NorCal Champs! Archbishop Mitty takes down St. Francis to win Open Division volleyball title
NorCal volleyball final: Archbishop Mitty defeats Mountain View rival, clinches berth in state title game vs. Mater Dei.
Archbishop Mitty’s Nicole Macalintal #8 and teammates celebrate their NorCal Open Division volleyball win over St. Francis at Archbishop Mitty High School in San Jose, Calif., on Tuesday, Nov. 14, 2023. (Jane Tyska/Bay Area News Group)
SAN JOSE – When Amiya Kuchibhotla spiked the ball and made the final point, the Archbishop Mitty gymnasium erupted as the 3-1 NorCal Open Division victory went final.
The senior middle hitter became one of many Monarchs mobbed together in the center of the court, the team having vanquished St. Francis for the final time in 2023, the last of six meetings between the elite volleyball programs.
The San Jose school denied St. Francis back-to-back NorCal Open titles, gave Mitty two of the past three and put another championship banner in its crowded rafters.
The Monarch’s next stop? A trip to Santiago Canyon College in Orange County for the state Open Division championship game.
“I’m so happy and so grateful, especially since it’s my senior year,” Kuchibhotla said. “I’m super-excited.”
Archbishop Mitty won the first set 25-12, scoring the final five points behind a flurry of emphatic kills and aces. Sophomore Makenna Crosson had five kills, one ace and a block in that dominant set.
“We wanted to find our rhythm, and we wanted to make sure St. Francis would know that we weren’t going down without a fight,” Crosson said.
St. Francis’ Sacha Touma spikes the ball as #10 Archbishop Mitty’s Makenna Crosson #15 and Amiya Kuchibhotla #5 attempt to block during their NorCal Open Division volleyball match at Archbishop Mitty High School in San Jose, Calif., on Tuesday, Nov. 14, 2023. (Jane Tyska/Bay Area News Group)
The next set was much more competitive, with St. Francis coming back from an early 3-0 deficit (all three points scored on Katelyn Cook kills) and eventually taking a 20-18 lead. But Mitty’s hitting combo of Crosson and Isabella Romero had three kills each after that to give the San Jose school a 2-0 lead.
“We knew they were going to have a response, and they did,” Mitty coach Jon Wallace said.
That good run of form continued in the third set, where St. Francis went on a 4-0 run keyed by outside hitter Taylor Williams and middle hitter Ella Fulton to go up 12-8. Erin Curtis and libero Whitney Wallace, Jon’s daughter, also played well in the 25-19 win with the season on the line.
“You know, win or lose, we still battled.” St. Francis coach Lake Merchen said. “They’re still one of the best teams in the state, and you know, if that’s not something to be proud of, I don’t know what is.”
The fourth and final set featured a number of rallies and great blocking, serving and hitting. Mitty led 16-11 at one point, but St. Francis scored four consecutive points to cut the lead to 16-15. From there, Mitty kept St. Francis at bay to win the final set 25-20.
Standing in between Mitty and its first state title since 2017 is Mater Dei-Santa Ana. The 42-2 team from Orange County defeated defending Open Division state champions Cathedral Catholic-San Diego 3-1 in the SoCal final.
Wallace said his Monarchs saw Mater Dei play at a tournament earlier this season, and knows claiming a state crown will be a tall task.
“We know what it’s going to take,” Wallace said. “We’ve gotten pushed to our limits (this season), so hopefully we’ll show up and do well down there.”
Archbishop Mitty players celebrate their NorCal Open Division volleyball win over St. Francis at Archbishop Mitty High School in San Jose, Calif., on Tuesday, Nov. 14, 2023. (Jane Tyska/Bay Area News Group)
Archbishop Mitty’s Maya Baker #1 and Amiya Kuchibhotla #5 attempt to block a spike by St. Francis’ Taylor Williams #2 during their NorCal Open Division volleyball match at Archbishop Mitty High School in San Jose, Calif., on Tuesday, Nov. 14, 2023. (Jane Tyska/Bay Area News Group)
Archbishop Mitty’s Nicole Macalintal #8 holds the championship plaque as the team sings a school song to celebrate their NorCal Open Division volleyball win over St. Francis at Archbishop Mitty High School in San Jose, Calif., on Tuesday, Nov. 14, 2023. (Jane Tyska/Bay Area News Group)
Archbishop Mitty’s Isabella Romero #20 spikes the ball past St. Francis’ Taylor Williams #2 during their NorCal Open Division volleyball match at Archbishop Mitty High School in San Jose, Calif., on Tuesday, Nov. 14, 2023. (Jane Tyska/Bay Area News Group)
Archbishop Mitty players including Katelyn Sentous #17 and Katelyn Cook, #7 from right, and teammates celebrate their NorCal Open Division volleyball win over St. Francis at Archbishop Mitty High School in San Jose, Calif., on Tuesday, Nov. 14, 2023. (Jane Tyska/Bay Area News Group)
Archbishop Mitty’s Maya Baker #1 blocks a spike by St. Francis’ Taylor Williams #2 during their NorCal Open Division volleyball match at Archbishop Mitty High School in San Jose, Calif., on Tuesday, Nov. 14, 2023. (Jane Tyska/Bay Area News Group)
Archbishop Mitty players celebrate their NorCal Open Division volleyball win over St. Francis at Archbishop Mitty High School in San Jose, Calif., on Tuesday, Nov. 14, 2023. (Jane Tyska/Bay Area News Group)
St. Francis’ Grace Gowdy #14 spikes the ball as Archbishop Mitty’s Isabella Romero #20 tries to block during their NorCal Open Division volleyball match at Archbishop Mitty High School in San Jose, Calif., on Tuesday, Nov. 14, 2023. (Jane Tyska/Bay Area News Group)
Archbishop Mitty’s Isabella Romero #20 and Amiya Kuchibhotla #5 attempt to block a spike by St. Francis’ Taylor Williams #2 during their NorCal Open Division volleyball match at Archbishop Mitty High School in San Jose, Calif., on Tuesday, Nov. 14, 2023. (Jane Tyska/Bay Area News Group)
Archbishop Mitty’s Makenna Crosson, #15 Katelyn Cook, #7 Amiya Kuchibhotla, #5 and Isabella Romero, #20 from left, celebrate a point during their NorCal Open Division volleyball match against St. Francis at Archbishop Mitty High School in San Jose, Calif., on Tuesday, Nov. 14, 2023. (Jane Tyska/Bay Area News Group)
Archbishop Mitty’s Nicole Macalintal #8 and teammates celebrate their NorCal Open Division volleyball win over St. Francis at Archbishop Mitty High School in San Jose, Calif., on Tuesday, Nov. 14, 2023. (Jane Tyska/Bay Area News Group)
Archbishop Mitty players pose for photos after their NorCal Open Division volleyball win over St. Francis at Archbishop Mitty High School in San Jose, Calif., on Tuesday, Nov. 14, 2023. (Jane Tyska/Bay Area News Group)
Archbishop Mitty’s Katelyn Cook, right, #7 and Maya Baker #1 celebrate their NorCal Open Division volleyball win over St. Francis at Archbishop Mitty High School in San Jose, Calif., on Tuesday, Nov. 14, 2023. (Jane Tyska/Bay Area News Group)
Archbishop Mitty students cheer as Director of Student Activities Greg Walker does pushups to celebrate the girl’s volleyball team victory over St. Francis during their NorCal Open Division volleyball match Archbishop Mitty High School in San Jose, Calif., on Tuesday, Nov. 14, 2023. (Jane Tyska/Bay Area News Group)
Posters of former Archbishop Mitty students turned pro athletes, including soccer player Brandi Chastain, softball pitcher Keilani Ricketts and NBA basketball player Aaron Gordon, from left, are seen as the Mitty girl’s volleyball team takes on St. Francis during their NorCal Open Division match Archbishop Mitty High School in San Jose, Calif., on Tuesday, Nov. 14, 2023. (Jane Tyska/Bay Area News Group)
