Here's an article about the end of the streak:
By Bob Holtzman
DAILY BREEZE
It didn't earn the South Torrance girls volleyball team any banners to raise in the gym or rings to put on its fingers.
But ask any of the Spartans and each of them will tell you they earned something far more important on Tuesday evening.
They'll always have one unbelievable memory.
South Torrance toppled visiting Mira Costa, 25-18, 25-20, 25-23, in a Bay League match.
South delivered Mira Costa its first league loss since 1984 in the league opener for both teams. Not one player was alive in 1984 when Torrance beat Mira Costa to capture the Ocean League title.
"It's more than just a league match," South senior outside hitter Annie Meyers said. "At the beginning of each year, we put our goals on a piece of paper, and every single year, this is No. 1 on everyone's list.
"I got to beat them at home as a freshman on the junior varsity team. And now, I get to end my career by beating them as a senior on varsity.
"This is so amazing, I just want to give everyone a hug."
Coach Robert Kutsch entered the match with 154 career wins at South, including three wins in CIF semifinal matches. But none can compare to his 155th victory.
"Mira Costa is the standard -- how can't you look up to them if you're another South Bay program?" Kutsch said. "They had gone 20 years without a league loss. To beat them means a lot. Hopefully, it's something we can continue to build on."
South outside hitter Lauren McLaughlin led the Spartans (11-5, 1-0) with 17 kills and 12 digs. The four-year varsity player who has committed to UC Santa Barbara said she and her peers believed they could win after losing a tough match to Mira Costa at the Las Vegas Durango Tournament last month.
"No one had the fear of playing them like we did in the past," McLaughlin said. "Our chemistry, I don't know what it is, but it's different than other years."
Whatever it is, it's flammable on the court. South played superb defense. The digging and blocking kept Mira Costa (7-3, 0-1) off balance and the passing put pressure on the Mustangs' defense.
South tallied 60 digs in three games. Although the Spartans had just six aces, they served tough throughout the match. And despite a considerable size disadvantage, the Spartans beat Mira Costa at the net.
Junior middle blocker Julie Wilson led the way with 11 blocks. Senior opposite hitter Rachel Livingston had seven blocks. Meyers had six blocks to go with her 16 kills and nine digs. Senior setter Kacey Martinez had three blocks with her 26 assists, 16 digs and two kills.
"We adjusted our defense for them," Meyers said. "We remained really disciplined on defense. We knew where Alix Klineman would hit. We made sure we got to the block. We were blocking everything today."
Klineman led Mira Costa with 12 kills and had five digs and two blocks. But the 6-foot-4 sophomore struggled with her consistency, making several hitting errors.
Setter Taylor Carico has 32 assists, seven digs and three blocks for Mira Costa. Jessica Hardy had 10 kills, 15 digs and two blocks. Middle blockers Lauren Gardner and Lauren Bledsoe finished with five kills and four blocks each in the loss.
"I'm disappointed this came the way it did," said Mira Costa coach Dae Lea Aldrich, referring to the staggering streak of dominance. "We didn't play well, but they made us not play well."
It was just a few weeks ago that Mira Costa was ranked No. 1 in the nation by prepvolleyball.com. It also won the Durango Tournament for the first time.
But last week, Edison handed Mira Costa its first home loss since a 1998 CIF semifinal loss to Capistrano Valley. And now, South vanquished the Mustangs in three games to end their 20-year reign at the top of the Bay and Ocean Leagues.
"Beating Mira Costa is the most important," McLaughlin said. "This is the most memorable match in my volleyball career. To win CIF you have to play and beat random teams. Beating Mira Costa is beating a team that stopped you year after year from accomplishing your goals.
"This is the match I'll probably remember the most, even when I move onto college. "
Kutsch had pondered the question himself. Is winning a CIF title or beating Mira Costa more important? He hopes to convince his team that winning a CIF title is the more important feat. But first, he wants to win a Bay League title. Doing that requires South to focus on Thursday's match at Redondo.
"We weren't supposed to beat Mira Costa, but we need to beat Redondo," Kutsch said. "We don't have a league title banner for girls volleyball in our gym.
"We still need to win a league title and win CIF."
