Cougars, Scotties, Matadors lead week

2026 EAST COUNTY PREP VOLLEYBALL

Steele Canyon junior Taylor Carpenter produced 40 kills, while Helix freshman Jolene Swiggers, Grossmont junior Imani Hayes delivered breakout performances

By Ramon Scott
EastCountySports.com

Steele Canyon, Helix and Mount Miguel completed undefeated weeks, but they did so in three distinctly different ways.

Steele Canyon leaned on the prolific right arm of junior Taylor Carpenter, who accumulated 40 kills while hitting .403 in victories over Foothills Christian and Valhalla.

Helix displayed remarkable offensive balance and efficiency, hitting a combined .372 behind freshman Jolene Swiggers during victories over La Jolla and Hilltop.

Mount Miguel did not report individual statistics, but the Matadors left little doubt about their collective performance. They swept Crawford and Kearny, won all six sets and outscored their opponents 150-91.

Granite Hills supplied perhaps the week’s most decisive single victory by sweeping West Hills, while Santana survived a five-set struggle against Canyon Crest Academy.

Grossmont junior Imani Hayes matched Carpenter with 40 documented kills, including 30 kills in a five-set victory over Olympian.

Carpenter carries Steele Canyon

Steele Canyon improved to 13-5 by defeating Foothills Christian in four sets and sweeping Valhalla.

Carpenter opened the week with 21 kills, 14 digs and two aces as the Cougars defeated Foothills Christian 25-17, 19-25, 27-25, 25-17.

After splitting the opening two sets, the teams played the pivotal third set beyond regulation. Steele Canyon survived 27-25 and finished the match by taking the fourth set 25-17.

Carpenter then recorded 19 kills on .500 hitting, five digs and three aces in a 25-18, 28-26, 25-13 sweep of Valhalla.

For the week, Carpenter produced 40 kills, five aces and 19 digs while hitting .403. She committed only 11 attacking errors in 72 attempts.

The Cougars received considerable help throughout the lineup. Against Foothills Christian, Crisa Garcia had six kills, three aces and eight digs. Macie Sicat supplied six kills and three total blocks, while Tiana Baker and Izzy Trotto each recorded five total blocks.

Natalia Santana distributed 23 assists, and Madison Barefield added 14 assists.

Steele Canyon raised its offensive level against Valhalla, hitting .422 with 46 kills in three sets. Garcia had nine kills on .444 hitting, while Sicat contributed six kills on .385 efficiency. Baker finished with seven kills, five total blocks and two aces.

Santana and Leah Heinen combined for 31 assists in the sweep.

ECS Player of the Week: Taylor Carpenter

Carpenter’s combination of volume, efficiency and team success gives her the strongest Player of the Week résumé:

• 40 kills
• 5.7 kills per set
• .403 hitting percentage
• Five aces
• 19 digs
• Steele Canyon went 2-0

Swiggers sparks dominant Helix attack

Helix also finished 2-0, improving to 11-4 with victories over La Jolla and Hilltop.

The Highlanders defeated La Jolla 25-15, 21-25, 25-9, 25-10. After dropping the second set, Helix outscored the Vikings 50-19 over the final two frames.

Helix produced 47 kills, 13 aces and a .316 hitting percentage in the four-set victory.

Swiggers recorded 12 kills on .524 hitting, three aces and five digs. Aliyah Bowser led Helix with 13 kills, while Emma Becker added nine kills on .438 hitting.

Bella Green distributed 40 assists, Sephia Inciong collected 12 digs and Rylee Danielson contributed four aces.

The Highlanders were even more efficient one night later, hitting .449 during a 25-19, 25-12, 25-12 sweep of Hilltop. Helix finished with 37 kills and only six attacking errors.

Swiggers led the way with 11 kills on .476 hitting, five aces and seven digs. Bowser had nine kills on .533 hitting, while Becker added six kills on .500 efficiency. Savannah Moore supplied four kills on .375 hitting.

Green added 21 assists and two aces.

Across the two victories, Helix recorded 84 kills, 21 aces and 92 digs while outscoring its opponents 171-102.

The Highlanders’ freshman tandem was particularly impressive. Swiggers finished with 23 kills, eight aces, 12 digs and a .500 hitting percentage, while Green accumulated 61 assists, four aces and seven digs.

Bowser totaled 22 kills, while Becker finished with 15 kills and a combined .462 hitting percentage.

Mount Miguel owns all six sets

The Matadors supplied one of the week’s clearest team stories.

The Matadors swept Crawford 25-15, 25-13, 25-19 and returned the following evening to defeat Kearny 25-17, 25-15, 25-12.

Mount Miguel:

• Won all six sets
• Outscored its opponents 150-91
• Allowed an average of only 15.2 points per set
• Never allowed Crawford or Kearny to reach 20 points

The consecutive sweeps moved Mount Miguel to 5-5 and provided an emphatic response to its five-set loss against O’Farrell Charter the previous week.

Granite Hills overwhelms West Hills

Granite Hills improved to 10-5 by sweeping West Hills 25-11, 25-16, 25-16.

The Eagles collected 32 kills, hit .253 and served 15 aces. They outscored the Wolf Pack 75-43.

Lily Ennis delivered a versatile performance with five kills, 12 assists, five aces and five digs. Savannah Hickman recorded seven kills, 10 digs and three aces.

Miranda Haisch added seven kills on .500 hitting, four aces and two total blocks. Makaila Iverson finished with six kills, while Kenzie Ellis contributed 10 assists.

West Hills entered the match following an overpowering sweep of Liberty Charter. The Wolf Pack allowed only 31 total points in a 25-18, 25-5, 25-8 victory.

West Hills finished the week 1-1 and stood 9-5 through Saturday.

Santana survives five-set test

Santana earned its third consecutive victory by outlasting Canyon Crest Academy in five sets.

The Sultans struggled in a 25-13 opening-set loss but changed the match by surviving the second set 27-25. Santana then controlled the third set 25-14.

Canyon Crest forced a deciding frame with a 25-21 victory in the fourth, but Santana dominated the fifth set 15-5.

The Sultans improved to 6-2 through Saturday after following their previous-week sweeps of Holtville and Valhalla with another victory.

Santana’s recovery from a 25-13 opening-set loss was one of the week’s more notable team performances.

Hayes erupts in Grossmont victory

Grossmont split two matches, but Imani Hayes produced one of East County’s best individual performances.

Hayes recorded 30 kills, 13 digs, four aces and three total blocks in Grossmont’s 25-22, 24-26, 20-25, 25-18, 15-13 victory over Olympian.

After falling behind two sets to one, Grossmont controlled the fourth set and survived the fifth 15-13.

Sophomore Sofia Reid added 12 kills on .346 hitting, six aces and four total blocks. Jacqueline Villalobos directed the offense with 44 assists, while Ciarrah Doliente led the defense with 16 digs.

Grossmont accumulated 55 kills, 21 aces and 60 digs in the victory.

The Foothillers could not maintain that momentum two nights later, falling to University City 25-18, 25-20, 25-14.

Hayes still led Grossmont with 10 kills. Reid added four kills and three aces, while Villalobos had 15 assists.

For the week, Hayes finished with 40 kills, 18 digs, five aces and three blocks. Grossmont closed the reporting period at 4-10.

Hallahan lifts Foothills Christian in Pacifc play

Foothills Christian split its two matches but finished the week with an important league victory.

After falling to Steele Canyon in four sets, the Knights defeated Maranatha Christian 27-25, 25-22, 23-25, 25-15.

Grace Hallahan powered the conference victory with 22 kills, two aces and two total blocks. Skye Molchonoff contributed nine kills, four aces and five total blocks.

Olivia Morr finished with 29 assists and three aces.

Hallahan had also recorded 13 kills and 23 digs in the loss to Steele Canyon. Her documented weekly totals included 35 kills, at least 23 digs, three total blocks and two aces.

Against Steele Canyon, Lily Meyer and Morr each added 15 digs, while Morr distributed 23 assists. Foothills Christian finished that match with 79 digs and came within two points of taking a two-sets-to-one lead.

Valhalla rides service line to a split

Valhalla served 20 aces in a 25-15, 25-22, 25-9 sweep of San Ysidro.

Jordann Bollens led the Norsemen with 11 kills and six aces. Finley Ryan added four kills on .500 hitting, while Audrey Reece contributed four kills, two aces and 12 digs.

Vanessa Moscoso served three aces and collected nine digs. Trianne Nguyentu supplied 24 assists, three aces and five digs.

The Norsemen finished with 26 kills, 36 digs and five total blocks.

Valhalla then encountered Steele Canyon’s powerful offense in a three-set loss. Bollens still led the Norsemen with eight kills, while Marcie Grein recorded five kills on .571 hitting.

Reece added six kills, three aces and nine digs. Nguyentu distributed 21 assists, while Morgan Miles recorded four total blocks.

Across the two matches, Bollens accumulated 19 kills and six aces. Nguyentu supplied 45 assists, and Reece finished with 10 kills, five aces and 21 digs.

Valhalla completed the week 1-1 and stood 5-7 through Saturday.

Mountain Empire answers road loss with sweep

Mountain Empire won the opening set at Southwest EC before dropping a competitive four-set match, 21-25, 25-20, 25-17, 25-23.

Bibi Caceres produced 13 kills, six total blocks and 15 digs. Josalin Shawcroft added seven kills, 19 digs and five assists.

Breeza Valdez distributed 28 assists and collected 12 digs, while Rowan Smith added 18 digs. Freshman Kalia Jones had four kills on .308 hitting.

The Redhawks totaled 38 kills and 80 digs.

Mountain Empire responded two nights later by sweeping Ramona.

Monte Vista earns bounce-back sweep

Monte Vista opened its week with a competitive four-set loss to Mar Vista.

The Monarchs pushed the opening set beyond regulation before falling 26-24, then evened the match with a 25-17 victory. Mar Vista recovered to take the final two sets 25-17 and 25-23.

Monte Vista responded by sweeping Chula Vista 25-23, 25-10, 25-16. The Monarchs dominated the final two sets by a combined 50-26.

Monte Vista finished the week 1-1 and stood 4-12 through Saturday.

Christian salvages demanding tournament week

Christian faced arguably the area’s most difficult slate, playing six matches against Santa Fe Christian, Patrick Henry, La Jolla Country Day, Bonita Vista, La Costa Canyon and Poway.

The Patriots’ victory came against La Costa Canyon in tournament play. Christian won the first set 25-19, dropped the second 25-21 and controlled the deciding frame 15-9.

Christian also opened its match against Bonita Vista with a 25-18 victory before falling 25-15, 25-16. The Patriots pushed Poway in a 25-20, 25-22 defeat.

Earlier in the week, Christian lost in straight sets to Santa Fe Christian. Raynee Schendel recorded 10 kills, Camila Valverde had seven kills on .636 hitting and Saeja James contributed five kills.

Christian collected 61 digs in that match but was unable to overcome Santa Fe Christian’s 36 kills, 12 aces and seven total blocks.

Patrick Henry defeated Christian 25-22, 25-15, 25-18, while La Jolla Country Day won 25-18, 25-21, 25-12.

Christian finished the week 6-11.

El Capitan runs into Mission Hills

El Capitan returned from its Sweetwater Tournament championship and encountered a strong Mission Hills team, falling 25-23, 25-19, 25-18.

Although the Vaqueros struggled offensively, their back-row defense produced 68 digs.

Harper Liedecke led El Capitan with 23 digs and two aces. Josephine Conyers had six kills, six aces and 13 digs, while Teegan Hinrichsen added five kills.

Olivia Bania distributed 17 assists and contributed nine digs. Abby Thoren served three aces.

El Capitan finished the week 0-1 and stood 8-5 through Saturday.

El Cajon Valley takes opening set

El Cajon Valley captured the opening set against Madison 25-19 but could not sustain the early advantage.

Madison answered by winning the next three sets 25-18, 25-8, 25-21. No individual statistics were reported.

Liberty Charter, River Valley and Borrego Springs

Liberty Charter’s only reported match was its 25-18, 25-5, 25-8 loss to West Hills. The Lions stood 4-4 following the defeat.

Bayfront Charter defeated River Valley 3-2 on Wednesday.

Borrego Springs dropped a five-set match to Desert Mirage.

ECS weekly honor roll

Player of the Week

Taylor Carpenter, Steele Canyon: 40 kills, .403 hitting, five aces and 19 digs during a 2-0 week.

Other leading performers

• Imani Hayes, Grossmont: 40 kills, 18 digs, five aces and three blocks
• Jolene Swiggers, Helix: 23 kills, .500 hitting, eight aces and 12 digs
• Grace Hallahan, Foothills Christian: 35 kills, at least 23 digs, three blocks and two aces
• Bella Green, Helix: 61 assists, four aces and seven digs
• Aliyah Bowser, Helix: 22 kills
• Lily Ennis, Granite Hills: Five kills, 12 assists, five aces and five digs in a sweep
• Jordann Bollens, Valhalla: 19 kills and six aces
• Bibi Caceres, Mountain Empire: 13 kills, six blocks and 15 digs against Southwest EC

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