We’ve updated our all-time State Team of the Year list back to 1972 and it’s the sixth time since 2008 that Archbishop Mitty of San Jose reigns as California’s top squad in girls volleyball. Monarchs topped Santa Margarita in a three-game sweep last Saturday to win first-ever CIF Open Division state title.
The good news when there is an Open Division of the CIF state championships in any sport is that it takes out any debate about which team should be considered State Team of the Year.
That’s also bad news because those debates also generate the most interest on a web site like CalHiSports.com.
Arizona-bound Candice Denny had a huge match when Mitty topped Santa Margarita in last Saturday’s CIF state finals. Photo: Mark Tennis.
After the 2015 CIF state playoffs concluded, which were still done strictly by divisions, one had to split hairs to choose between CIF D1 champion Redondo Union of Redondo Beach and CIF D2 champion Archbishop Mitty of San Jose.
Mitty did have wins over two teams that Redondo lost to – Mira Costa and Mater Dei – but the Seahawks clearly won the tougher state playoff division. The computer rankings also had Mitty higher, but some of the human rankings had Redondo higher.
No such analysis was required this year. With Mitty and CIF Southern Section D1 champ Santa Margarita both in the new Open Division, those two simply played each other.
In last Saturday’s title match at Santiago Canyon College in Orange, the Monarchs outlasted the Eagles 25-19, 25-22 and 25-18. Mitty won its fifth straight CIF state title and 13th in program history. Arizona-bound Candice Denny led the Monarchs with 17 kills as they defeated the Eagles for the second time this season without losing a set. Nicole Liddle also had 13 kills and Kamrin Caoili had 12 as the Monarchs as a team hit .442 on the night.
With Mitty ending No. 1 in the state, this is the sixth time for that for head coach Bret Almazan-Cezar since 2008. The Monarchs also were State Team of the Year in 1995, but they still have to be No. 1 three more times to match the all-time total of 10 for Mira Costa.
CAL-HI SPORTS GIRLS VOLLEYBALL
STATE TEAMS OF THE YEAR ALL-TIME LIST
This is the cover illustration from the seventh edition of the Cal-Hi Sports State Record Book.
2016 – San Jose Archbishop Mitty (38-4)
2015 – San Jose Archbishop Mitty (35-5)
2014 – Redondo Beach Redondo Union (39-2)
2013 – Granite Bay (45-0)
2012 – San Jose Archbishop Mitty (38-0)
2011 – Palo Alto (36-3)
2010 – Palo Alto (41-1)
2009 – San Jose Archbishop Mitty (39-0)
2008 – San Jose Archbishop Mitty (42-1)
2007 – Manhattan Beach Mira Costa (37-0)
2006 – Manhattan Beach Mira Costa (37-1)
2005 – Manhattan Beach Mira Costa (35-2)
2004 – Manhattan Beach Mira Costa (29-3)
2003 – Los Angeles Marymount (34-1)
2002 – Mountain View St. Francis (31-1)
2001 – Mountain View St. Francis (31-2)
2000 – Chula Vista Bonita Vista (40-0)
1999 – Newport Beach Newport Harbor (37-2)
1998 – Cerritos Valley Christian (33-0)
1997 – Mountain View St. Francis (34-3)
1996 – Bakersfield Centennial (35-1)
1995 – San Jose Archbishop Mitty (38-3)
1994 – Newport Beach Newport Harbor (33-1)
1993 – Newport Beach Corona del Mar (31-3)
1992 – Newport Beach Corona del Mar (24-0)
1991 – La Habra (25-2)
1990 – La Habra (26-0)
1989 – Manhattan Beach Mira Costa (28-0)
1988 – Irvine (22-0)
1987 – Irvine (20-2)
1986 – Oxnard Hueneme (21-1)
1985 – Manhattan Beach Mira Costa (24-0)
1984 – Newport Beach Corona del Mar (20-4)
1983 – Cerritos Gahr (27-4)
1982 – Manhattan Beach Mira Costa (28-0)
1981 – Santa Monica (22-2)
1980 – Manhattan Beach Mira Costa
1979 – Newport Beach Newport Harbor (30-1)
1978 – Newport Beach Corona del Mar (32-0)
1977 – Newport Beach Corona del Mar (23-4)*
1976 – Laguna Beach
1975 – Santa Fe Springs Santa Fe
1974 – Mission Hills Louisville
1973 – Manhattan Beach Mira Costa
1972 – Manhattan Beach Mira Costa
* Including one loss by forfeit
