Hallahan, Knights second at Bucs Bash

2026 EAST COUNTY PREP GIRLS VOLLEYBALL

No. 26 Foothills Christian reached the championship match of the 24-team tourney, while Granite Hills, Santana, El Capitan, Grossmont, Mountain Empire filled a busy week with victories.

By Ramon Scott

EastCountySports.com staff

East County’s girls volleyball teams spent the week racking up victories.

No. 26 Foothills Christian won seven of eight matches and placed second among 24 teams at the Bucs Bash, while No. 33 Granite Hills finished 5-1 and No. 28 Santana collected five victories during the East County volleyball week of Sept. 14–19.

El Capitan, Grossmont and Mountain Empire each won four times. Steele Canyon and Christian completed perfect weeks, while Helix rebounded from a loss to one of the section’s best teams by sweeping another ranked opponent.

At the center of the week’s biggest performance was Foothills Christian senior Grace Hallahan, who accumulated 66 kills in matches with reported statistics and powered the Knights through a demanding tournament schedule.

The rankings referenced in this report are the current MaxPreps San Diego Section rankings, with only Top 40 teams identified.

No. 26 Foothills Christian takes second at Bucs Bash

Foothills Christian played more matches than any team in the coverage area and emerged with a 7-1 record, including a 6-1 showing and second-place finish in the 24-team Bucs Bash.

After defeating Valhalla in four sets Wednesday, the Knights won six tournament matches before meeting host No. 22 Mission Bay in Saturday’s championship match. The Buccaneers prevailed 25-23, 25-23, ending a tournament run in which Foothills Christian won 12 of 15 sets.

Hallahan supplied the constant.

She delivered 24 kills and four aces in a 3-1 victory over Valhalla. Skye Molchonoff added eight kills and two total blocks, while Noelle Morr had eight kills. Olivia Morr distributed 36 assists, and Peyton Rohrer served four aces.

Foothills Christian then swept Hilltop 25-20, 25-23, Southwest El Centro 25-4, 25-13, Southwest San Diego and High Tech Mesa during Friday’s tournament matches.

Hallahan had nine kills against Hilltop. Lily Waters recorded three kills on .500 hitting, and the Knights served 12 aces in the two-set victory.

Against Southwest El Centro, Hallahan had five kills, Waters and Molchonoff supplied four apiece, and Gabby Salcido served seven aces.

The Knights returned Saturday to defeat Olympian 25-16, 25-23 and outlast No. 39 El Capitan 25-22, 21-25, 15-9.

Hallahan recorded 16 kills and 15 digs against El Capitan. Molchonoff added eight kills and three blocks, Noelle Morr contributed five kills and 14 digs, and Olivia Morr finished with 25 assists and 10 digs.

Foothills Christian produced 83 digs in the three-set victory.

The Knights finally ran into Mission Bay, falling 25-23, 25-23. Hallahan still produced 12 kills, while Molchonoff recorded four kills and five total blocks. Foothills Christian finished with 21 kills, nine blocks, 10 aces and 52 digs.

Hallahan totaled 66 documented kills, and Molchonoff finished with at least 24 kills and 10 blocks during the week. Olivia Morr supplied 71 assists in the matches for which complete statistics were available.

Foothills Christian finished Saturday at 18-6.

No. 33 Granite Hills serves up 5-1 week

Granite Hills was nearly as busy and almost as successful.

The Eagles went 5-1, won 11 of 14 sets and collected 119 kills, 76 aces, 172 digs and 112 assists across the six matches.

Granite Hills opened the week with a four-set victory over University City. After dropping the opening set, the Eagles responded with a 20-25, 26-24, 25-20, 25-22 triumph.

Miranda Haisch and Savannah Hickman recorded eight kills apiece. Haisch also supplied five total blocks, while Lily Ennis contributed five kills and 11 assists.

The Eagles finished the match with 32 kills, 14 aces, nine total blocks and 66 digs.

Granite Hills then swept Central 25-12, 28-27, Madison 25-14, 25-12 and Lincoln 25-13, 25-14 during Friday’s tournament schedule.

Ennis produced six kills on .500 hitting against Central. Reese Leaverton added two kills on .667 hitting and two total blocks.

Haisch converted all four of her attacks into kills against Madison as Granite Hills served 16 aces. Against Lincoln, Ennis had four kills on .667 hitting, Hickman added four kills on .429 efficiency and Haisch recorded three total blocks. The Eagles served 17 aces in that victory.

Granite Hills added a two-set victory over Woodbridge on Saturday. Hickman recorded seven kills, while Ennis contributed six kills, six aces and eight assists.

The Eagles’ only defeat came against No. 22 Mission Bay.

For the week, Ennis totaled 31 kills and 47 assists, while Hickman had 29 kills. Haisch contributed 17 kills, and Kenzie Ellis and Bailey Lawton added 17 assists and 15 assists, respectively.

Granite Hills stood 15-6 through Saturday.

No. 28 Santana collects five victories

Santana recorded five wins during a 5-2 week, including four victories in tournament play.

The Sultans began by sweeping West Hills 25-16, 25-9, 25-15. They then fell to No. 34 Bonita Vista in three sets before putting together an impressive tournament run.

Santana swept Victory Christian Academy 25-14, 25-20 and San Diego 25-17, 25-6 on Friday.

The Sultans then defeated Olympian in three sets, winning 25-23, 20-25, 15-9.

Saturday brought a closely contested meeting with No. 39 El Capitan. Santana took the opening set 25-23 before the Vaqueros responded 25-18, 15-13.

Santana recovered to close the tournament with another victory over Olympian, 25-17, 27-25.

The Sultans completed the week 5-2, won 12 of 18 sets and finished Saturday at 11-4.

No. 39 El Capitan rolls through Bucs Bash pool

El Capitan recovered from a difficult start to the week by winning four of five tournament matches.

The Vaqueros opened with a highly competitive loss to No. 37 Christian, falling 25-23 in all three sets.

Teegan Hinrichsen recorded nine kills on .348 hitting and four total blocks. Josephine Conyers added eight kills and 17 digs, while Olivia Bania distributed 20 assists and collected nine digs.

El Capitan responded Friday by sweeping O’Farrell Charter 25-21, 25-15, Kearny 25-13, 25-10 and Costa Mesa 25-13, 25-12.

Conyers had six kills on .625 hitting against O’Farrell. Reese Declercq added four kills and two blocks, and the Vaqueros finished with 20 kills and six aces.

Hinrichsen took over against Kearny, recording eight kills on .800 hitting and two blocks. El Capitan served 18 aces in the two-set victory.

Hinrichsen added eight kills on .583 hitting against Costa Mesa. Cheyenne Lunk supplied two blocks, and the Vaqueros collected 15 aces and 30 digs.

Across Friday’s three sweeps, El Capitan outscored its opponents 150-84. The Vaqueros totaled 57 kills, 39 aces and 76 digs, while hitting approximately .287.

Hinrichsen produced 21 kills with only two attacking errors in 30 attempts, a .633 hitting percentage for the three matches. Conyers added 12 kills, 12 aces and 14 digs, while Bania distributed 49 assists.

El Capitan defeated Santana in three sets Saturday. Conyers led the Vaqueros with nine kills and 16 digs, Hinrichsen added eight kills, and Declercq recorded six kills and four total blocks.

Bania supplied 28 assists, and Abby Thoren served seven aces.

The Vaqueros’ run ended with the three-set loss to Foothills Christian. El Capitan finished the reporting period 12-7.

Grossmont wins four; Hayes continues surge

Grossmont went 4-2 and won three of five tournament matches.

The Foothillers opened by defeating Hilltop 20-25, 25-19, 26-24, 25-19.

Imani Hayes recorded 19 kills on .500 hitting, while Sofia Reid added 10 kills, three aces and six total blocks. Jacqueline Villalobos distributed 36 assists, helping Grossmont finish with 39 kills, 18 aces and 56 digs.

Grossmont defeated No. 40 Clairemont 26-24, 25-19 in its tournament opener. Reid led the Foothillers with seven kills and two blocks.

After falling to Woodbridge 25-14, 25-13, Grossmont responded by sweeping Mar Vista 25-13, 25-15. Jasmine Nucup recorded six kills on .500 hitting, while Yoselin Arellano had two kills on .667 efficiency.

The Foothillers defeated Lincoln in two sets Saturday before Clairemont earned a rematch victory, 25-17, 22-25, 16-14.

Hayes produced 16 kills on .314 hitting in the three-set loss.

Across the six matches, Hayes accumulated 61 kills, 42 digs and 11 aces. Reid contributed 42 kills, 15 aces and at least 13 total blocks.

Villalobos supplied at least 111 assists, while Ciarrah Doliente had at least 57 digs and Jenna Canon contributed at least 51 digs.

Grossmont completed the week at 8-12.

Mountain Empire wins four behind Caceres

Mountain Empire won four matches, including consecutive tournament sweeps Saturday.

The RedHawks began with a demanding road victory over Calexico, prevailing 28-26, 23-25, 25-23, 25-18.

Bibi Caceres delivered 17 kills on .406 hitting, while Breeza Valdez distributed 31 assists, served four aces and collected 15 digs.

Rowan Smith led the defense with 21 digs, and Josalin Shawcroft added eight kills and 15 digs. Mountain Empire finished with 38 kills, 11 aces, seven total blocks and 80 digs.

The RedHawks followed with a 25-12, 25-15, 25-21 sweep of Chula Vista Learning Community Charter.

Freshman Kalia Jones recorded nine kills, while Kailey Quintana put away eight kills on .700 hitting. Caceres added eight kills on .583 efficiency as Mountain Empire totaled 34 kills and 15 aces.

After facing several difficult tournament opponents, Mountain Empire finished Saturday with consecutive sweeps.

The RedHawks defeated Escondido 25-21, 25-19, receiving nine kills on .368 hitting from Caceres. Smith helped the defense produce 35 digs.

Mountain Empire then swept Orange Glen 25-17, 25-13. Shawcroft recorded eight kills on .500 hitting, Caceres added eight kills and three blocks, and Valdez supplied 19 assists and six aces.

In the four victories, Mountain Empire accumulated 115 kills, 41 aces, 161 digs and 109 assists while winning 10 of 11 sets.

Caceres totaled 42 kills in the four victories. The Redhawks finished Saturday 9-8.

No. 21 Steele Canyon sweeps through perfect week

Steele Canyon played only twice but left no doubt in either match.

The Cougars swept West Hills 25-21, 25-8, 25-15 and Mount Miguel 25-19, 25-13, 25-22. Steele Canyon won all six sets and outscored its opponents 150-98.

Against West Hills, Taylor Carpenter recorded 12 kills on .476 hitting and 14 digs. Tiana Baker had nine kills on .615 hitting and two total blocks, while Kennedy Ryan supplied six kills.

Crisa Garcia contributed five kills and three aces, and Natalia Santana distributed 18 assists.

Steele Canyon displayed its depth against Mount Miguel. Ryan and Izzy Trotto recorded seven kills apiece, Baker added five kills, and Zoe Smelser and Ryan each participated in three blocks.

For the week, Steele Canyon totaled 68 kills, 31 aces, 14 total blocks, 73 digs and 59 assists.

The Cougars improved to 15-5 through Saturday.

No. 37 Christian wins every set

Christian completed a 2-0 week by sweeping Valhalla and El Capitan.

The Patriots dominated their opener against Valhalla 25-5, 25-17, 25-8, allowing only 30 total points.

Christian then won three identical sets against El Capitan, 25-23, 25-23, 25-23.

Although the Patriots did not submit individual statistics, they won all six sets and outscored their opponents 150-99.

Christian finished the reporting period 8-11.

No. 24 Helix answers No. 3 Coronado loss

Helix split two matches but supplied one of the week’s most significant victories.

The Highlanders fell to No. 3 Coronado 25-18, 25-17, 25-18. Freshman Jolene Swiggers recorded seven kills, four aces, three total blocks and 10 digs, while Aliyah Bowser added eight kills.

Helix answered by sweeping No. 16 Patrick Henry.

Swiggers led the Highlanders with 11 kills and six digs. Bowser recorded nine kills and six aces, while Emma Becker contributed eight kills on .389 hitting and six total blocks.

Bella Green distributed 29 assists and served four aces, while Sephia Inciong collected 12 digs.

Across the two matches, Swiggers finished with 18 kills, five aces, four blocks and 16 digs. Bowser totaled 17 kills and six aces, Green supplied 41 assists, and Becker accumulated eight total blocks.

Helix stood 12-5 through Saturday.

Patrick Henry received six kills from Catalina Carvajal, while Ella Conway had five kills on .500 hitting. Lily Rynard recorded 22 assists and 14 digs, Taylor Green had 14 digs, and Leah Green added 12 digs.

Valhalla rallies past University City

Valhalla endured a difficult 1-5 week but produced a notable tournament comeback.

After dropping the first set to University City 25-13, the Norsemen responded by taking the final two sets 25-23, 19-17.

Valhalla also received several strong individual performances in its four-set loss to Foothills Christian.

Audrey Reece recorded 11 kills and 14 digs, while Marcie Grein had six kills on .353 hitting. Finley Ryan added four kills on .429 efficiency and three aces.

Jordann Bollens collected 20 digs, Vanessa Moscoso added 16, and Trianne Nguyentu distributed 27 assists.

Valhalla finished Saturday 6-12.

West Hills earns tournament victory

West Hills’ highlight came in a 25-23, 25-21 victory over Scripps Ranch.

The Wolf Pack also faced Santana and Steele Canyon during the week before tournament losses to Mt. Carmel, Eastlake, Ramona and Mater Dei Catholic.

West Hills completed the reporting period 10-10 based on the results through Saturday. Subsequent matches are not included in the weekly record.

Monte Vista sweeps Crawford

Monte Vista recorded its victory Tuesday by sweeping Crawford 25-16, 25-21, 25-12.

The Monarchs allowed only 49 total points and improved to 5-12 before encountering a demanding tournament field.

Monte Vista subsequently fell in two sets to Otay Ranch, Classical Academy, Rancho Buena Vista, Scripps Ranch and University City.

Mount Miguel tops Liberty Charter

Mount Miguel defeated Liberty Charter in four sets for its only victory of the reporting period.

The Matadors entered the match following consecutive sweeps of Crawford and Kearny during the previous week. They later fell to Steele Canyon in three sets.

No individual statistics or complete set scores were reported for the Liberty Charter victory.

El Cajon Valley breaks through

El Cajon Valley earned its first victory of the season by defeating Kearny 25-19, 25-11, 20-25, 25-13.

The Braves controlled the opening two sets, regrouped after dropping the third and closed the match decisively in the fourth.

El Cajon Valley outscored Kearny 95-68 and never trailed in sets won.

The victory was particularly meaningful after the Braves had opened the season with nine consecutive losses.

Borrego Springs earns four-set victory

Borrego Springs defeated Calexico Mission in four sets during Wednesday’s nonleague schedule.

Complete set scores and individual statistics were not reported. The Rams later fell to Julian in three sets.

Liberty Charter completes busy week

Liberty Charter dropped its matches against Mount Miguel, Bayfront Charter, San Pasqual, St. Joseph Academy, High Tech North County, Canyon Crest Academy and Maranatha Christian.

ECS Player of the Week

Grace Hallahan, Foothills Christian

• 66 documented kills
• At least 18 digs
• At least five aces
• Helped Foothills Christian finish 7-1
• Led the Knights to six tournament victories
• Recorded 16 kills and 15 digs in the victory over El Capitan
• Produced 24 kills against Valhalla

Hallahan combined sustained production with team success through the week’s heaviest schedule.

ECS weekly honor roll

• Bibi Caceres, Mountain Empire: 42 kills across four victories, including 17 on .406 hitting against Calexico.
• Imani Hayes, Grossmont: 61 kills, 42 digs and 11 aces during a 4-2 week.
• Lily Ennis, Granite Hills: 31 kills and 47 assists during the Eagles’ 5-1 week.
• Teegan Hinrichsen, El Capitan: Hit .633 with 21 kills during Friday’s three tournament sweeps.
• Jolene Swiggers, Helix: 18 kills, five aces, four blocks and 16 digs, highlighted by the sweep of No. 16 Patrick Henry.
• Skye Molchonoff, Foothills Christian: At least 24 kills and 10 total blocks.
• Sofia Reid, Grossmont: 42 kills, 15 aces and at least 13 total blocks.
• Savannah Hickman, Granite Hills: 29 kills during a 5-1 week.
• Breeza Valdez, Mountain Empire: Directed an offense that recorded 109 assists across four victories, including 31 against Calexico and 19 against Orange Glen.
• Taylor Carpenter, Steele Canyon: 16 kills in four sets played, 18 digs and efficient production during two sweeps.
• Olivia Morr, Foothills Christian: 71 documented assists and six aces.
• Josephine Conyers, El Capitan: Key two-way production during the Vaqueros’ four-win tournament showing.
• Aliyah Bowser, Helix: 17 kills and six aces in two matches.
• Miranda Haisch, Granite Hills: 17 kills and a strong blocking presence during the Eagles’ 5-1 week.

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