Rock Academy rides hot streak past The Monarch School for Divsion 5-AA volleyball title

OCEANSIDE — When Rock Academy faced Hilltop in an early-season girls volleyball tournament, it got destroyed. Things got so bad that the Warriors notched only four kills in two sets and lost the second set, 25-3.

Apparently, you learn more from your losses than your wins.

Rock Academy ran its winning streak to 17 straight matches with Thursday’s 25-16, 15-25, 25-16, 25-27, 15-4 win over The Monarch School in the Division 5-AA championship match. It was the most important win of them all, as it resulted in the first CIF San Diego Section championship in program history.

The Warriors (23-1) lost in last year’s championship match to Calipatria in four sets, so redemption was clearly a motivator.

Junior outside hitter Alexa Baird led the way for Rock Academy with 15 kills and three aces.

For the Royals, who came in on a 12-match winning streak, simply getting here was a victory. This was the furthest trip for the school that features students who are either currently or recently unhoused.

The Royals (18-7) were led by senior outside hitter Chantal Bocanegra, who notched nine kills with four aces and two blocks.

Royals junior outside hitter Daphne Allen put away three straight balls in the middle to tie set one at 13 before Rock Academy’s offense caught fire. Baird had three kills near the end of the set.

The Royals appeared to be ending the night early in the second set as the Warriors went up 4-0 on two Martha Mulumbilwa kills and two Aliya Landes aces. That’s when Jennifer Bocanegra took over.

She had a kill in serve receive to get the Royals on the board then dialed up three straight aces.

She combined with Allen on a stuff block for an 11-7 lead. Allen had two late kills then Bocanegra crushed a ball on the outside after a long rally for a 23-15 lead in a set they’d take 25-15.

The third set was mostly back and forth .The Royals went up 8-6 before the Warriors offense got stronger. Mulumbilwa got a stuff block for a 10-8 lead. Parker Duhs notched a pair of aces after a timeout.

Before the Royals could call another timeout, the deficit was 19-12. Mulumbilwa ended set three with a huge kill on the outside in serve receive.

Not surprisingly, set four was neck and neck. Allen had three early kills, but the well-rounded Warriors attack kept it close. And then the Royals refused to let balls drop on their side, raising their defensive effort to a championship level. An 18-11 lead turned in a nail-biting 27-25 win to send it to a fifth set.

Riki Salas Smith served an ace for the Royals to start set five. The early part of the set was like two boxers in the 12th round exchanging swings (and sometimes errors). It was 3-3 before Rock Academy went on a run for the ages, closing it out with a 15-4 win.