Agoura's Volleyball Team Loses in Playoffs at Harvard-Westlake

The Agoura High girls' volleyball team entered the season with the daunting task of trying reach the postseason a year after going winless in the Marmonte League.

As things turned out, the Chargers made it all the way to the playoffs, losing in straight sets at top-seeded Harvard-Westlake in Studio City on Thursday by a score of 25-15, 25-10, 25-20.

"Look around you. Look at those players. See their faces? Not a single frown on one of them," coach Brock Redmond said. "Know why? We knew we had our work cut out for us coming here, so this was nothing new facing a team like Harvard-Westlake. But we were motivated, because this is the best team we've had in 15 years."

With so many starters returning, Redmond said he is very confident his team can return to the playoffs again. "We have something huge to build on for next year," he said.

The Chargers finished 11-15 and made it into the playoffs the hard way. Agoura had to win three matches in two days last week after they climbed into part of a four-way tie for the Marmonte League's final playoff berth.

Agoura feels it can compete next season with so much talent coming back, said Redmond. Blocking at the net is a strong part of their game, but they also have Sandy Choi as serving specialist coming back.

"We are going to be very strong next year. A majority of our starters are returning, and we have a good compliment of kids in the program now," Redmond said. "I am proud of the kids tonight. They fought real hard. We fell behind big in the second set and played them real tough in the third. We just did not match up talent wise, but we did hold our own against the top team in the section."

Among the Chargers' returning starters for 2011 are Jaclyn Nadler, Willow Markowitz, Haley Wahl, Elizabeth Kennerly and Sandy Choi, along with freshmen Jackie Severson and Katie Sato.

"I think we played very hard to get to this point, and we pushed ourselves more than we thought was possible," Willow Markowitz said. "Our team came together after a few ups and downs during the year, but we knew we could achieve success if we stay focused. I am very proud of what we did this season. We have something to look forward to for next year."

Competing in summer programs, Redmond said, will give the girls plenty of time to become a more cohesive unit.

"We are going to be challenged every game in league play next season. The competition is very good and we are ready to go," Redmond said. "I like our chances very much for 2011."

Agoura                      15                    10                    20

Harvard-Westlake       25                    25                    25

Records:

Harvard-Westlake:  25-2

Agoura: 11-15

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