Edison Serves Up Another Winner

The game plan for the Huntington Beach Edison girls’ volleyball team always begins with its serves, and Saturday night they were the key in a 25-16, 21-25, 25-15, 25-18 victory over South Torrance in the regional semifinals of the state playoffs.

The host Chargers (25-6) kept South Torrance (22-9) off balance with an array of tough serving, mostly from sophomore Kari Pestolesi, who served 26 points in the match and had five aces.

Pestolesi had 13 kills and 19 digs, but her jump serve gave South Torrance fits in a match between teams that won Southern Section titles for the first time in school history.

Edison will play Santa Ana Mater Dei on Tuesday in the regional final. It’s a rematch of the Division II-AA final won by Edison in four games. The Monarchs (27-4), behind Mallorie Croal’s 30 kills, defeated San Diego Scripps Ranch (26-8) in five games.

“Sometimes it just comes,” Pestolesi said of her serve. “When I get going like that, I’m just so focused.”

Colleen Burke, who finished with 22 kills, had three kills in the first seven points of the match to set the tone as Edison raced to a 6-1 lead and pulled away in the first game.

South Torrance, the Division II-A champion, took the second game, but Burke again set the tone in game three with four kills in the first 10 points to give Edison a 7-3 lead. Edison’s serving keyed a 12-2 run to put the game away.

Edison’s balanced attack included 11 kills and 14 digs from Ashley Collier and 11 kills and 13 digs from Kelly Hyder. Annie Meyers and Lauren McLaughlin each had 13 kills for South Torrance.

-- Peter Yoon

Lake Arrowhead Rim of the World d. Santa Margarita, 25-23, 25-21, 18-25, 25-18 -- Junior middle blocker Sonja Newcombe had 16 kills and 11 blocks and Sarah Hanson added seven kills and five blocks in a Division III semifinal for the Fighting Scots (27-1), who avenged a loss to the Eagles (23-14) in the Southern Section Division III-AA final.

L.A. Marymount d. Covina Western Christian, 22-25, 23-25, 25-16, 26-24, 15-12 -- Sue Carls finished with 25 kills and 12 blocks, Jamie Sabol added 17 kills and 10 blocks and Alex Ayres had 20 kills for Marymount (31-8), which played without starting outside hitter Megan Tryon, who was ill. Ayres, who is a freshman, and Kerry Hance, a defensive specialist, picked up the slack. Hance had 37 digs, four aces and seven kills.