Monrovia Girls Volleyball Takes Down Mayfield in Four

By Christian Romo

Though the Cubs put up a strong effort, they couldn’t overcome an aggressive Wildcat assault.

In their first match after a long trip at the Molten Invitational in Lakewood, the Monrovia Wildcats (5-3) defeated the Mayfield Cubs (1-2) in four sets (25-11, 23-25, 25-19, 21-17) in a non-conference matchup Tuesday afternoon in Monrovia. The Wildcats got strong performances from senior Madison Mayoralgo (#24) and sophomore Da’Niesha Davis (#7), who thrived in her role as Monrovia’s star middle hitter.

“I would say she’s one of the top middles in the nation,” Monrovia coach Wayne Teng said of Davis, adding: “She’s only a sophomore, so she’s going to get better and better.” Being the only sophomore on the roster doesn’t faze Davis, however. “I’ve played with [my teammates] a long time, so they know me and they know how I play,” she said. Davis dominated with vicious spikes from the net that the Cubs found nearly impossible to defend, and by the final set she established herself as the most impressive player on the court.

Despite being overmatched, the Cubs scratched out a win in the second set sparked by kills from first-year Hayley Eaves (#5). “She’s really standing out as an offensive threat now,” Mayfield coach Stephen Bernabe said of Eaves. “She was getting three or four kills in a row on every rotation…she was placing the ball and then swinging aggressive, and it was awesome to see the maturity on that,” he added.

The Wildcats frustrated the Cubs with effective serves, most notably from their libero Mayoralgo, whose aggressive hits routinely landed inside the court and out of the Cubs’s reach. Mayoralgo also lead the Wildcat’s digging effort, which thwarted numerous kill attempts from Mayfield’s outside hitters. Teng praised junior captain Kayla Tagavilla (#17) for setting up Monrovia’s hitters, and also lauded the team’s overall hitting, which he says has improved from last year.

The scene at Monrovia High was raucous despite the late-afternoon start. Monrovia’s cheer section stuck around to lead the fans in time-out chants, while JV players from Mayfield and Monrovia hosted dueling cheering sections of their own. The between-set entertainment peaked with a flexibility battle between a young Mayfield supporter and a Monrovia cheerleader, performing the splits in front of a surprised and impressed crowd. With plenty of spirit from its students, Monrovia High ensured itself a loud home-court advantage.

Teng still believes his team can improve: “We gotta keep looking for better chemistry, better communication, ball control…we could do a better job.” But he soon ran out of criticism, lauding the performances of his most experienced players and their efforts in preparing for this match. When asked how his team was playing, Teng responded, “about a seven-and-a-half out of ten,” paused, then added, “on the rise.”

Monrovia hosts San Gabriel Mission Thursday at 5:15, while the Cubs host Immaculate Heart Thursday at 5:30 in Pasadena.

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