CARMEL VALLEY — North County residents could mistake the salvo of bumps, cut shots, spikes and kills from the Cathedral Catholic girls’ volleyball team as an artillery exercise at Camp Pendleton.
But it’s just the Dons (34-0) demolishing their opponents in unprecedented fashion — they haven’t lost a set all season. Cathedral continued its impressive run on Oct. 18 with a 25-9, 25-14, 25-9 sweep of Torrey Pines.
The Dons wrapped up the regular season on Oct. 20 with a 25-8, 25-14, 25-8 sweep of Patrick Henry in the City Western conference finale.
The Dons are currently ranked No. 1 in the nation by Maxpreps and USA Today, led by a roster loaded with Division I collegiate commits making national headlines. Earlier this month, Cathedral won the Geico Girls Volleyball Invitational in Omaha, Nebraska, broadcast live on ESPN+.
Despite the national attention, Dons head coach Juliana Conn said the team is focused on one challenge at a time.
“Now, it’s our turn,” Conn said. “We have this dream team, but we don’t want to get ahead of ourselves. We don’t talk about anything other than the next match. Let’s make sure we’re getting better. As soon as you blink an eye, a team that you’re not expecting can take a game from you, (you) get out of sorts, and you lose a match.”
The Dons’ rise to new heights began last year from the ruins of a devastating 3-1 loss in the CIF Open Division state semifinals to Marymount of Los Angeles. Conn said they learned from the defeat, working on the team’s ball control in the offseason, leading to better passing and a more consistent offense.
Cathedral took advantage of a rematch with Marymount last month, dropping the Sailors 2-0.
“We know if we can take care of the back of the game, the front of the game is a given for us,” Conn said of the team’s improved ball control.
While the girls’ dream of a state title, staying present in the moment is more important, Conn said, preparing for every opponent to avoid last year’s postseason heartbreak.
“We just keep our goals in check,” Compas said. “Our one focus is to win, and we don’t let anything else get in our way.”
Besides the team’s work ethic and focus, the Dons veteran squad has an embarrassment of riches regarding talented players. Senior outside hitter Julia Blyashov, a Stanford commit, leads the team with 32 kills, averaging four per set.
Blyashov, who was named player of the match against the Falcons, has plenty of help from senior opposite hitter Noemie Glover, committed to Oregon, senior middle blocker Mia Compas (Davidson), senior outside hitter Cate Schnell (Tennessee), junior middle blocker Jenna Hanes (Michigan), and many more.
The hitters are equipped with arms like howitzers, smashing each ball from setters Amanda Saeger (DePaul) and Tehya Maeva (Nevada) before quickly pivoting to play defense when opponents attempt a kill.
Height is another advantage: the Dons have 11 players standing at least 6 feet tall. Blyashov and Hanes are both 6 feet, 3 inches, Glover (6-2), Schnell (6-1) and Compas (6) — all of whom make for a formidable front line difficult for opposing hitters to penetrate.
And yet, the roster of talented players amidst a flawless season remains humble and focused.
“I think we realized any team can beat us, and we need to work hard at practice and get 1% better,” Blyashov said of last year’s loss. “The way we work in practice shows in how we play.”
