The Taft Toreadors defeated the Granada Hills Highlanders in four sets (25-22, 18-25, 18-25, 20-25) to close out their West Valley League play with an undefeated 10-0 record. The Toreadors only dropped a combined four sets to West Valley League opponents throughout the course of the season. The Highlanders maintain their position as the second seed, with a 6-3 record. 

Seniors Aleiah Carr and Claudia Aber led Taft to an early lead in the first set, Carr had two kills and Aber contributed one to Taft’s 3-7 advantage. Granada closed the gap with kills from seniors Joanne Valesquez and Calista Vergel de Dios. The set was tied at 15-15 following back to back aces from Granada senior Skyler Shipper, before the Highlanders took a 16-15 lead with a kill from senior Rachel Rogers. The Highlanders maintained their momentum for a 25-22 set victory to take a 1-0 match lead. 

The set one loss, the Toredor’s fourth West Valley League loss all season, resulted in higher energy and improved focus from Taft. The second set opened neck-and-neck, as Taft’s offense improved, but they struggled to shake the Highlander’s momentum. Senior Colette Ejang recorded four kills and two blocks to facilitate a Taft scoring run, bringing the Toreadors from down 8-7 to leading the set 10-14. Once Taft secured the lead, Granada battled to keep the set competitive, but ultimately fell to the Toreadors 18-25, resulting in a 1-1 match tie. 

Taft’s offense in the third set varied between strong, fast spikes and softer tips, directed to gaps in the Highlander’s defense. The constantly changing pace proved difficult for the Highlanders to defend, and the Toreadors held an 8-16 lead entering a Granada timeout. The Highlanders adjusted defensively after the break and Rogers and sophomore Amy Valesquez both recorded kills to boost the Granada offense. However, the Highlanders weren’t able to take the lead. Carr and Ejang’s scoring kept Taft on top throughout the entire set, with an Ejang block scoring the set point for an 18-25 Taft victory, and a 1-2 lead in the match. 

Granada’s Rogers had two kills to open the fourth set, while Ejang contributed the same for Taft. The back-and-forth set was tied at 10-10, with both teams’ scoring typically coming after long rallies. Taft senior Francine Baltazar-Shine and Aber both had a kill in a short Taft run, putting the Toreadors up 11-14 entering a timeout. Taft’s scoring continued after the break, including back to back kills from Carr, for a 14-21 lead. The Highlanders stayed in the game with kills from sophomore Amber Valesquez and senior Klaire Paulino. Granada closed the gap to 20-24 before the set ended with a Granada serving violation and a final score of 20-25. 

The match was Taft’s final matchup within the West Valley League, while the Highlanders will visit El Camino on October 21 to finish their in-league play.