But once match play against Mission Hills began, the constant movement came to a halt, as beach volleyball rules prohibit coaching during live action.
“There has never been a dull moment [with this team],” Mustangs junior Maren Demian said during the pregame ceremony. “That’s what makes this group so special.”
San Dieguito Academy’s four seniors — Aivry Scott, Hailey Peterson, Samantha Sundell and Carmen Amoroso — are all four-year beach volleyball players.
“They were excellent and welcoming to me as a new coach,” Gilbert told The Coast News. “They were excellent at welcoming the younger players. They created a culture of competitiveness and cooperation. They are integral to the season we’ve had.”
“I’ve been looking forward to being in this position since my freshman year,” team captain Aivry Scott said. “Having these girls around me supporting me is super nice. All the memories I have made and the connections I have formed, are ones I will never forget. It’s cool to see how everything unfolded. Being one of the mentors and the team captain is such a privilege. I just love the environment of our coaches and teammates — this is such a wholesome moment.”
San Dieguito Academy closed out Senior Night with a 4-1 win over Mission Hills, controlling four of the five pairs in straight sets.
At the top of the lineup, the No. 1 duo of Lila Gilbert and Molly McCarren set the tone with a 2-0 victory. The No. 2 pair of Aivry Scott and Sadie Shaw followed with another straight-set win, as did Carmen Amoroso and Sammy Sundell at No. 3. Skylar Glenn and Liliana Navarro completed the sweep of wins with a 2-0 result at No. 4.
The only hiccup came at No. 5, where Hailey Peterson and Maren Demian pushed their Mission Hills opponents to the limit before falling in a tightly contested three-set match, 16-14 in the deciding set after splitting the first two.
“Mission Hills is a solid team,” Gilbert said. “They scramble, play defense, hustle. We tried to utilize our length and experience.”
The win also capped a regular season in which San Dieguito finished 9-10 overall and 6-8 in North County League play, placing fifth out of eight teams in what Gilbert described as the toughest league in San Diego.
“The season was tremendous,” Gilbert said. Carmen and Sammy have been consistent playing the three spot. Aivry is a great all-around player and leader. Our fourth senior, Hailey, is a pokey specialist – a little pokey here and there, where you knuckle the ball to the side. It’s a strong program of kids, and we are looking to make a deep run in the playoffs.”
CIF playoff seeding will be released Monday night. San Dieguito Academy is scheduled to open postseason play Thursday, with a potential path that includes matches on Tuesday and the following Thursday as the team pushes toward a CIF championship on May 9 at Mesa College.