Laguna Blanca enjoys victories in volleyball, football

Bishop Diego competes in cross country. For more about the team, see Monday’s News-Press.
The trip to Cambria Saturday was worth it for Laguna Blanca.
The Santa Barbara school beat Coast Union 3-1 in volleyball.
Games scores were 25-9, 25-19, 23-25, 25-15.
That’s not all. Laguna Blanca defeated Coastal Christian there 3-2. Game scores were 23-25, 25-21, 25-5, 22-25, 15-13.
In the game against Coast Union, Laguna Blanca’s Lola Hall had 7 kills and 5 aces. Natalie Bianchi had 3 service aces. Frances Carlson led the defensive effort with 12 digs.
In the game against Coast Christian, Amelia Fowler had 5 kills, 4 aces and overall playing that impressed her coach.
“She took some big swings for us, particularly when we were out of system, and was consistent all afternoon long,” Coach Jason Donnelly told the News-Press in an email.
Fiona Hernandez had 6 kills and 2 blocks.
“We saw a little bit of everything today (Saturday) and made the most of our opportunities. We are a young squad and continue to learn valuable lessons each time we step on the court,” Donnelly said.
“When our serving and passing was on today, we were able to control both matches. When those skills broke down, we had to scrap our way to victory,” he said.
“The girls made some nice defensive adjustments against Coastal Christian, and it was great to be able to execute late in the fifth game to secure the victory,” Donnelly said.
Laguna Blanca will host Foothill Tech at 6 p.m. Tuesday.
LAGUNA WINS IN FOOTBALL TOO
Laguna Blanca went from a slow start to climatic finish, defeating Maricopa High School 54-30 in football action Friday.
“We had a slow start to the first half (16-14) Laguna, but refocused ourselves and addressed the mistakes at half-time and got back on schedule in the second half to finish strong as a team,” Coach Matt Escobar told the News-Press in an email. “It was great to see everyone contribute to a well earned team win.
“Senior quarterback Jack Shielber had a breakout game with 388 total yards, going 7/18 for 261 yards and 3 touchdowns through the air, an additional 127 yards on 9 rushes and 4 touchdowns (7 total).
“Another standout, freshman wide receiver Sam Narva had 204 total yards, 58 yards on 5 rushes and 3 receptions for 146 yards including a 75-yard touchdown catch and run in the fourth quarter.”
Laguna Blanca will host Valley Christian Academy at 3:30 p.m. Friday.
SBCC MEN’S SOCCER TEAM LOSES
The Santa Barbara City College men’s soccer team suffered its first defeat of the season Friday when it lost to Bakersfield 1-0, thanks to a late goal by Bakersfield’s Anthony Miron.
Santa Barbara is now 3-1-2 on the year, while the Renegades improve to 3-2-2 with their third straight win.
“The men were very disappointed to lose the game,” said head coach John Sisterson in a news release. “A hot afternoon and a small undulating surface contributed, and they just couldn’t find the finishing touch to score.”
“Juan Zarate brought out a good save from the Bakersfield keeper, and Jahir Valadez saw his curling shot from 25-yards come off the bar with the keeper beaten, both in the second half,” Sisterson said. “Bakersfield scored on a breakaway goal when we were pressing to get the winner ourselves.”
The Vaqueros will be away again at 4 p.m. Tuesday for a matchup with Chaffey.
email: dmason@newspress.com