Sports
Bustamante Comes Through for Sea Hawks
The sophomore setter fills in for a sick teammate and has 41 assists in Redondo's victory against Granada Hills in the first round of the CIF Division I State Tournament.
When Redondo Union sophomore setter Olivia Bustamante boarded the bus that would take her volleyball team to Granada Hills for the first round of the CIF Division I State Tournament, she noticed someone missing.
Blake O'Brien, the senior starting setter for the Redondo Union volleyball team, wasn't on the bus. She was sick. Coach Tommy Chaffins told Bustamante on the ride north that she would be starting the first game of her varsity career against the recently crowned L.A. City Section Division I champs.
Without much time to prepare, visualizing how she would run the offense, Bustamante recorded 41 assists in leading her team to a sweep on Friday over Granada Hills, 25-20, 25-16, 25-17.
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Bustamante stuck to a simple game plan: Find Skylar and Lara Dykstra early and often.
"She set a phenomenal match," Chaffins said. "There's a lot talk about our depth. This is a perfect example."
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Bustamante admitted she was a little nervous at the start of the match. She found Lara Dykstra for four kills in the first game. Redondo Union never trailed, but Granada Hills stayed close. It was tied 16-16 when Redondo Union rattled off six consecutive points to take a 22-16 lead.
Skylar Dykstra recorded three kills, including one for game-point, as Redondo took the first game.
The next two games weren't nearly as close as Bustamante found a rhythm and the Dykstra sisters. They combined to record eight kills in the second game.
"Our girls were fired up," Granada Hills coach Tom Harp said. "(Redondo was) able to take advantage of some of our breakdowns. They capitalize on everything."
Skylar Dykstra had six kills in the third game, rattling off four in a row, to give her team a 14-3 lead. She finished with a match-high 14 kills.
"They're so athletic. We like to make hard plays look easy," Chaffins said. "They're technique is so solid and they make wonderful decisions over and over again."
Lara Dykstra added nine kills and Nicole White had eight kills.
"Redondo was a really good team," Granada Hills senior outside hitter Hanna Levanen said. "They're really scrappy on defense. They get everything up that you give at them. They're really solid."
