Lady Sea Hawks See Nothing But Nets

Coach Tom Borgia and his girls lacrosse team are a .

"It's been a great run. We have a great group of girls," Borgia said.

The Sea Hawks captured their third straight league title earlier this week with an 18-5 rout of host Palos Verdes. The win was Redondo's 24th in a row and marked the second straight season the team has gone undefeated in league.

In the past three seasons, Redondo is a spectacular 33-1. Its lone loss occurred against Mira Costa in the regular season finale in 2009, when the Sea Hawks had already clinched the league crown. They have been a picture of perfection since.

Balance has been a major reason this season. The Sea Hawks have a talented core of players that fuels their high-octane offense.

"Any given night, I've got four or five girls who can score four or five goals," Borgia said. "We're very athletic and we can run and gun."

The top guns include senior midfielders Julia Denney and Allison Field, both four-year starters. Denney leads the team with 56 goals and 17 assists, while Field has 45 goals and 13 assists.

Junior Micayla Kotzbach, who plays an attack position, finished the regular season with 35 goals and 12 assists. Junior midfielder Brittany Ross scored 29 goals.

Defensively, senior Ava Elsner has been the catalyst along with senior attacker Bailey Czech.

Sophomore Heather Czech, Bailey's sister, is the goalkeeper. A two-year starter, Czech is one of the area's best, Borgia said.

"She's never lost a Bay League game," the coach said. "She's one tough customer, too."

The Sea Hawks (17-2 overall), whose only losses have been to Orange County powers Mission Viejo and Beckman, now look to be tough on the opposition in the CIF playoffs. The brackets are scheduled to be released Sunday.

Last season, Redondo had an outstanding run before falling in the title game to highly regarded Los Alamitos. With last year's experience, nothing short of a title is good enough for Borgia and his bunch.

"To come back this year and play as well as we've played has been great," Borgia said. "We lost a lot of great players last year, but we've still really maintained a high level of play. We have a really balanced team. Some people thought we'd be rebuilding this year, but the girls have been fantastic. These girls really know the game.

"We're looking forward to the playoffs. It will be another good challenge for us."

The Rematch: Mira Costa-Redondo Boys Volleyball

The anticipated showdown between Mira Costa and Redondo on Tuesday at Redondo will determine this season's Bay League champ. Though the Mustangs (21-1, 6-0) have been almost unbeatable and remain one of the top teams in Division I (they're the No. 2 seed behind Santa Margarita), the Sea Hawks (20-5, 5-1 in league) have a quiet confidence and believe they can pull off an upset.

Redondo coach Duncan Avery said his club, the division's No. 6 seed, has its work cut out.

"Costa is playing some unbelievable ball," Avery said. "We have to play a perfect match to beat them."

They weren't close to that when at Mira Costa, where the Mustangs earned a sweep, 25-21, 25-15, 25-20.

Avery didn't want to make excuses, but…

"There are no excuses in sports, but we hadn't competed in 14 days the first time we played," he said. "Unfortunately, our guys were rusty and Costa was in a rhythm. That 14-day layoff really killed us. We were fairly close, but not where we wanted to be. In every match, serving and passing are the keys. We missed a ton of serves—we missed 17—so we need to execute our serves and pass the ball better. I think we'll be OK."

Mira Costa head coach Mike Ninnis expects a stiff challenge.

"We played well against them at our place, but I know they're going to be tougher at theirs," Ninnis said. "They will be motivated. If they win, they'll share the Bay League championship. I'm sure they will be gunning for us."

Both teams will be sharpening their skills during this weekend's Redondo Tournament, which is being played at Redondo, Mira Costa, Torrance and West Torrance. Some of the top teams in Southern California, including some from San Diego, are competing in the affair.

Softball Showdown: Peninsula vs. Mira Costa

Friday's softball contest between the Panthers and Mustangs is a huge one in the Bay League race.

Peninsula (8-11 overall, 5-0 in league) continues to be the story so far, staying unbeaten after a 4-0 decision over Redondo on Wednesday. Meanwhile Mira Costa, Redondo and Palos Verdes are tied for second at 3-2, so the contest is a must-win for the Mustangs if they expect to contend for the title.

Peninsula has made a major turnaround around since stumbling to a rough nonleague start, losing 11 of 13 before winning its last six, five in-league.

Mira Costa, which is ranked No. 9 in the CIF's Division III rankings (Peninsula is unranked), is coming off a 2-0 loss to Palos Verdes on Wednesday after hammering Redondo, 16-4, last Friday.

Game time is 3:15 p.m.

Sea Kings Are Kings Again

A tip of the cap to the Palos Verdes boys tennis team. It pounded West Torrance, 18-0, on Wednesday to earn its third consecutive Bay League title.

"We feel good winning it three years in a row," Palos Verdes coach Danny Moscovici said. "It's well deserved. My guys are playing together and playing very solid tennis."

No. 1 singles player Jeff Hawke has figured prominently in the Sea Kings play, as well as No. 2 Erik Lim and No. 3 Jake Douglas, who is a freshman.

The Sea Kings also have gotten a big boost from their top doubles team of senior Chase Ruth and freshman Tony Dellovade.

"They have been a big key for us," Moscovici said of Ruth and Dellovade.

As expected, Palos Verdes moved up to No. 2 in the CIF Southern Section rankings this week. The Sea Kings received the bump after defeating former No. 2 seed Corona del Mar at Palos Verdes on April 19.

Palos Verdes caps it regular season in a match Monday at home against Mira Costa. It starts at 2:30 p.m.

Sportsmanship Award Lands Again at Peninsula

Peninsula High was awarded a CIF Southern Section Sportsmanship honor for the second time in the past four seasons. The school also captured one during the 2007-08 season.

The award is given annually to the top school in sportsmanship in each league in the Southern Section. Each league's member schools vote on it.

"It shows that our peers think highly of us in the ream of sportsmanship," said Peninsula athletic director Wendell Yoshida. "It's a good reflection of our school, our athletes, coaches, administrators and our community. Anytime your peers pick you for an honor, it's great."

Peninsula senior Michelle Charles, a soccer and track star and the student body president, will represent the school and accept the award during a brief ceremony before Monday's Dodgers-Cubs game at Dodger Stadium.