Nothing compares to playing a sport that you are passionate about at the highest level. Jo Kremer did that at USC, leading the Women of Troy sand volleyball team to the AVCA national title in 2015 and back-to-back NCAA national championships in 2016 and 2017. Now, the Palisades native is putting her knowledge and expertise of the game to use in the coaching ranks.

In May, she was named an assistant coach for the Stanford University beach volleyball program and in her first season on the bench alongside head coach Andrew Fuller the Cardinal are off to a 21-3 start and ranked No. 2 in the country.

Kremer came to The Farm after a year as the assistant coach at Tulane in New Orleans, where she helped the Green Wave to their best season ever, finishing No. 17 in the nation after matching the program record for wins in a single season (24. She spent the summer of 2022 as the co-coach and chaperone for the USA Youth Beach Volleyball team’s three-and-a-half week trip to the Maccabi Games in Israel, during which she led her pairs to seven top-four medal finishes. Kremer honed her coaching skills at some of the best prep and club indoor and sand teams in California, including several years at her alma mater Harvard-Westlake High. She grew up in Marquez Knolls, went to St. Matthew’s School from Mommy & Me through 8th grade and spent many years at Sinjin Smith’s volleyball camp at Will Rogers State Beach. She made the Palisadian-Post Athletes of the Year list multiple times.

By STEVE GALLUZZO | Sports Editor

Entering this season the Palisades High baseball team had not lost a Western League game since 2017. Last Friday, the Dolphins dropped their second league contest in two weeks as host Hamilton scored four runs in the bottom of the fourth inning to take the lead and hung on for a 6-5 win that knocked Palisades into second place in the standings.

“Twice we had the bases loaded and couldn’t score and we made a couple errors at critical times which cost us,” Coach Mike Voelkel said.

The visitors got off to a promising start when Logan Bailey blasted the first pitch of the game over the left field fence for a home run. Another run scored on a balk and before Starter Reece Frankel took the mound his team had staked him to a 2-0 lead. The Yankees got a run back on Jacole Wilson’s RBI double, but Hudson Ramberg scored on Isaic Buenrostro’s infield single in the second. Frankel walked in a run in the bottom half, but Ramberg’s sacrifice fly scored Ian Sullivan to give Palisades a 4-3 lead in the third.

After a sacrifice bunt scored a run and an RBI single tied the game 4-4, Wilson hit a two-RBI single off of reliever Alex Loos, who induced two pop outs to escape the jam. The Dolphins stranded runners at second and third in the fifth and Hamilton loaded the bases in the bottom half but failed to score. Bailey walked to lead off the sixth, Jack Kurland followed with a single and Roman Hawk walked. Conor Greene drew a bases-loaded walk to force home Bailey and pull the Dolphins within one, but a strikeout and ground out ended the threat. Hamilton left the bases loaded in its half, but after Ramberg singled to lead off the seventh he was caught stealing and the next two batters were retired to give Hamilton its first victory over Palisades since an 8-4 win in 2015.

In the first of the two-game set last Wednesday, Conor Greene scored from third when the Yankees misplayed a pickle in the bottom of the seventh to give Palisades a 5-4 win.

Frankel doubled to lead off the sixth and scored on a sacrifice fly to tie it.

Palisades made seven errors in Saturday’s 11-2 home loss to Legacy.

By STEVE GALLUZZO | Sports Editor

It was a busy week for the Palisades High track and field teams as they continue to ramp up for the City Section prelims, which are one month away.

In a four-way meet last Wednesday at Venice, junior Jayden Joch won the varsity boys 400-meter dash in a personal-best 52.04 seconds, freshman Mako Holt won the 1600 in a personal-best 4:51.67, Isaiah Sensabaugh won the long jump with a leap of 18 feet and Yecnoh Koren was first in the triple jump (34-08). Mark Saba won the JV 1600 in a personal-best 5:17.68, Anton Andres (19.66) and Henry Kamer (20.88) were first and second in the JV 110 high hurdles and Ricardo Martin won the JV triple jump at 39-04.

For the girls, sophomore Annabelle Refnes won the varsity 800 meters in a personal-best 2:22.28, junior Cece Tierney won the 1600 in season-best 6:09.86, Refnes and senior Anisa Watkins both cleared five feet to take first and second in the high jump and Ayla Teegardin was second in the JV 400 in a PR 107.44.

Freshman Vitalija Schafer won the JV 800 in 2:47.42 while Violet Cash won the JV 1600 in a personal-best 6:03.21. Tenth-grader Maia Vasquez (19.42) won the JV 100 hurdles, Maleigha Hughes won the JV long jump (13-09) and Dylan Byford’s 4-04 effort was strong enough to win the JV high jump.

Two days later the Dolphins were in South Pasadena for the Tiger Invitational and among the notable performances was Ronin Sherertz taking fourth in the varsity 400 in a personal-best 50.21. Blake Sigworth (2:01.12) was 12th in the varsity 800 and second in the 1600 in a personal-best 4:22.58. Joch, Sherertz, Cole Hubbard and Harrison Carter (3:28.56) was third in the 4×400 relay. For the girls, Ava Bondar (51.20) was 15th in the varsity 300 hurdles, the 4×100 relay (51.64) was ninth and the 4×400 relay took sixth in 4:17.67.

Senior Max Fields ran one of the Open 3200 races at the Arcadia Invitaional and was 28th in 9:40.17.

Two All-Star basketball teams from the Palisades Recreation Center had their own “March Madness” by winning the West Region to make the Citywide Tournament.

The Co-Rec Minors squad, coached by Vijay Srinivasan and Brian Hansen, lost 28-27 to Pacific Region champion Rosecrans in the semifinals last week in Baldwin Hills. The roster consisted of Jace Hansen, Ben Ahdoot, Milo Irwin, Sina Naiem, Arjun Srinivasan, Justin Eghbal, Dylan Kroeger, Jackson Moore, Remy Moore and Levi Westgren.

The Girls Minors, piloted by Shelia Martin and Sean Cudzil, also fell in the semifinals, 10-3, to Metro Region winner Pan Pacific. The roster featured Nyla Smith, Emily Cudzil, Noe Snyder, Ella Edwards, Maggie Walsh, Coco Partovi, Olive Hyland, Charley Chou, Catie Sterparn and Piper Green.

By STEVE GALLUZZO | Sports Editor

Prior to last weekend, Palisades High’s boys volleyball team had the inside track to the top seed in the LA City Section’s Open Division playoffs. That changed last weekend at the Chatsworth Invitational, where the host Chancellors avenged a three-set defeat to Palisades one month earlier in the semifinals of the Venice Tournament.

On Friday, Palisades did not drop a set in pool play, beating St. Monica, JW North and Eastvale Roosevelt.

The Dolphins had a more difficult time in the second round of pool play Saturday morning, surviving a scare against Birmingham (which had beaten Palisades at the Venice Tournament) before prevailing 25-18, 15-25, 16-14 and being pushed all the way in a 25-23, 26-24 victory over Golden Valley. The rematch between Palisades and Chatsworth was not as dramatic as the first encounter when the Dolphins rallied for an 11-25, 25-18, 17-15 triumph.

On Saturday, the host school won 25-16, 25-19 to secure first place in the pool and the Chancellors eventually reached the Gold bracket finals, losing 19-17 in the third set to champion Burroughs of Burbank.

Palisades, meanwhile, also qualified for the Gold bracket but was ousted by Simi Valley Royal in the first round, 27-25, 25-16. Royal then outlasted Eagle Rock, another City team vying for the No. 1 spot, before being swept by Chatsworth in the semifinals. On the other side of the draw, Burroughs took on Windward in the semifinals and survived 16-14 in the third set. Windward beat Palisades in three spirited sets in the championship match of the Venice Tournament. Marshall nearly beat Burroughs in the Gold bracket quarterfinals Saturday and strengthened its case for an Open Division berth come May.

Venice edged City foe Taft 26-24 on its way to capturing the Silver Division, downing Golden Valley 25-15 in the final. Shaking up the City rankings even more, VAAS shocked Birmingham 25-15 on its

march to the semifinals. Van Nuys Grant won the Bronze Division.

Despite losing twice at the Chatsworth Tournament, the Dolphins did clear a major hurdle on their quest for the Western League title with a 27-25, 25-18, 25-21 sweep of Venice on April 3. The Gondos had taken the first two sets before Palisades rallied to win the last three in the teams’ first league meeting.

Chatsworth and Palisades could face off a third time in the playoffs. The teams clashed in the City finals each of the last two seasons, with the Dolphins prevailing three sets to one in 2022 and the Chancellors sweeping 25-18, 25-22, 25-18 last spring at Cal State Northridge.

Despite dropping eight of its first 10 contests the Palisades High softball team is in contention for the Western League title. The Dolphins host defending champion Venice on Monday with a share of first place on the line. The Gondos prevailed 2-1 in a pitchers’ duel March 14 and the Dolphins are seeking revenge.

Coach Manny Flores entered his team in the TNT Tournament last month and although Palisades was only able to salvage one tie in five games (a 0-0 deadlock with Mira Costa), the Dolphins improved and since then have won three straight—outscoring league rivals University, Fairfax and Westchester by a combined 48-4. Today, Palisades hosts LACES, a team the Dolphins beat 24-3 for their first win on March 11.

In Monday’s 23-0 five-inning rout at Westchester, Celia Elisha had four hits and five RBIs, Olivia Stanley and Kharlee Sanders each had four hits and four RBIs and Rikka Richardson added three hits and four RBIs. Pitcher Brian Vasquez struck out 12 of the 18 batters she faced.