Beckman girls volleyball advances to CIF-SS finals with sweep of Canyon
The Patriots will play Campbell Hall in the championship match Saturday, Nov. 4.
Beckman’s Natalie Chien-Pham, right, hits the ball between two Canyon defenders in the CIF-SS Division 3 girls volleyball semifinal playoff in Irvine on Saturday, October 28, 2023. (Photo by Paul Rodriguez, Contributing Photographer)
TUSTIN – Beckman’s girls volleyball team has many ways to attack an opponent, and it used just about all of them Saturday to beat Canyon in the CIF Southern Section Division 3 semifinals.
The Patriots swept the Comanches 25-9, 25-20, 25-13 at Beckman High.
Beckman (33-5) will play Campbell Hall (32-4) in the final on Saturday, Nov. 4. The site and time will be announced later.
Beckman’s Camryn Hayek (7) celebrates with Stacy Reeves (4) after winning the CIF-SS Division 3 girls volleyball semifinal playoff against Canyon in Irvine on Saturday, October 28, 2023. (Photo by Paul Rodriguez, Contributing Photographer)
Beckman’s Stacy Reeves, center, celebrates after the team scored against Canyon in the CIF-SS Division 3 girls volleyball semifinal playoff in Irvine on Saturday, October 28, 2023. (Photo by Paul Rodriguez, Contributing Photographer)
Beckman’s Sophia Saad, center, denies a shot by Canyon’s Sydney Valentine, left, in the CIF-SS Division 3 girls volleyball semifinal playoff in Irvine on Saturday, October 28, 2023. (Photo by Paul Rodriguez, Contributing Photographer)
Canyon’s Annie Singelyn, center, is denied by Beckman’s Olivia Ramirez, right, and Victoria Turner, left, in the CIF-SS Division 3 girls volleyball semifinal playoff in Irvine on Saturday, October 28, 2023. (Photo by Paul Rodriguez, Contributing Photographer)
Canyon’s Sahar Tanara, center, and Nikki Monfared, right, reach up as they try to block a shot by Beckman’s Nika Safavi, left, in the CIF-SS Division 3 girls volleyball semifinal playoff in Irvine on Saturday, October 28, 2023. (Photo by Paul Rodriguez, Contributing Photographer)
Beckman’s Joy Lee bumps the ball in the CIF-SS Division 3 girls volleyball semifinal playoff against Canyon in Irvine on Saturday, October 28, 2023. (Photo by Paul Rodriguez, Contributing Photographer)
Beckman’s Sophia Saad jumps high to return the ball in the CIF-SS Division 3 girls volleyball semifinal playoff in Irvine on Saturday, October 28, 2023. (Photo by Paul Rodriguez, Contributing Photographer)
Beckman’s Sophia Saad (13), Kristine Tran (2) and Joanna Fuentes (19) react as their team wins the first game against Canyon in the CIF-SS Division 3 girls volleyball semifinal playoff in Irvine on Saturday, October 28, 2023. (Photo by Paul Rodriguez, Contributing Photographer)
Beckman’s Victoria Turner bumps the ball to a teammate in the CIF-SS Division 3 girls volleyball semifinal playoff against Canyon in Irvine on Saturday, October 28, 2023. (Photo by Paul Rodriguez, Contributing Photographer)
Beckman’s Olivia Ramirez, center, celebrates a point against Canyon late in the third game of the CIF-SS Division 3 girls volleyball semifinal playoff in Irvine on Saturday, October 28, 2023. (Photo by Paul Rodriguez, Contributing Photographer)
Beckman’s Olivia Ramirez, right, taps the ball over the head of a Canyon defender in the CIF-SS Division 3 girls volleyball semifinal playoff in Irvine on Saturday, October 28, 2023. (Photo by Paul Rodriguez, Contributing Photographer)
Beckman’s Natalie Chien-Pham, right, hits the ball between two Canyon defenders in the CIF-SS Division 3 girls volleyball semifinal playoff in Irvine on Saturday, October 28, 2023. (Photo by Paul Rodriguez, Contributing Photographer)
Canyon’s Annie Singelyn, second from left, celebrates with Chloe Nguyen, left, and Giselle Haugen, second from right, after they scored a point against Beckman in the CIF-SS Division 3 girls volleyball semifinal playoff in Irvine on Saturday, October 28, 2023. (Photo by Paul Rodriguez, Contributing Photographer)
Canyon’s Sydney Valentine watches as the ball glances off of her wrist in the CIF-SS Division 3 girls volleyball semifinal playoff against Beckman in Irvine on Saturday, October 28, 2023. (Photo by Paul Rodriguez, Contributing Photographer)
It will be the Patriots’ second appearance in a CIF-SS final. They lost to Ventura in the Division 2 final in 2016.
Canyon (21-4) qualified for the CIF Southern California Regional, which begins Nov. 7, by reaching the CIF-SS semifinals.
The Comanches were not in the final CIF-SS Division 3 Top 10 yet advanced to the division’s final four.
The Patriots were seeded No. 1 in the division and has played like the top-seeded team throughout the playoffs. They have not lost a set in their four playoff matches.
Beckman senior outside hitter Nika Safavi had a team-high 14 kills, many of them seemingly powerful enough to knock some air out of the ball.
Senior outside hitter Camryn Hayek contributed nine kills and three aces. Senior opposite hitter Victoria Turner added nine kills and two blocks and junior opposite hitter Sophia Saad had five kills.
Canyon senior opposite hitter Rowan Dillard had a team-high six kills.
As good as Beckman was offensively, it was the team’s defense that again impressed Patriots coach Darin McBain.
“Our defense is ridiculous,” he said. “We don’t give up anything and when we do, when we give up even one point, we take it upon ourselves to go ‘OK, that mistake can’t happen again.’”
Beckman senior libero Stacy Reeves, who is going to Texas Christian University on a beach volleyball scholarship, agreed that defense led the way.
“I think we did a really good job on defense and on serving,” Reeves said.
Beckman in the first set jumped to a 4-0 lead and grew that to 10-2. The Patriots scored six of the set’s final seven points for a 25-9 victory.
Canyon had a 6-1 lead early in the second set. Beckman caught up at 15-15 and from there outscored the Comanches 10-5 to up 2-0 in the match.
A 10-2 run to finish the third set led to the 25-13 win that completed the sweep.
Comanches coach Matthew Silva was impressed by Beckman.
“I feel like they had a range that we couldn’t quite figure out,” Silva said. “It’s not just one girl. They’re just collectively across the board strong.”
