The Culver City High School girls volleyball team split two non-league matches, last week, losing in four games at El Segundo and bouncing back with a four-game home win over Torrance last Thursday.
Culver opened Ocean League play at Inglewood, Wednesday, and will visit Santa Monica, Friday, in what could be a league showdown.
On Thursday, Culver disposed the Tartars, 25-20, 25-15, 15-25, 25-15.
The Centaurs are 3-2 in five-game matches and 4-6 overall, including going 1-4 in last Saturday’s Saugus Tournament. Sophomore outside hitter Taylor Selfridge sparked Culver with 17 kills. Danielle Patterson had five blocks; sophomore libero Mina Grant chipped in 30 digs, and Monica Patterson contributed 17 assists.
In Culver’s loss to El Segundo, the Centaurs won the first game handily, 25-13, but lost the next three by 25-22, 25-23, 25-14 scores.
Selfridge led the Centaurs in kills with 15, while senior outside hitter Spencer Williams added 10 kills.
Arman Moultrie tallied five blocks, and Grant dished out 24 assists.
Culver lost in the Blue Division semifinals last weekend to Immaculate Heart, 16-25, 25-20, and 15-9, in the Saugus Tournament,
The Centaurs began the classic falling to the host Scorpions, 25-13 and 25-12. Culver, then, took pool losses to Alta Loma, 25-19 and 25-19, and Alemany, 30-28, 15-25 and 15-11.
Culver began the Blue Division (equivalent to a Bronze Division) with a 25-20, 25-15 and 15-5 win over Burroughs High from Burbank before the loss to Immaculate Heart.
Centaurs played in the North Torrance Tournament, two weeks ago, finishing fifth. Culver lost in the championship quarterfinals to Bishop Montgomery, 25-18. The Knights reached the finals, losing to the host Saxons.
In earlier games this season, the Lady Centaurs swept the West Torrance Warriors, 25-17, 25-20 and 25-14, and they took down the Serra Cavaliers in four games, 25-15, 25-20, 11-25 and 25-10.
The Centaurs are led by rookie head coach Joe Manzo, who guided Culver’s boys’ squad over the past few seasons. His best year with the Centaur boys came last year when Culver placed second behind powerful Santa Monica in the Ocean League and advanced to the CIF-Southern Section Division IV semifinals where it lost in three games to eventual champion San Gabriel.
Manzo is impressed with his squad led by senior setter Kiamiah Penn, Williams, Selfridge and Grant.
Against the Cavaliers, who were Camino Real League champions the past two seasons but moved up to the tougher Del Rey League this year, Culver got off to a quick start winning handily in the first game, then winning the second for a commanding lead.
The third game saw Manzo do a lot of substitutions as Serra scored the game’s first six points and continued to have a commanding lead.
Manzo, though, put back in his starters and the Centaurs rolled to a 25-10 win and clinched the match when a hit by the Cavaliers’ Ronginae Davis went long.
Two days earlier at Culver, the Centaurs had an impressive sweep of Bay League team West Torrance.
A week earlier, Culver lost in five games to host St. Bernard in Playa del Rey.
Manzo believes Culver can win the Ocean League, including defeating power Santa Monica.
“We’re hoping to win league and go as far as we can in CIF,” Manzo said. “I have a good group of girls. It’s tough for them to learn under the new coaching system. The way we played, we can surprise a lot of people.”
“The team is starting to get better,” Manzo said. “We’re coming together.”
