By Pete Borello

Prep Volleyball Summary

Surprising Spartans

Entering this week tied for first place in the SCVAL El Camino Division, Mountain View has exceeded the expectations of coach Peter Kim.

“I thought we’d be very competitive, but this is definitely a pleasant surprise,” Kim said. “We’re playing well and no team can take us lightly.”

The Spartans (6-2, 16-8) made quick work of both of their opponents last week, beating Milpitas and Cupertino in straight games at home.

Mountain View topped Milpitas 15-11, 15-6, 15-8 on Oct. 9, then clobbered Cupertino 15-12, 15-5, 15-7 on Thursday.

Middle blocker Anna Carlstone led the Spartans with 12 kills against Milpitas and tied outside hitter Colleen Schumacher with a team-high six kills vs. Cupertino.

Mountain View entertains Fremont at 7 p.m., Thursday.

Gunn’s ups & downs

St. Francis High has the top girls volleyball team in the state, according to rankings released by the California Interscholastic Federation last week.

The Lancers, who entered this week with a 16-1 record, earned the top rank overall and among the state’s Division II schools

The rankings came out just days after St. Francis beat Mitty in straight games to capture the Mitty Invitational on Oct. 6. Mitty (11-1) is ranked first in Division I by the CIF, the state’s governing body for high school sports.

The Lancers followed the Mitty tournament with a pair of SCVAL De Anza Division wins last week, upping their league record to 7-0.

On Oct. 9, St. Francis posted a 14-16, 15-6, 14-3, 15-0 win over host Santa Clara.

The match marked the first time in at least two years the Lancers haven’t won a division match in straight games, according to coach Dave Gambelin.

“I tried to rest my entire starting team after a long weekend tourney, but as you can see, it did not work,” the coach said. “I started the non-starters the second game, but after we got behind 5-0, I started to put my starters back in for the rest of the match.”

Gambelin didn’t take any chances the next night, opening St. Francis’ home match against Los Altos with his starters on the court.

The result: a decisive 15-3, 15-5, 15-4 victory over the Eagles.

“They’re just a lot better than us and bigger, and it showed,” Los Altos coach Jason Mansfield said of St. Francis.

The Lancers were led by sophomore middle blocker Diane Copenhagen, who had 11 kills. Outside hitter Kamala Sipin contributed eight kills and 10 digs.

The Eagles (5-2, 17-3) were paced by Ashley Watson, a sophomore outside hitter who tallied seven kills.

Two days prior, host Los Altos pounded Palo Alto 15-5, 15-3, 15-4 behind 11 kills from sophomore middle blocker Juli Winterbotham.

Los Altos, which sits in second place in the De Anza Division, has a bye Thursday and hosts Monta Vista at 7 p.m., Tuesday.

St. Francis travels to Los Gatos today for a 7 p.m. match.

Gunn recovered from an Oct. 9 home loss to Saratoga by dispatching host Milpitas last Thursday in an El Camino Division match that allowed the team to maintain its share of first place.

Saratoga overcame a 13-6 deficit in the final game to stun Gunn 10-15, 15-9, 9-15, 15-9, 16-14.

“I’ve never had quite a meltdown like that,” said Titans coach Evan Barth, whose team wasted an 18-kill effort by Liz Johnson.

Barth’s bunch bounced back two days later against Milpitas, prevailing 15-4, 7-15, 15-11, 15-10.

Michelle Rybka led Gunn with seven kills and fellow middle blocker Johnson added six.

The Titans (6-2, 15-10) take on host Cupertino at 7 p.m., Thursday.