The Cathedral Catholic High School girls varsity volleyball team, previously ranked first in the nation according to the MaxPreps Xcellent 25 National Rankings for nearly two months, recently dropped to second nationally in the newest polling, losing the position to New Castle High School in New Castle, Indiana.

In addition, the team’s section division ranking dropped to second, with Torrey Pines High School taking the top spot. Despite the drop in rankings, CCHS started its California Interscholastic Federation journey strong, defeating La Jolla Country Day School 3-0 and La Costa Canyon High School 3-1 at home.

CCHS (30-4) (8-0), faces TPHS (35-2) (9-1) in the San Diego Section Open Division CIF championship game for the second straight year today at CCHS at 6:15 p.m. 

“[Our CIF games] have been really good,” CCHS outside hitter Madison Endsley ‘20 said. “We didn’t take the other teams for granted even though we beat them before. The energy was great. It stayed the same throughout the whole game no matter what the score was. It was very positive and it created a great atmosphere for our team.”

Endlsey, who committed to play volleyball at the University of Washington, boasts 446 kills and a .386 hitting percentage this season, according to MaxPreps.

During the Lady Dons’ wins against LJCDS and LCCHS, defense was consistent to keep the opposing score low.

“Our overall goal is to win CIF, of course, but right now we are focusing on one day at a time and doing our best every practice count,” said middle blocker Sydney Moore ‘20, who recently committed to play volleyball at Cornell University. “I hope to win CIF and go as far as we can at state. I want this to be a memorable season for myself and my teammates.”

The team, who has recently come off a Western League championship, has worked throughout the entire season in preparation for CIF play.

“On the court, everyone is working hard with the attitude to not let the ball drop,” University of South Carolina beach volleyball commit and defensive specialist Hannah Mackenhausen ’20 said. “While being motivated and energetic, we execute it in a calm and comfortable way.”

With seven seniors on varsity this year, the upcoming weeks hold a lot of importance to the players.

“We have seven seniors and we want to make our last run a special one,” Endsley said. “For the rest of the season, I think the whole team hopes to stay together and make it the best it can be.”

Previously in the season, CCHS lost to TPHS 2-1 and 3-1. As the team prepares for the championship, the seniors express their desire to end playoffs on a high note.

“Our goal is to play [TPHS] well in the final [today],” Mackenhausen said. “We want a rematch. Overall, we are working very hard with the hopes of winning CIF. What motivates me personally is remembering why I joined the team in the first place. I came to create new experiences and have no regrets leaving my senior year.

“Each day I remind myself of this, which gives me the motivation to stay positive, supportive, and hardworking no matter what the outcome of a game is.”

Update: TPHS defeated CCHS varsity volleyball 3-0 in the CIF Open Division Championship 3-0 on Nov. 9.