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"I told them right at the beginning of the season that the hardest-working team will finish on top," Vuong recalled. "If you can prove to me and prove to everyone else that you're the hardest-working team, good things will happen."
The players were listening to their coach, as the Campo beat Bishop O'Dowd on Nov. 12 to capture the Northern California Sectionals Division 2 title with a 3-0 win at their gym in Moraga.
"I thought our back row did a very good job passing," said Vuong, whose team was bumped into the D2 bracket for the first time this fall as a result of the program's postseason success in recent seasons.
"(Senior) Emily VanKoll really controlled the back as far as passing goes," Vuong added. "Seniors Sabrina Smith, Janelle Gong and Lauren Pak were also contributors for us and I thought (senior) Josie Cole played well too."
The Cougars, who landed the No. 1 seed after winning the DAL with a flawless 10-0 record (29-10 overall), carved through NCS action. After a Round 1 bye, Campo hammered all three of the school's opponents - Carondolet, Windsor and Bishop O'Dowd - by the same score line: 3-0.
"I'm very pleased, but the girls put a lot of work into it," Vuong said. "We prepared very well for (Bishop) O'Dowd, but O'Dowd is a really good team. They have a lot of good hitters, but we focused and I'm very happy with mindset they had coming into the game."
While Campo topped the D2 bracket, Miramonte came up just short in D3 play, losing 3-0 to Marin Catholic on the No. 1 seed's home court in Kentfield on Nov. 12.
The Mats missed out on the win against Marin Catholic, but head coach Lisa Bachtold was thrilled her team's NCS push.
"It was a huge accomplishment to be seeded second after an incredible season," Bachtold said. "It was something that was well-deserved, but something we fought incredibly hard for."
Miramonte, who ended the season with a 22-10 record overall (7-3 in DAL), counted on a veteran cast to set the tone for the rest of the group.
"Our three team captains have demonstrated tremendous leadership over the course of the season and have really stepped it up during the postseason," Bachtold said, referring to seniors Caroline Schafer, Blake Sharp, and Layne Estes, "And our setter (junior) Tatiana Luevano, she sacrifices so much of herself for the success of the team."
As the No. 2 seed in D3, the Mats received a bye in the opening round before beating Terra Linda in the quarterfinals (3-0) and Acalanes in the semifinals (3-0).
"These girls work so hard in practice and it shows in matches," Bachtold said. "All season we have had NCS in our minds, so it has been crucial to stay focused on each step that has led us to the NCS finals. We had two huge wins over Acalanes (during the regular season), which were tremendously hard-fought matches from both teams - plus the NCS win we had over Acalanes."
That victory over the Dons put an end to their neighbor's season. Acalanes finished the year with a 27-9 record overall and was tied in the DAL standings with the Mats, as both teams posted identical 7-3 records in league competition.
Thanks, in part to the play of seniors Devin Grobeck, Alex Matson, Melissa Elliott and Parker Jones - the latter two who were captains - the Dons beat Tennyson and St. Patrick-St. Vincent in the opening rounds of NCS.
While the seniors are set to depart, the future should be bright for the No. 3 seed Dons, as the team had six underclassmen on its 16-player roster.
Reach the reporter at:
Lamorinda Weekly, Moraga CA