CIF PLAYOFFS: Bonita Volleyball Team Puts Business Before Pleasure, Defeating Maranatha, 4-1

The team shows its happiness by clapping the floor in a post-game huddle.

On prom night for Bonita High School, the Bonita varsity girls volleyball team put business before pleasure, defeating a feisty and tenacious Maranatha team, 25-17, 25-19, 17-25 and 25-21 to advance to the CIF semi-finals.

After the exciting four-game match, it was “Pull out the stopper! Let’s have a whopper. But get me to the prom on time.”

Little chance of that with a 7 p.m. Pasadena tip-off, and the prom being held in Riverside. Plus, Maranatha was out to spoil the party.

After losing the first two games, Maranatha clawed its way with a 25-17 victory in the third game. At one point, the Minutemen were up 20-10.

“I’m still shaking,” said Bonita head coach Adriana Contreras, well aware that Bonita got knocked out in the quarters the previous year. “Maranatha did a really good job on defense, picking a lot of balls up and setting up a good blocking scheme against us. It took them two games to figure us out. That’s definitely what happened in Game 3.

“I talked to the girls,” Contreras said. “Calm down, refocus, breathe on contact, and they pulled it off.

“Our team hung in there,” added Contreras, catching her own breath after the exciting match. “They really wanted to get to that darn homecoming dance, let me tell you.”

The Bonita girls not only had their game faces on, but they also had their prom faces on, many having spent the day preparing for homecoming by going to the salon to get their nails done, hair coiffed and glitter on. Not only did the girls play well, but they looked good doing it on a night they’ll long remember.

Bonita fans packed the stands, rooting and willing the girls to victory.

In the fourth and final game, it was a battle royale with several lead changes before Bonita finally broke on top 18-17 and went on to win 25-21 on a kill by Victoria Dennis, who had several big shots on the night.

Victoria played tall when it counted most.

“We have been working really hard on her timing with the setter, and speeding up her set and it obviously showed tonight,” Contreras said.

More important than the usual strong contributions from Allie LaPierre, Ashley Maxfeldt, Katie Kirby, Kassandra Mejia, Melissa Katherman, Jackie Campa, Danielle Lines, Lauren Mierke, Brianna Kennedy and Dennis, was a collective team will and determination to make it to the semi-finals.

“The girls played well,” Contreras said. “They really wanted this win. Everything is just falling into place for us.”

On Tuesday, Bonita will land back in La Verne, no doubt ready to play, with perhaps a few prom stories to tell.