Pali Volleyball Open Playoffs Tonight

In their final regular match of the season, the Palisades High girls volleyball team suffered a frustrating loss to Venice on the Gondoliers’ court last Thursday. The Dolphins won the first game 25-19, lost the second 22-25, won the third 28-26, and lost the fourth 25-21, which sent the teams to a decisive fifth game. Venice won 15-10, to complete a 10-0 league season. The Dolphins finished second with an 8-2 record, losing only to the Gondoliers. The City playoffs begin tonight, with Palisades scheduled to host a lower-seeded team in the Pali gym at 7 p.m. (The seeding meeting was held after the sports section went to press.) Second round games will be played Monday, November 7. Jenna McCallister led Pali against Venice with 12 kills and six blocks, Alex Lunder had 12 kills and Teal Johnson added 10. Senior Megan Chanin let the team with six serving aces. “It was so frustrating,” senior Kaylie McCallister said. “We could’ve beaten them, but we just couldn’t finish the game, couldn’t get the momentum we needed.” Although three of Venice’s starters are seniors, Palisades Head Coach Matt Shubin doesn’t think it gave Venice an edge. “We have a big group of sophomores who are mature beyond their years,” he said. “Athletically we are on par with Venice.” Shubin, a former volleyball player for UCLA, came on as the Dolphin coach just before the season’s first game. “Our biggest problem has been our late start as a team,” he said. “Most of the other teams had six weeks more practice together than we did.” “He’s a really good offense coach,” Kaylie McCallister said about Shubin. This senior has had four different coaches in her years at Pali. “If we keep playing together we can make it to championships,” she predicted. The Pali JV’s won their final match at Venice, beating the Gondoliers in three games. They ended their regular league season 9-1, losing only to Venice. Their coach, Kristin Mitchell, wasn’t hired until late in the season and coached her first game against Venice. She will take the team to the City tournament in Sylmar on Saturday.