Bonita Volleyballers Go Undefeated; Set Sights on Second Season

On Senior Night in the Bonita gym, the Bearcat volleyballers defeated the Wilson Wildcats 3-0 (25-10, 25-16 and 25-18) to complete the Miramonte league undefeated at 8-0. The victory moved Bonita’s overall record to 14-6-1 with only a non-league match scheduled on Friday against Walnut before the CIF playoffs begin next week.

“Overall, we’ve had a really tough non-league schedule that has helped us prepare for what lies ahead,” said head coach Adriana Contreras. “Our final game against Walnut will be a really good challenge for us. They’re very scrappy, so the game should tell us a lot about what level we’re playing at.”

Contreras likes her chances for a strong CIF run.

“I feel pretty confident,” Contreras said. “I really do, especially after our match against Brentwood, the defending CIF champ (which Bonita defeated on Oct. 21, 3-1).

Comparing the start of the season to the team’s current state of play, Contreras was again optimistic.

“Everyone’s clicking, everyone’s getting along, and everyone has learned to work together,” Contreras said. “We have great athletes. Allie LaPierre, obviously, Ashley Maxfeldt, Katie Kirby, Lauren Mierke and Victoria Dennis, who has grown so much from last year to this year.”

From left, Bearcat seniors Meg Phelps, Allie LaPierre, Lauren Mierke, Delia Bisbardis, Kim Hurley and Jackie Campa.

Besides dominant contributions all season long from her big three of LaPierre, Kirby and Maxfeldt, Contreras has seen senior middle blocker Lauren Mierke emerge as another star.

“Lauren has improved tremendously,” Contreras said. “She has grown so much as an athlete. Everything just made sense to her this year. Everything just clicked. She’s amazing.”

Contreras could say pretty much the same thing about all her players, as the team was definitely clicking on Tuesday against Wilson. Except for a brief lead (1-0 and 2-1) in the third game, Wilson trailed all evening to the stronger, taller and more polished Bearcats.

Bearcat superiority was clear from the first serve to the final dunk and game winner by Maxfeldt. Outside hitters LaPierre and Kirby and were converting a high percentage of their kill opportunities while Mierke and Dennis earned several points for the Bearcats with their sharp play at the front center of the net.

If there was any blemish on Senior Night, the Bearcat serving was sporadic. A few too many points were charitably given away. 

“We work on our serving every single day in practice,” Contreras said. “For some reason, the girls get the jitters when they’re serving, although we have improved tremendously from last year. So we’re making strides.”

Just how big those strides are will come into sharper focus when the CIF pairings are announced and play begins in the second (and one-loss-and-you-go-home) season.