For the first time since it opened in the fall of 2009, Del Norte High will be competing against the other Poway Unified School District volleyball teams in the as a member of the Palomar League.
The Nighthawks’ inaugural season will include the district’s other schools - Poway, Rancho Bernardo, Mt. Carmel and Westview - as well as Mission Vista.
“It’s been a long time coming where we will play Poway and Westview twice during league play,’’ first-year Del Norte coach Ashton O’Halloran, a former player at Mt. Carmel when the Sundevils played in the Palomar League.
“They are so excited for this. I might be more nervous than they are. They can’t wait to play against all their friends from travel ball from around the district.
“They’ve kind of felt cheated that they have never done that.’’
Del Norte is coming off a fine 22-10 season in 2015 as they prepare for their first year in the Palomar League.Del Norte will open the league season Sept. 28 against Rancho Bernardo.
Del Norte
Coach: Ashton O’Halloran
2015 record: 22-10
Division: I
Key players: MB Kija Rivers, OH-S Raei Medin, MB Izzy Clyde, OPP Haley Henderson, L Lauren Yee, OH Malia Kay, S Jordyn Schuette, OPP Sarah Borduan.
Outlook: The Nighthawks, who return all but one starter from last season, will prepare for league play by tangling with perennial powerhouses Torrey Pines, La Costa Canyon, Cathedral Catholic and Canyon Crest during nonleague time. O’Halloran has more than enough height at the net with seven players 5-foot-10 or taller to throw out there. “I think we have the biggest team in the league this year,’’ O’Halloran said. “This is a great year to join the Palomar because we’re good enough to play in it and win it.’’ Rivers, Medin, a first-team All-Avocado East League honoree, Clyde, Schuette and Borduan are all seniors. Henderson and Kay are juniors and Yee, a sophomore, will form the nucleus for next year’s effort. Kay and Rivers were second-team all-leaguers last fall.
Poway
Coach: Breezy Ambort
2015 record: 10-21
Division: I
Key players: L-DS Brennan Sieber, OH-DS Ashley Pyle, OH Sarah Williams, MB Allie Saeger, MB Sadie Hamson.
Outlook: Three years removed from back-to-back appearances in the San Diego Section Division I championship match, losing to Torrey Pines and Rancho Buena Vista, the Titans begin the long climb back toward the top after a rocky 2015 season. One thing Ambort has tried to fix this year after graduating four starters last year is finishing sets strongly instead of surrendering points at the end of matches. “This year we need to be consistent from start to finish,’’ Ambort said. “The girls are willing to do the work. They want to compete better this year.’’ Sieber and Pyle will be counted on the lead the Titans back this year. Williams and Saeger gained valuable experience last year. Hamson has made the jump from the junior varsity.
Rancho Bernardo
Coach: Kara Hanes
2015 record: 11-18
Division: II
Key players: OH Julia Kallen, OH Jennifer Pierce, MB Megan Castillo, S Jessica Malone, S Justine Bartholomew.
Outlook: Hanes knows all about Rancho Bernardo since she was a three-time section player of the year (1991-93) while playing volleyball for rival Poway when her last name was Milling. She also was an All-CIF basketball player at Poway as well. The only time the Broncos have played in the CIF finals was 1994 when they downed Poway for the title, a year after Hanes, who had two brothers play basketball at Poway as well, went off to UCLA. The strength of the Broncos is outside with Kallen, a junior, and Pierce, a senior. Castillo, also a senior, holds down the middle as the team experiments with running a 5-1 or 6-2 attack on offense. Malone and Bartholomew are 5-3 and 5-6, respectively.
Monahan is a freelance writer.
