Girls Volleyball

Crean Lutheran girls volleyball team looking for a big season

Do nothing from selfish ambition or conceit, but in humility count others more significant than yourselves. Let each of you look not only to his own interests, but also to the interests of others. Philippians 2: 3-4

Crean Lutheran High School’s girls volleyball team, coached by Monty Johns, is looking for a successful season.

“The season is off to a great start,” Johns said. “After the ups and downs of last year the kids are hungry and ready for the opportunity to compete. Everyone on the team is learning their roles and that they all bring skills to the table vital for the team to reach its goals.”

The players are also living the Bible verse, Philippians 2:3-4, which Johns said shows the “foundation of any great team or leader.”

There are a number of talented players on the team, Johns said. 

“The 2021 varsity squad is balanced with a solid core of returning players, and new additions ready to make an impact,” he said. “We are deep in all positions and by the time league starts we should have a balanced attack that will be difficult for our opponents to contend with. 

“Senior setter Katie Thies has experience and will be counted on to spread out the offense. “Junior hitters Madie Moore and Payton Tully will be instrumental in the team’s success not only in the front row, but the back as well.”

Crean Lutheran girls volleyball team celebrates co-league title and successful CIF playoff run

Do nothing from selfish ambition or conceit, but in humility count others more significant than yourselves. Let each of you look not only to his own interests, but also to the interests of others. Philippians 2: 3-4

Crean Lutheran High School’s girls volleyball team had a memorable season, finishing as Empire League co-champions and advancing to the quarterfinal round of the CIF Division 5 playoffs under Coach Monty Johns.

Crean Lutheran defeated El Modena and Buckley before losing to Oxnard in four sets on the road in the quarterfinals.

“The girls battled for every point against a tough team from Oxnard High School,” Johns said. “We were missing our starting right side attacker Payton Tully and Mia Rogers, who attacks from the left side, played with a swollen ankle.

“All the girls had to dig deep and battle for every point, which is exactly what they did.  Madison Moore took 46 swings and hit .370 and Rogers hit an amazing .229 on that bad ankle. Junior Aynsley Bryan took over the right side and did an amazing job.  Senior setter Katie Thies clearly did not want her career at Crean Lutheran to end and did everything possible to lead the team to victory. Obviously, I am super proud of the team.”

In league play, Crean Lutheran captured a second round victory over Cypress to become co-champion.

 “They had faith in the game plan and executed it well,” Johns said.”They also understood the importance of every match after Cypress (in the first round) and did a fantastic job of maintaining their intensity while preparing for each of those opponents

“The girls trusted our coaching staff and the strategies we wanted them to implement. They also understood that Crean Lutheran volleyball is all about what each individual can do to help the team reach its goals. Finishing Empire co-league champs is just one example of this philosophy." Johns said the future looks bright for the Saints.

“Next year we are looking to build on the success of this season,” the coach said. “Unfortunately, we are losing our senior setter Katie Thies, but the rest of the crew will be back.  They will all have another year of club experience and will be hungry to further advance Crean Lutheran volleyball.”

Crean Lutheran volleyball team looks to returning players and freshmen for success

Do nothing from selfish ambition or conceit, but in humility count others more significant than yourselves. Let each of you look not only to his own interests, but also to the interests of others. Philippians 2: 3-4

Crean Lutheran’s girls volleyball team, under first-year Coach Monty Johns, is counting on some key returning players and incoming freshmen for a successful season.

“I’m actually very excited about this team,” said Johns, who has coached volleyball at El Toro and Mission Viejo high schools. “It’s a really great class of incoming freshmen. So we have some returning kids who will kind of be the anchors and then we have some incoming freshmen who are going to make the team even more explosive than they were last year.

“It’s exciting to start something new and it’s exciting to be at a place like Crean Lutheran with a super supportive staff.” Johns said there are some key players who are expected to lead the way. Among them are senior Cathryn Tuccinardi, who was the starting setter last year. “She’s going to be like the quarterback, the leader of the team,” Johns said.

The starting outside hitter will be junior Sydney Dews. “She is the returning starting outside hitter, she was good last year and she is even better now,” Johns said. Sophomore Katherine Thies is expected to come in and “be a solid role player,” Johns said. One of the incoming freshmen expected to make big contributions is Madison Moore, who is, “one of the more explosive ninth graders that I’ve seen in a long time,” Johns said.

As they go through the course of the season, Johns and his players plan to live by the Bible verse Philippians 2: 3-4 “To make a successful program, any high school program is designed to build future leaders,” Johns said. “And to me the greatest leaders throughout the history of the world lead with a servant’s heart. The best example being Jesus. Our verse is all about putting others before us and coming to humility and counting others more significant than yourself.”

Johns believes the Saints have the potential for success. “I know that this team, when they start to really gel, I think they’re as competitive as most schools around here,” he said.

Crean Lutheran girls volleyball team makes strides

Do nothing from selfish ambition or conceit, but in humility count others more significant than yourselves. Let each of you look not only to his own interests, but also to the interests of others. Philippians 2: 3-4

Crean Lutheran High School’s girls volleyball squad made some strides this season under first year Coach Monty Johns.

“The season went well,” Johns said. “The varsity squad set a high standard for all future members in terms of work ethic and sacrificial leadership.” 

Johns said his squad was competitive in some of the key Empire League matches. “The team played well against the toughest members of the Empire League taking eventual league champs Valencia to four sets as well as 2019 CIF champions Tustin to four sets,” Johns said.

Among the leading players for Crean Lutheran this season were middle blocker Kelley Ragland, who received second team all-league honors and senior setter Cat Tuccinardi, who was selected first team all-league.

The Crean Lutheran team made an impact in other ways, according to Johns. “Seniors Cat Tuccinardi, Julia Bharwani and Geneva Stoghill orchestrated a highly successful Breast Cancer Awareness Night,” Johns said. 

The coach said the outlook for the 2020 season is “very bright.” “The varsity team will include more experienced underclassmen led by veteran juniors and seniors,” Johns said.