Volleyball
Skyline 3, McClymonds 1
Skyline is headed to its fifth Oakland Athletic League championship appearance, and is hoping that like the first four, No. 5 also results in a championship.
The Titans defeated a spirited McClymonds team 25-13, 25-27, 25-17, 25-8 after a lengthy pregame ceremony honoring their eight seniors. Among the best was outside hitter Leila Fite, who used her rocket boosters for legs to sky over the net and total a game-high 18 kills.
“The pressure to win is something that motivates our team,” Fite said. “We don’t back down from pressure. It feeds us and makes us want to win even more.”
The senior with dreams of attending Temple University in Philadelphia was far from the only standout for Skyline. Fellow captain Yan Wong had an incredible 11 aces as the team’s steady setter, and Intrigue Jackson had five kills – one being the game-winner.
Libero Tammy Xiao was reliable on the back line, and senior outside hitter Anaseini Tiueti drew loud cheers from the home crowd after each of her two kills.
McClymonds, to its credit, gave Skyline a scare after it won the second set 27-25. Among Mack’s top performers was junior De’Arra Akiens, who had three kills and played with maximum effort.
Skyline will play host to Oakland Tech on Thursday night. the Titans defeated the Bulldogs 3-1 last week, and are the heavy favorites to add another trophy to their crowded case.
Skyline’s Tammy Xiao (8) returns a serve against McClymonds High during their senior night at Skyline High School in Oakland, Calif., on Tuesday, Oct. 22, 2024. (Ray Chavez/Bay Area News Group)
Girls water polo
Castro Valley 6, Berkeley 3
Chloe Gilbert smashed in four goals as Castro Valley improved to 16-3 and remained undefeated in WACC play and clinched the regular season league title. Isabelle Nicole and Corinne Arakawa each had a goal apiece too, and steady goalie Peyton Sklut had 11 saves.
“We had amazing defense which led to many offensive opportunities, Castro Valley coach Bailey Barlow said. “We actually had a team meeting yesterday and talked about defense- “offense wins games, defense wins championships” and that is really what we took to heart in this game.”
Sequoia 6, Hillsdale 4
Ashley Ogden scored in the first and fourth quarter to bookend Sequoia’s victory over Hillsdale. Teammate Hannah McDonald also had two goals, and Abigail Modemer and Sydney McNeal both had one goal each.
Prospect 22, Christopher 8
The Levin sisters could not be stopped as Prospect rolled past another BVAL opponent with ease. Liliana Levin had eight goals and six assists, while older sister Stacia Levin also had eight goals and five assists.
Katarina Borich and Valeri Vainberg both had two goals while combining for four assists, and amanda Kong and Dalia Thompson chipped in a goal apiece. Prospect remained a perfect 9-0 in league play.
Boys water polo
Liberty 17, Freedom 4
Liberty clinched its first 20-win season since 2019 in style, routing Bay Valley rival Freedom on senior night.
Team captain Qusai Drief lead the team with five goals, two assists, six steals and a pair of sprint wins.
Senior Jace Cleghorn and junior Zach Pierce both had three goals each, and five other players scored in what coach Rosina Ayers called “a full team effort.” Jack Lorenz was stellar in goal with five blocks, one Assist and a steal.
Prospect 14, Christopher 5
Eight Panthers got on the scoresheet as Prospect defeated Christopher on Tuesday night. Kyle Pollace had a team-high five goals and two assists, and Chase Iken had three goals and two assists. Eddie Ikic had one goal and a team-high three assists.
Emil Veksler, Prashant Vaid, Jay Sarwate, Mihailo Radovic and Jacob Kahn each scored one goal, and Nathan Ra had a single assist.