Harvard-Westlake Pulls It Together

NORTH HOLLYWOOD — Found: An identity. Missing since August 1996. New owners very happy, probably not willing to part with it.

The Harvard-Westlake High girls’ volleyball team, State Division III champion last year, struggled to define itself this season, especially after last weekend’s debacle at the Orange County Championships.

Then came Friday night.

The Wolverines defeated Fountain Valley, top-ranked in Division I-A, 15-9, 7-15, 17-15, 15-11, in a nonleague match at Harvard-Westlake.

Christine Bohle had 19 kills, Nicole Carrico added 13 and Harvard-Westlake (4-0) had an upset.

“This is sweet,” Wolverine Coach Jess Quiroz said. “This is going to carry through the season.”

Their third-game performance carried the Wolverines, top-ranked team in Division III-A.

Trailing, 7-0, and then 13-9, they were getting beat by the hitting of Larissa Carter and Summer Altice.

But the defense picked up, the blocking improved and Harvard-Westlake, after fighting off two game points, eventually won game three on Malaika Naulls’ block.

All but erased is last weekend’s poor tournament showing. The Wolverines failed to make the winners’ bracket, while Fountain Valley (4-1) finished second.

“We knew this would influence the rest of our season,” Bohle said. “If we keep playing like this, we could take [the Division III title] again.”