After breezing through the regular season, the Palisades High girls volleyball team must turn up the heat as it seeks a third consecutive City Section title. The Dolphins have been moved up to Division I status this year. A 15-1 regular season (including a 12-0 record in Western League play) was erased when the postseason began on Monday and the top-seeded Dolphins scored an easy 3-0 victory over San Pedro at home. The Dolphins stayed home to play No. 8 Cleveland last night in the quarterfinals. The semifinals would be Tuesday night at home (7 p.m.) and the finals are November 17 at Roybal Learning Center. In her first season as head coach, Mo Coverdale has handled any and all challenges with relative ease, making necessary adjustments to her lineup and her gameplan to keep things running smoothly. Coverdale stressed the importance of practicing with greater intensity to prepare for tougher competition deep in the playoffs after hardly being tested in the regular season, save for the final weekend when Pali played in the Redondo Union Power Classic. The Dolphins won 2-1 over La Canada but lost 2-0 to North High. ‘I think it’s about just mentally and physically preparing the girls for the stiff competition,’ the coach said. ‘Teams are going to battle with us and challenge us. We haven’t been challenged as much, so the practices have been more intense. Serving is going to be critical for us, as is our transition offense.’ Led by reigning City Section Player of the Year Molly Kornfeind, a senior outside hitter, the Dolphins will also look for major contributions by senior outside hitters Shanna Scott and Katie Kaufman. Coverdale recently moved Kaufman from opposite to outside hitter. The coach also named setters Delaney Arth, a freshman, and Katie Winkenhower, a junior, as key cogs. ‘We need both of them to step up and be as efficient and ready as possible,’ Coverdale said.
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