Monrovia Wildcats Run Out of Gas in First-Round Defeat to La Habra

After taking third in the Rio Hondo League, the Wildcats were eliminated from the playoffs with a 3-0 loss to La Habra in the opening round.
–File photo by Aaron Valdez / Beacon Media News

By Aaron Valdez

Monrovia girls’ volleyball showed true girt and resiliency in its CIF match-up against La Habra but it just wasn’t enough as the Highlanders swept the Wildcats to put and end to their 2018 campaign.

The Wildcats recorded a season with many high and lows, going 4-4 in preseason with most of their games coming against Pacific League competition, including Burbank, Arcadia, Burroughs and Pasadena.

Monrovia was certainly the dark horse heading into Rio Hondo League action but their efforts were to no avail as San Marino went undefeated in all 10 of its league games. However, the Wildcats’ efforts were good enough for a third-place finish in the standing after they took six of their last seven games to close out the regular season.

This run included a solid showing at the Gabrielino Tournament and a pivotal 3-1 victory over La Cañada, a team Monrovia had already lost to earlier in the season. The Wildcats’ 13-8 overall record and 7-3 league record garnered them a spot for CIF with their first game coming against Freeway League co-champions La Habra on Oct. 18.

In the first set, Monrovia showed a lot of promise and kept it competitive despite losing 25-22. However, the Highlanders immediately caught fire following the first, ultimately spelling defeat for the Wildcats as they lost 25-13 in the second and 25-12 in the third.

With the loss, Monrovia was eliminated in the first round of playoffs once again as it came up short to Arcadia 3-1 last season.

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