No. 3 Poway and No. 2 La Costa Canyon faced off this week in the finals, both aiming for a chance at the CIF San Diego Section Championships. Poway was eventually outplayed by the dominating LCC, 3-1. With matches at 25-11, 25-21, 19-25, 25-17, Poway did not give up, but LCC just had more steam. Poway was not without some great performances with junior setter Bridget Hill stepping up and leading the team with 12 assists, while Mariah Counts contributed 6 kills. Check out the highlight video below and be sure to visit the SportsForce Girls Volleyball section for more video, resources and events.

Position: Setter Height: 5’10” Class: 2011 School: Poway High School Poway, California

Bridget Hill, as junior who moved up to varsity this season has proved herself to be up for the challenge. Bridget is a member of the 2009 Palomar League Champion Poway Girls Volleyball team. Bridget helped the team advance through the CIF playoffs and had 26 assists in a 25-9, 25-15, 25-16 win over Vista in the first round. Hill then had 35 assists in a 25-18, 25-17, 25-13 win over San Pasqual in the quarterfinals of the CIF San Diego Section Division I playoffs.

Unfortunately Hill and Poway were knocked out of the CIF Finals this week by No. 2 La Costa Canyon 25-11, 25-21, 19-25, 25-17. Despite the loss, Hill still led the team with 12 assists that helped them win one match over LCC. Hill leads her team in assists, racking up 721 for the season.

Sam Hoekstra is an explosive running back/ defensive back out of Santa Fe Christian High School in California. Sam was simply unstoppable when his Santa Fe Christian Eagles took on the Coronado Islanders last week. Sam scored 2 touchdowns while amassing 226 rushing yards on only 13 carries, including an impressive 75 yard punt return touchdown. Sam now has 865 rushing yards and 12 touchdowns in only 6 games this season while averaging a staggering 16.32 yards per carry. Sam and his 6-0 Eagles look to extend their unbeaten streak when they faceoff this week against their conference rival, the 5-2 Christian Patriots.

Learn more about Sam at his SportsForce profile.

Kendall Polan is an exceptional setter with a dominant serve out of La Costa Canyon High School (Carlsbad, CA). Kendall is a natural leader with soft hands, great ball handling skills, and fires a devastating topspin jump serve. Already committed to Yale University, Kendall has already led her team to two CIF Division I titles and a California state championship.

Polan has won several individual awards including: Durango Tournament MVP, CIF State Championship Match MVP, All-Avocado League First team and San Diego Union-Tribune All-San Diego Section first team. Currently ranked the number one on the ESPN RISE FAB 50 national volleyball rankings, Kendall and her teammates hope to carry this season’s success into another state title.

Visit Kendall’s SportsForce profile to learn more.

The most elite high school girl’s volleyball tournament in the country happens this week in San Diego, CA. SportsForce was at the California Challenge last year and was able to get some great video footage of the championship game which featured La Costa Canyon vs. Mira Costa. Check out the video below to see some of the action.

The 2009 California Challenge will host top teams and players from top ranked high school programs throughout California. There will be 10 teams competing in this year’s tournament that are listed among the top 100 teams in the country (ranked by prepvolleyball.com). Even more impressively, six teams attending the tournament are listed among the top 50 including Dos Pueblos, Santa Barbara, Marymount, Mira Costa, Long Beach Wilson, and Redondo Union.

The California Challenge affords top teams the chance to match up and prove their dominance early in the season. Many of these have been known to meet again in section and state playoffs.

The following programs are represented in this years tournament; Bishops, Mira Costa, Canyon Crest Academy, Mission Viejo, Cathedral Catholic HS, Notre Dame Academy, Clovis West, Poway, Dos Pueblos, Redondo Union, Francis Parker, San Clemente, Huntington Beach, Santa Barbara, La Costa Canyon, Santa Margarita, Laguna Beach, Scripps Ranch, La Jolla Country Day, Tesoro, Long Beach Wilson, Torrey Pines, Marymount and Vista Murrieta.

SportsForce will attend the California Challenge this year and continue to feature some of the country’s top girl’s volleyball talent.

Visit our Girls Volleyball Section to see highlight videos of top ranked players, top tournaments, news and more.