Girls’ varsity volleyball won 2 of 4 matches at the Southern California Invitational in San Diego on October 11 and 12, where they faced some of the best high school programs in the nation among the 60 team field.

The squad had extra practices to prepare for the trip, according to junior Kate Dendinger.

A highlight for Dendinger was the team’s 5-set match against La Salle High School. According to Dendinger, even though they “ended up losing in 5, [they] still played really well.”

Tournament play is usually limited to 3-set matches. Head coach Dave Chen said the opportunity to play a 5-set match was “practical and useful for [North Coast Section games].”

The Cougars faced nationally ranked Torrey Pines in the quarter finals. The Falcons beat Campolindo in 2 sets and went on to win the tournament title.

According to junior Molly Mitchell, her team took the loss as an opportunity to observe and play against a cohesive, fast-paced team.

“I am happy with how it went,” said Mitchell. “We did really [well] and it was really fun.”

Attending the tournament was beneficial, according to Chen. “We got to play a variety of different teams to challenge different parts of our game,” he said.

Dendinger considers the tournament a stepping stone for the postseason. “I think it was good to go to that tournament because we will see teams like that in our NCS because we are DI,” said Dendinger.