Girls’ Volleyball Team Experiences Historic Season

Girls’ Varsity Volleyball Team Experiences Historic Season

It's been nine years since the Providence High girls' volleyball team was ranked by the CIF Southern Section. The 2016 girls’ volleyball season was full of wonderful surprises and joyful moments. The season began with the team beating the first 12 teams they faced. Included in that winning streak was the Bessette/Black Memorial Tournament, where the girls did not lose a single set during the tournament’s entirety, which resulted in them being named champions for the second straight year.

“We came into the season having many questions because we graduated eight seniors. However, we had a great combination of leadership and talent,” remarked Coach James Jimenez ’02.

While the team struggled with the rigorous Liberty League schedule, they qualified for the CIF-SS playoffs again by beating Glendale Adventist on Senior Night, which is a major accomplishment considering how tough the league is. The top three teams (Archer, Milken, Providence) all made it to the quarterfinals of their respective divisions.

The girls also finished the regular season ranked in the top-10 of Division 8, which the program has not accomplished in ten years. The team made even more history in the playoffs as they were on the road in the first round and defeated a tough Rolling Hills Prep team. The team returned to Providence where they swept Banning, the 9th-ranked team, in the second round. In the quarterfinals, the girls avenged an earlier loss by beating the top-ranked team in the division, Gladstone, which placed the girls into the CIFSS semifinals, for only the second time in the history of the girls’ volleyball program.

In a tough four-game match, the girls fell short of reaching their first CIF-SS Finals in program history, but the team qualified for the CIF State playoffs, which marked the first time a girls’ volleyball team from Providence has participated in the state playoffs. Unfortunately, the girls succumbed to Point Loma High School, but regardless it was a tremendous year for the girls’ volleyball team.

“Not only was it a historic season for the girls’ volleyball program, but it was an extremely enjoyable journey,” said Jimenez.