The Bell Gardens Lancers have successfully spent an entire regular season and deep playoff run establishing themselves as a top team in the Southern Section Division 7, and their newfound confidence did not waver when meeting the beast of the Valley Mission League, the Reseda Regents. The Lancers, who finished last season ranked 23rd in their division, have improved to 4th, and, with a four victory over Reseda (15-25, 25-26, 17-25, 18-25), will have a CIF State Finals appearance to show for their success. 

The first set opened competitively, with the two teams trading points to reach a 9-9 tie. The Lancers discovered a weakness in Reseda’s front row and began targeting their attacks shallowly, which allowed the Lancers to break away. A seven point scoring run increased the Lancers advantage from 12-15 to 12-21, and included three kills each from seniors Karinaa Toro and Maggie Chairez. The Lancers closed the set with an ace from senior Chelsea Renteria for a final score of 15-25 to take a 0-1 match lead.

The Regents regained control to open the second set, setting the tone with an immediate kill from junior Layla Reyes. Reyes also contributed an early ace, which paired with a series of Bell Gardens errors to give the Regents an 8-3 lead. Once the Regents had their momentum, there was no stopping it. Senior captain Emelia Gustavsson had back to back kills and contributed the set point to tie the match 1-1, with a 25-16 set victory. 

The Lancers’ energy increased in the third set as they looked to stop the Regents’ momentum. When Reseda’s Reyes had a strong, statement kill, the Lancers answered soon after with an ace from junior captain Leyah Morales. The set tied 7-7 as both teams gave their all offensively, though neither team could gain an advantage. Things changed for the Lancers when Maggie Chairez rejoined the rotation, contributing three consecutive kills to give Bell Gardens a 14-17 lead. The Lancers maintained their advantage until the set closed with a kill from senior Esmeralda Arana Calderon for a final score of 17-25, to regain a 1-2 set lead. 

The Regents came out strong to take an early 5-1 lead in the fourth set, but the Lancers answered with yet another seven point run. The run was fueled by Toro, who had three kills and two blocks in the efforts to take a 5-8 lead. The Regents shrunk the deficit to a little as 9-10, but the Lancers were able to maintain their lead. The set concluded with a long out of bounds attack from Reseda, giving the Lancers their final point in an 18-25 victory. 

While the Regents’ tournament run has come to an end, Reseda’s postseason was not lacking celebration. The team made history with its first ever CIF City Section title and first State Regional Finals appearance, promising an exciting future for the organization. 

The Lancers will be facing the third seed Immanuel Eagles in the State Final on Friday November 22. The match will be held at Santiago Canyon College at 4:00pm. 

Photos by Benjamin Becher