SAN JUAN CAPISTRANO – The San Juan Hills girls volleyball team has one of the top juniors in the nation, outside hitter Megan Hodges.
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San Juan Hills, though, is hardly a one-player team.
The Stallions put their wider talents on display Tuesday in a sweep of Corona Centennial, 25-22, 25-18, 25-20, in the quarterfinals of the CIF Southern Section Division 2 playoffs at San Juan Hills High.
The Stallions (21-12) will be home Saturday to face Redondo Union (21-11) in the semifinals.
Redondo Union defeated No. 1 seed Newport Harbor in five sets in a quarterfinal Tuesday. San Juan Hills and Redondo have not played each other this season.
The 6-foot-6 Hodges had a team-high 16 kills. She also contributed with blocks and digs, effective serves and was a productive passer.
Stallions senior outside hitter Brennan Hoppe had 12 kills. Senior outside hitter Alexis Link had eight kills.
Freshman setter Kapua Lee got the ball to the right teammates in the right places, senior libero Lydia Levier, a Long Beach State commit, made several saving digs and Utah Valley-committed senior middle blocker Whitney Port was a force at the net.
Centennial finished the season 23-10. The Huskies went 10-0 in the Big VIII League.
Among their better players Tuesday was 6-foot, senior outside hitter Asia Udo-Ema (Arizona commit). She went into the quarterfinals with 511 kills this season.
A Hodges soft kill was the first point in the first set. The Stallions never trailed on their way to the 25-22 win.
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The second set was like the first. San Juan Hills again never trailed and turned a tight 13-12 lead into its 25-18 win with a strong finish.
The Stallions had a 19-14 lead in the third set. Centennial made a spirited run, tying the set, 20-20. Three aces by junior libero Bella Turcios and kills by Link and Hodges took San Juan Hills to its 25-20 win in that third set.
Hodges is ranked second or eighth or somewhere somewhere around there nationally in the class of 2028 by various websites that provide such rankings. She was quick to say that Tuesday’s win was a team production.
“We did such a good job of spreading out the offense,” said Hodges, who is committed to Nebraska. “All of our hitters contributed and that’s the reason why we won. I think this is the best team win we’ve had all year.”
San Juan Hills coach Cassie Strickland agreed that the team’s offensive balance was crucial to the sweep. She was more impressed by the team’s mental fortitude.
“Focused, and very determined,” Stickland said. “We got pressed in a few moments but they kept their cool.”
Hodges’ older brother is Mason Hodges, who is San Juan Hills’ all-time leading scorer for the boys basketball program and is now playing at UC Irvine.
She likes the way the Stallions are progressing.
“We have to work a little bit on our blocking,” Hodges said. “But it’s just little things. If we play like we did tonight, we’ll be fine.”
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