A Season to Remember

Palisadian Kelly Irvin Takes Marymount Spikers to Brink of State Championship

This was supposed to be a rebuilding year for the Marymount High girls volleyball program. Only someone forgot to tell Kelly Irvin. Tuesday night’s loss at the hands of San Diego Francis Parker in the Southern California Regional Finals is a match she will want to forget, but Irvin had a season to remember. She led the Sailors in nearly every statistical category and took a young squad farther than even the team’s most ardent supporters thought it could go. “The girls really surprised me this year–especially Kelly,” Marymount Coach Cari Klein said. “She’s been an incredible player. There was a stretch during the season where she was absolutely unstoppable. If ever a player was ‘in the zone,’ it was her.” Irvin, a junior outside hitter who lives in the Palisades Highlands, enjoyed one three-week span in which she pounded more than 25 kills a match and her hitting percentage was off the charts. “It makes it a lot easier having great setters like Sam [Selsky],” said Irvin, a setter herself on Gene Selznick’s club team that finished fifth at the Junior Olympics in Salt Lake City in July. “She gave me so many perfect sets.” Irvin was at her best when it counted most. Two weeks ago she had 22 kills and 22 digs in the Sailors’ three-game sweep over Sunshine League rival La Salle in the CIF Division IV-AA finals that gave Marymount its record-tying fifth consecutive Southern Section title. She had another big match against Chowchilla Union in the first round of the state playoffs last Tuesday, hammering 20 kills and serving a team-high eight aces. “Kelly won a lot of games for us this season,” said Klein, also a Palisadian. “She is so versatile and so sound in every aspect of the game. There’s nothing she can’t do. She can set, she can dig, she can pass, she can spike and she has an awesome jump serve. The great thing for us is that she’s coming back next year.” Not only did Irvin excel on the court this season, she also dominated on the beach. Irvin partnered with Marymount teammate Megan Tryon to win the Under-17 Division of the Amateur Athletic Union’s Beach Volleyball National Championships in Hermosa Beach. That victory saved Irvin a year’s worth of teasing from her siblings because younger sister Christine won back-to-back AAU 10-and-under titles in 200-04 and brother Steven won the U-10s age division in 2002 with fellow Palisadian Patrick Elder. Marymount (30-8) was the No. 1 seed entering this year’s state tournament and was looking to avenge its loss to Francis Parker in last year’s Regional final– a loss that ended the Sailors’ bid for a fifth straight state championship. Unfortunately, Tuesday’s rematch yielded the same result. The second-seeded Lancers (31-4) overcame a 22-15 deficit to win the first game, 26-24. Irvin had four kills and three jump serve aces in the second game as the Sailors won by the same score to level the match. However, the visitors took over from there, winning the last two games convincingly to bring a sudden end to Marymount’s surprising season. “They are a good team and I give them all the credit,” Irvin said afterwards, fighting back tears. “They played great defense and contested every ball we were putting down.” As amazing as Irvin was, Klein said the other four Palisadians on the roster also made valuable contributions throughout the season. On a team with only one senior, juniors Kendall Bird and Michelle Barret led by example both in practice and during matches. “Those two girls were real workhorses,” Klein said. “They practiced so hard day in and day out and their effort inspired everyone else.” Another Palisadian, libero Madison Wojociechowski, had 21 digs against Francis Parker. “Madison had an amazing night,” Klein said. “She came up big for us when we played Laguna Beach and Mira Costa earlier in the year. She’s a gamer and she’s another player who will be a force for us next year.” Finally, there was freshman Matti Quayle, who stepped in when starter Jamie Sabol suffered a concussion during the Chowchilla match and had a personal-best 18 digs. With all of its Palisadians returning next year, including defensive specialist Ali Hoffman (who sat out the entire season due to injury) there may be no telling when Marymount’s dynasty will end. No matter what the future brings, however, Irvin and her teammates can look back on the 2005 season with pride. “We did amazing this season,” Irvin said. “I’m disappointed we didn’t win state but finishing second in Southern California is something to be proud of. And all of us juniors will be seniors next year, so we’ll come out with even more fire.”