Branson and Marin Academy win volleyball titles

The league girls volleyball season ended this past week when The Branson School claimed its third straight crown with a win against Marin Catholic on Friday. Marin Academy followed suit on Saturday, defeating University to win the Bay Counties League West title.

The MCAL field hockey title was also decided on Friday, with Redwood continuing his dominant streak with a win against Tam.

Elsewhere, the Marin Catholic football team leaned on its special teams to post a shutout win against Rancho Cotate. Redwood got a big play from his running back to pick off Justin-Siena.

Redwood also completed an undefeated competitive campaign on the tennis courts, while the Archie Williams boys and girls water polo teams did the same in the pool.

Elena Fisher and Celia Tolmie, Branson girls volleyball

Branson took the court Friday night knowing a win would not only give them an MCAL championship, but likely give them the top seed in the North Coast Section Open Division playoffs. Fisher had a game-high 20 kills and scored in several ways to lead the Bulls offensively in the three-set victory over Marin Catholic. Tolmie set the table for Fisher and the rest of Branson’s hitters with 38 assists. Both players contributed defensively, as Tolmie had 12 digs and Fisher had nine. Tolmie also had four blocks. Both players had strong games in the semifinals against Tam, highlighted by Tolmie’s streak of 45 assists, 10 digs and six kills.

Katie Murphy, Muriel Harris and Maddie Booth, Marin Academy girls volleyball

Marin Academy won its first Bay Counties League West title since 2021 by defeating old league rival University in five sets on Saturday night. Murphy was named tournament MVP with 20 kills in the semifinals against Convent of the Sacred Heart and another 25 kills against the Red Devils. Muriel Harris (13 kills, six blocks in the final) and Maddie Booth (27 digs, three aces in the final) were also named to the all-tournament team.

Lucy Jeffers, Redwood field hockey

Jeffers led the way with two goals and two assists as the Giants clinched their sixth consecutive MCAL title with a 5-1 win against top-seeded Tam on Friday. The Red-tailed Hawks took an early 1-0 lead, but Jeffers scored the tying goal and then assisted on the go-ahead goal in the first quarter. Jeffers capped the scoring with her second goal with about 5 minutes left.

Colin Lovette and Gabe Baker, Marin Catholic Football

MC posted a 30-0 road victory against Rancho Cotate on Friday night, getting a pair of touchdowns from the special teams unit. MC led 14-0 after the first quarter and then extended the lead to 21-0 when Lovette recovered a blocked punt for the team’s third touchdown. Baker returned a punt for the team’s fourth touchdown later in the quarter for a 28-0 halftime lead.

Sean Cunneen, Redwood football

The Giants were pushed back against their own goal line in a one-score game against Justin-Siena on Saturday when Cunneen scored one of the goals of the season. Cunneen was nearly tackled at the line of scrimmage but escaped and shot 99 yards for a touchdown that gave Redwood a 14-0 lead. The Giants would win 21-7, with Cunneen adding another score on a 20-yard pass from quarterback Tommy Vasquez.

Holly Hovey and Elsa Kastner, Archie Williams girls water polo

The Peregrine Falcons faced Marin Academy on Wednesday in a showdown of MCAL unbeatens, with Archie Williams winning 8-7 on a late goal by Kastner. Hovey led the Peregrine Falcons by four goals, but the match was still tied at 7-7 in the final minute of play. Kastner’s shot with 12 seconds left proved to be the winner. Archie Williams enters this week’s MCAL playoffs as the top seed, while Marin Academy is seeded second. The two teams could face each other again in the final on Saturday.

Vincent Krilanovich and Jake Carrera, Archie Williams boys water polo

The Peregrine Falcons completed their clean run through the MCAL field with back-to-back wins against the league’s two Wildcat teams on Tuesday and Wednesday. After defeating Marin Catholic 16-10, The Falcons defeated Marin Academy 15-5 in the season finale as Krilanovich and Carrera each scored three goals. Archie Williams carries the banner into the MCAL playoffs with a first-round bye.

Jordan Marotto, Redwood girls tennis

The Giants played just once this week, but took care of business with a 6-1 win against Tam to cap off an undefeated regular season. Marotto, the team’s No. 1 singles player, won her match against Tam’s Maya Riisgaard 6-2, 6-1. Redwood enters this week’s MCAL team playoffs as the top seed. Marotto, the defending singles champion, will attempt to claim her second individual title next week.

Kylie Lee, Terra Linda girls tennis

The Trojans finished the regular season tied for sixth place with Archie Williams. The teams split the two meetings this season, requiring a play-in game on Friday to see who would claim the final spot in this week’s MCAL playoffs. TL trailed 3-2 with the best singles and doubles matches still on the court. Lee, TL’s top singles player, posted a 6-3, 3-6, 10-6 victory to help her team rally for a 4-3 win. The No. 1 doubles team of Leona Liskey and Sahaj Malik secured the other crucial win.