Girls volleyball won city championship

By Eunice Kim

The Granada Hills Charter High School girls varsity volleyball team’s season ended on November  after the team played San Juan Hills High School for the California Interscholastic Federation (CIF) Division 1 girls volleyball championship state tournament.

Despite losing three sets to zero the team still proudly hoists their trophy as Los Angeles City Section (LACS) Open Division City champions.

The team finished the season 22-10 overall, going 9-1 in West Valley League play. Their only loss in league came at home against Taft Charter High School.

Coming into LACS playoffs, they were seeded second in the Open Division, only behind Palisades Charter High School. In the first round, the team beat seventh-seed Narbonne High School in straight sets.

In the  semi finals, they faced rival Taft for the third time this season. After a grueling game, the Highlanders overcame a lost two sets to none lead and won 3 sets to 2. However, the game did not come without debilitating factors to the team.

“During the [Taft game], our strongest middle suffered a very traumatic leg injury and was unable to continue the season. The biggest blows to any teams are injuries. Many of my teammates have ongoing injuries or aches and pains which always take a toll on the team,” junior Carissa Bradford said.

In a rematch of the 2016 Open Division City Finals, the team played a momentous game against Palisades in the final at Roybal Learning Center. The girls won their second consecutive LACS Open Division title in five sets.

“This season has been one of the most interesting yet rewarding seasons of my volleyball career, and I cannot wait to play the next two years with the girls I love and a coach who knows how to create a winning team,” sophomore Lia Berkolds said.

In addition, the players obtained a strong sense of camaraderie. The team has gotten very close over the course of the season.

“I would say that there is a really strong sense of friendship between everyone on the team because of the amount of time we spend together, especially before season started,” Berkolds said.