and Von Gober's three digs and two aces.
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