Lady Mustangs Beat Volleyball Alumni

Mira Costa High School's athletic programs are a tremendous success, and the Mustangs are known nationwide for their volleyball prowess.

So when the girls volleyball team holds an alumni match you can assume that the talent level will be high and the match intense.   

Such was the case Monday night at Fisher Gymnasium as the 2011 Lady Mustangs defeated the Lady Alumni in two games, winning 25-22 and 25-23 before a packed house of current and former Mustangs.  

"It’s wonderful to see all these familiar faces," said head coach Lisa Zimmerman, who graduated from Mira Costa in 1987 and played for the alumni squad. "This is about having fun and showing the tremendous talent and pride we have at Mira Costa."

The alumni roster read like a variable who’s who in the world of volleyball.

Led by legendary former coach DaeLea Aldrich, the players were:

• Sydney Donahue (2004), who was the all-time Pac-10 leader in digs at Arizona State;
• Ashley Bowles (1998), who was a three-time All-Pac-10 performer at UCLA;
• Paige Nelson, who led Washington State to the NCAA Final Four in 1998;
• Ann Windes (1993), who ranks in the top ten at Pepperdine University in digs and aces;
• Cindy DeGarceau (1991), a member of the 1989 CIF, State and National Championship squad;
• Kristal Attwood (1990), who was a First Team All-Big West performer at the University of Hawaii;
• Rainy Crissman (1990), All-WCC at Pepperdine;
• Amy Banachowski (1990), who won a Division III title at UC San Diego and is the daughter of legendary UCLA coach Andy Banachowski;
• Lisa Arce (1987), who is a member of the Cal Berkley Athletic Hall of Fame;
• Megan McCallister (1987), who was a four-time All-Pac-10 performer at USC;
• Scotti Wells (1985), who was a state finalist at El Camino College;
• Debbi Black (1983), who won an NCAA National Championship at the University of Hawaii;
• Kim Willeman (1973), who played on 1972 and 1973 CIF Championship teams and won seven CIF and three state championships as a coach at Bishop Montgomery.

Willeman will be inducted into the CIF Southern Section Coaching Hall of Fame in October.

"It feels wonderful to be a part of this great tradition at Mira Costa. I feel very proud to say that I played volleyball here. This is a place that holds great memories for me and it is always a pleasure to come back and catch up with old friends," Windes said.

Led by seniors Maddy Klineman, Kate Kious and junior outside hitter Gracie Chavers, the 2011 Lady Mustangs showed that they are every bit as talented as their opponents, jumping out to a six-point advantage early in game one before holding off a late rally to win 25-22.

The same story repeated itself in game two as the Lady Mustangs took a ten-point lead before barely holding on for a 25-23 win.

"To me, it’s not about winning or losing but more about exposing our girls to a rich tradition that they are now a part of," Zimmerman said. "Hopefully by showing these girls how successful past players have been in life, [it] will inspire these girls to want to achieve similar goals in their lives."

The Mustangs will have a tough test next week as they travel to take on Los Alamitos, ranked No. 15 in the nation by MaxPreps.com, on Tuesday at 5:30 p.m.