Cougars, Scotties make league moves

2026 EAST COUNTY PREP GIRLS VOLLEYBALL

Steele Canyon, Helix open Grossmont Hills play 2-0; Foothills Christian, West Hills complete perfect weeks

East County Sports staff report

The Grossmont Hills League race wasted no time producing separation at the top.

No. 19 Steele Canyon and No. 22 Helix each defeated two ranked East County opponents during the week of Sept. 21-26, emerging as the conference’s early leaders while combining for four victories and a collection of impressive individual performances.

Steele Canyon swept No. 28 Santana, then defeated No. 35 Granite Hills in four sets. Helix also beat Granite Hills in four before taking down Grossmont by the same margin.

The Cougars were especially efficient, producing 98 kills with a .374 combined hitting percentage in their victories. Steele Canyon also totaled 31 aces and 73 assists while outscoring its opponents 170-125.

Junior outside hitter Taylor Carpenter delivered the week’s premier performance, combining for 29 kills, nine aces and a .500 hitting percentage.

Carpenter had 15 kills on .565 hitting as Steele Canyon opened league play Monday with a 26-24, 25-11, 25-13 victory over Santana. She followed with 14 kills, eight aces and a .440 hitting percentage in Wednesday’s 25-18, 19-25, 25-14, 25-17 victory over Granite Hills.

Senior opposite Tiana Baker added 17 kills on .467 hitting with four blocks across the two matches. Junior Crisa Garcia supplied 20 kills, four aces and nine digs, while senior Macie Sicat finished with 10 kills, five aces and a .529 hitting percentage.

Junior Izzy Trotto contributed 12 kills on .400 hitting with three blocks.

The Cougars also received balanced setting from sophomore Natalia Santana, who distributed 39 assists, and senior Madison Barefield, who finished with 32 assists and five aces.

STEELE CANYON TAKES CONTROL

Steele Canyon encountered its stiffest resistance during the opening set against Santana.

The Sultans pushed the Cougars beyond regulation before Steele Canyon prevailed, 26-24. The Cougars then seized complete control, allowing only 24 points across the final two sets.

Carpenter’s 15 kills led a balanced attack that included 11 from Garcia, nine from Trotto, eight from Baker and six from Sicat.

Sicat connected on six of eight attacks without an error for a .750 hitting percentage, while Baker hit .538 and Trotto finished at .462.

The Cougars added 13 aces. Sophomore Roxy Carrillo led that effort with four, Barefield served three, and Sicat and senior Audrey Hernandez had two apiece.

Santana fell to 0-1 in the Grossmont Hills but recovered two nights later with an important victory of its own.

Granite Hills became the only team during the week to take a set from Steele Canyon, winning the second frame 25-19 to even Wednesday’s match. The Cougars answered emphatically, taking the next two sets 25-14 and 25-17.

Carpenter’s eight aces helped Steele Canyon amass 18 service winners against the Eagles. Garcia and Sicat added three aces apiece.

Baker recorded nine kills on .412 hitting, Garcia had nine kills at .300, and junior Kate Ryan supplied seven kills.

Granite Hills countered with nine kills apiece from Savannah Hickman and Lily Ennis. Brinkley Lawton finished with seven kills on .333 hitting.

Ennis also contributed 15 assists, four aces and six digs, while senior MacKenna Palmer collected 14 digs. Junior Miranda Haisch led the Eagles at the net with four blocks.

HELIX SURVIVES GRANITE HILLS TEST

Helix opened its league schedule by winning three consecutive close sets after Granite Hills captured a marathon opening frame.

The Eagles won the first set 29-27, but Helix answered by taking the next three, 30-28, 25-20 and 26-24.

Freshman outside hitter Jolene Swiggers led the Scotties with 16 kills on .314 hitting, nine digs and two aces. Junior Aliyah Bowser added 14 kills, 19 digs, four aces and three blocks.

Senior Sephia Inciong recorded 10 kills, 17 digs and four aces, while senior middle blocker Emma Becker finished with seven kills on .294 hitting and a match-high five blocks.

Freshman setter Bella Green handed out 41 assists and served three aces.

Helix finished with 50 kills, 15 aces, 10 blocks and 74 digs, giving the Scotties enough production to win three sets decided by a combined nine points.

Granite Hills received an outstanding all-around performance from Ennis, who recorded 14 kills, 17 assists, five aces and 11 digs. Palmer finished with a match-high 29 digs, while Hickman added nine kills and eight digs.

Helix completed its 2-0 week Wednesday by defeating Grossmont, 25-19, 25-12, 22-25, 25-21.

Inciong led the Scotties with 12 kills on .435 hitting, while Swiggers added seven kills without an attacking error for a .412 percentage.

Becker had five kills on .455 hitting and five aces. Sophomore Shay Hammett added six kills and two blocks.

Green finished with 23 assists and nine digs. Junior Gloria Nickerson and Swiggers collected 10 and 11 digs, respectively.

Across the two victories, Helix accumulated 87 kills, 31 aces, 13 blocks, 122 digs and 76 assists.

Swiggers totaled 23 kills on .346 hitting, five aces and 20 digs. Inciong produced 22 kills, six aces and 21 digs, while Bowser finished with 20 kills, five aces, 24 digs and three blocks.

Green directed the offense with 64 assists.

Grossmont received productive performances despite the defeat. Junior Imani Hayes recorded 16 kills on .306 hitting with 14 digs, and sophomore Sofia Reid had 13 kills on .417 hitting with four aces.

Senior setter Jacqueline Villalobos distributed 33 assists, while freshman Josephine Canon served five aces.

KNIGHTS STAY PERFECT IN PACIFIC

No. 26 Foothills Christian did not drop a set during victories over Horizon Prep and Rock Academy.

The Knights defeated Horizon Prep, 25-10, 25-17, 25-19, in a nonleague match Monday, then returned to Pacific League play Thursday and swept Rock Academy, 25-16, 25-14, 25-11.

Foothills Christian outscored its two opponents 150-87 and improved to 3-0 in the Pacific League.

Senior Grace Hallahan powered the victory over Rock Academy with 13 kills, 14 digs, two aces and two blocks.

Sophomore Skye Molchonoff added seven kills, four blocks and three aces. Senior Noelle Morr contributed six kills, 12 digs and four aces.

Junior setter Olivia Morr distributed 24 assists and collected 14 digs. Sophomore Lily Meyer had 10 digs, and senior Olivia Salcido served four aces.

Sophomore Rylee Hallahan supplied two kills, two blocks and seven digs.

The Knights totaled 28 kills, 15 aces, seven blocks, 68 digs and 26 assists against Rock Academy.

Foothills Christian’s two victories followed its second-place finish in the 24-team Bucs Bash during the previous weekend, extending one of the strongest stretches by any team in the coverage area.

WEST HILLS SWEEPS VALLEY OPENERS

West Hills opened Grossmont Valley play with consecutive sweeps.

The Wolf Pack defeated Monte Vista, 25-10, 25-21, 25-18, before traveling to Mount Miguel and winning 25-15, 25-19, 25-16.

West Hills outscored its opponents 150-99 and finished the covered week 12-11 overall and 2-0 in league.

Junior setter Elouise Duke directed the sweep of Mount Miguel with 28 assists, five aces, eight digs and three kills on .333 hitting.

Junior middle blocker Eva Lopez recorded five kills on .385 hitting with two blocks, while junior outside hitter Lola Dare had three kills, five aces, seven digs and one block.

Sophomore Chloe Olson collected 12 digs and three kills. Sophomore Brynley Wilson and junior Peyton Krause contributed five kills apiece.

Freshman Izabella Corona Bennett had two blocks and eight digs. Junior Mackenzie Blum Hopgood added eight digs and two aces, and junior libero Isabelle Delaney finished with eight digs.

West Hills recorded 29 kills, 12 aces, five blocks, 70 digs and 28 assists in the Mount Miguel victory.

SANTANA ANSWERS WITH SWEEP

After falling at Steele Canyon, No. 28 Santana responded by sweeping No. 39 El Capitan, 25-17, 28-26, 25-22.

The Sultans survived an extended second set and completed the victory in three, finishing the week 1-1 in the Grossmont Hills.

Although Santana did not submit individual statistics, El Capitan’s records illustrated the demanding nature of the match.

Senior Josephine Conyers recorded 18 kills and 24 digs for the Vaqueros. Sophomore Teegan Hinrichsen finished with 11 kills on .250 hitting, and senior setter Olivia Bania distributed 32 assists with 13 digs and four aces.

Sophomore Harper Liedecke added 24 digs, while junior Raven Honstead collected 12.

El Capitan opened its week by sweeping Grossmont, 25-20, 25-18, 25-17.

Hinrichsen led that victory with seven kills on .300 hitting, two blocks and two aces. Conyers had seven kills, 21 digs and four aces.

Bania handed out 19 assists, and Liedecke finished with 17 digs.

The Vaqueros compiled 59 kills, 23 aces, 150 digs and 55 assists across their two league matches. Conyers accounted for 25 kills and 45 digs, while Hinrichsen totaled 18 kills and three blocks.

GRANITE HILLS BATTLES HILLS LEADERS

Granite Hills encountered perhaps the most difficult two-match schedule in the conference, facing Helix and Steele Canyon in a span of three days.

The Eagles took the first set from Helix and the second from Steele Canyon but could not complete either upset.

Ennis led Granite Hills across the two matches with 23 kills, 32 assists, nine aces and 17 digs.

Hickman totaled 18 kills and 12 digs. Palmer was the defensive leader with 43 digs, including 29 against Helix.

Haisch contributed seven kills and five blocks.

The Eagles finished the two matches with 73 kills, 16 aces, 114 digs and 69 assists, substantial production despite an 0-2 week.

Grossmont also went 0-2 against El Capitan and Helix, but Hayes and Reid continued producing against quality league opposition.

Hayes totaled 25 kills and 19 digs during the week. Reid finished with 19 kills, six aces and four blocks, and Villalobos distributed 48 assists.

MOUNTAIN EMPIRE EARNS LEAGUE SWEEP

Mountain Empire opened the week by sweeping Victory Christian Academy, 25-20, 25-22, 25-19.

Senior Josalin Shawcroft led the Redhawks with 11 kills and 11 digs. Senior Bibi Caceres recorded 10 kills on .212 hitting, five aces and 13 digs.

Freshman Guadalupe “Pita” Campos added seven kills, and freshman Kalia Jones had six kills on .308 hitting.

Junior setter Breeza Valdez delivered 30 assists and 10 digs, while junior libero Rowan Smith amassed 21 digs. Smith was selected as Mountain Empire’s player of the match.

The Redhawks finished with 35 kills, seven aces, 65 digs and 34 assists.

Mountain Empire won the opening set the following night against Canyon Crest Academy before falling 23-25, 25-16, 25-22, 25-11.

Junior Hailey Johnson was nearly flawless offensively, converting six kills in seven attempts without an error for an .857 hitting percentage.

Caceres and Shawcroft each had nine kills. Smith added another 21 digs, Campos collected 14 and Valdez finished with 21 assists and 13 digs.

Senior Kailey Quintana recorded four blocks.

Mountain Empire closed its week with a 25-8, 25-17 tournament loss to Escondido Charter.

LIBERTY WINS TWICE AT HOME

Liberty Charter put together consecutive home victories before dropping its final match of the week.

The Lions lost the opening set against Mar Vista but responded to win, 23-25, 25-16, 25-16, 25-23.

One night later, Liberty survived a dramatic five-set match against The Cambridge School.

The Lions won the opening set 25-14 before Cambridge captured the next two, 25-22 and 25-15. Liberty then extended the match by winning the fourth set 28-26 and prevailed 15-13 in the fifth.

Preuss UCSD ended Liberty’s two-match winning streak Thursday, 25-16, 25-13, 25-19.

The Lions finished the week 2-1 and stood at 8-10 overall.

MONARCHS REBOUND WITH TWO FIVE-SET WINS

Monte Vista responded to its league-opening loss against West Hills by winning consecutive five-set matches.

The Monarchs defeated Morse in nonleague action Tuesday before edging El Cajon Valley, 3-2, in Grossmont Valley play Wednesday.

Complete set scores and Monte Vista individual statistics were not reported, but the two victories represented a considerable response after Monday’s sweep.

El Cajon Valley senior Olive Melendez had 14 kills on .324 hitting with 15 digs against Monte Vista. Senior Sarai Garcia added 16 digs.

The Braves had opened the week with a 25-21, 25-21, 16-25, 25-18 victory at Crawford.

Melendez recorded 12 kills, 16 digs and five aces in that win. Garcia collected 23 digs, junior Shabnam Husain had three kills on .500 hitting, and junior Laura Rodriguez recorded four kills on .444 hitting with 10 digs.

El Cajon Valley finished with 22 kills, 12 aces and 69 digs.

AROUND EAST COUNTY

Valhalla opened Grossmont Valley play by sweeping Mount Miguel, 3-0.

Mount Miguel also fell in straight sets against West Hills two nights later.

Christian faced two of the county’s top programs in City Western League play. The No. 36 Patriots pushed Academy of Our Lady of Peace through two extended opening sets before falling 28-26, 26-24, 21-25, 25-9.

Christian then visited No. 2 Cathedral Catholic and lost 25-13, 25-17, 25-15.

The Patriots finished the demanding week 0-2 but took a set and nearly captured two others against OLP before encountering the section’s second-ranked team.

HENRY SPLITS EASTERN MATCHES

Fringe coverage member No. 17 Patrick Henry went 2-1 during the week, highlighted by a 25-13, 25-20, 17-25, 28-26 City Eastern League victory over Mission Bay.

Freshman Mariana Carvajal led the Patriots with 14 kills, and sophomore Ashlan Daniels produced 13 kills on .385 hitting.

Junior Taylor Gonzalez recorded 10 kills, five aces and 10 digs. Junior setter Natalie Rynard distributed 32 assists and served six aces.

Junior Leah Gonzalez collected 14 digs, while junior Jada Shuck contributed 10 assists.

Patrick Henry totaled 46 kills, 20 aces, 50 digs and 46 assists.

The Patriots later lost at Point Loma, 26-24, 25-20, 25-22, before defeating Escondido Charter 25-15 in a one-set tournament match.

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EAST COUNTY SPORTS PLAYER OF THE WEEK

TAYLOR CARPENTER, STEELE CANYON

Carpenter powered Steele Canyon through its 2-0 Grossmont Hills opening week with 29 kills, nine aces and a .500 hitting percentage.

The junior recorded 15 kills on .565 hitting against Santana, then delivered 14 kills and eight aces against Granite Hills.

WEEKLY HONOR ROLL

• Jolene Swiggers, Helix: 23 kills, five aces and 20 digs
• Sephia Inciong, Helix: 22 kills, six aces and 21 digs
• Aliyah Bowser, Helix: 20 kills, five aces, 24 digs and three blocks
• Bella Green, Helix: 64 assists and 15 digs
• Tiana Baker, Steele Canyon: 17 kills on .467 hitting and four blocks
• Grace Hallahan, Foothills Christian: 13 kills, 14 digs, two aces and two blocks against Rock Academy
• Josephine Conyers, El Capitan: 25 kills and 45 digs
• Olivia Bania, El Capitan: 51 assists, 19 digs and six aces
• Lily Ennis, Granite Hills: 23 kills, 32 assists, nine aces and 17 digs
• Imani Hayes, Grossmont: 25 kills and 19 digs
• Rowan Smith, Mountain Empire: 42 digs in two fully reported matches
• Josalin Shawcroft, Mountain Empire: 20 kills and 25 digs in two matches
• Olive Melendez, El Cajon Valley: 26 kills and 31 digs
• Elouise Duke, West Hills: 28 assists, five aces and eight digs against Mount Miguel

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