The Irish volleyball team secured a CCS semifinal road win over Soquel High School on Thursday to advance to the CCS Division 3 Championship.  

The #3 seeded Irish upset #2 Soquel in straight sets, 25-20, 25-20, 25-18, before a crowd of mostly parents from both schools.  The Irish were in command for the majority of the match against a talented and scrappy Soquel squad, which had on the roster a Columbia University-bound opposite hitter and a nationally ranked beach player.  The Irish answered with a balanced offense and quick to adjust dependable defense.  On offense, Kate Lau, Sarah Caulder, Meghan Williams and Rachel Mak led the Irish. Hazel Nelson, Meghan Williams and Lydia Valle-Jhanda provided great blocking and the defense was grounded by libero Kiana Paredes and defensive specialist Angel Gumboc.  Setters Sarah Chow and Livvy Tangaan distributed the ball well throughout the match. 

The Irish will face the Santa Cruz Cardinals in the Central Coast Section D3 Championship on Saturday, November 5 at 12:30pm at Palo Alto High School.  While the Irish defeated Santa Cruz earlier this season at a tournament in October, they won't take the Cardinals lightly, as they remember Santa Cruz ending their CCS run last year in the semifinals.  It will be the first time since 2019 that the team has reached the Central Coast Section finals.  Tickets can be purchased through GoFan at https://gofan.co/app/events/772390?schoolId=CA23036. 

Congratulations, Irish, and best of luck on Saturday!  GO IRISH!