Legionnaire spikers take second in league, reach playoffs

Bonsall High School girls volleyball coach Eric Hendy had goals for his team which weren't based on wins or losses. Meeting those improvement goals gave the Legionnaires a 10-2 Apollo League record which placed second in the final standings and a 12-5 overall mark which included a first-round playoff loss.

"My focus is on the girls growing and having a fun time and making friends," Hendy said. "Playoffs and all that is really secondary."

The Apollo League consisted of seven teams. Horizon Prep won the league with a 12-1 record and accounted for both of Bonsall's league losses. Four of the seven teams had winning league records.

"We had a lot of new players and we wanted to improve our skill level and improve our competitiveness, and we got better every game," Hendy said.

The Legionnaires won 30 sets and lost nine, including the six against Horizon, during league play.

Hendy noted that Bonsall's 12 players had different backgrounds and were from various grade years. "A lot of unpredictable friendships started," he said.

Hendy considered the season successful regardless of the Legionnaires' record.

"It still would have been successful even if it had been 2 and 10," said Hendy.

Twelve of the 22 teams in Division V received entry into the CIF playoffs. Bonsall was one of those.

"It's a bonus," Hendy said.

Only two of those teams were Apollo League members. Based primarily on the power rankings criteria which includes opponent strength as well as teams' win-loss records, Horizon received the third seed and Bonsall was seeded eighth. That would have given the Legionnaires a home playoff match, but the playoff selection and seeding meeting was Oct. 28 and the first round of the Division V playoffs was Oct. 31. Bonsall, which does not have its own gymnasium, was unable to find a place to host the match so the playoff match against ninth-seeded Del Lago was played at Del Lago in Escondido.

The Firebirds advanced to the quarterfinals with a 25-9, 25-15, 25-14 victory over Bonsall.

"We didn't play poorly," Hendy said. "We didn't have all of our players. All the girls that were there did everything they could, gave their best, and didn't back down ever."

Del Lago then lost a five-game quarterfinal match to eventual CIF Division V champion Liberty Charter.

Including the playoffs, Bonsall won 38 sets during the season and lost 20. Both non-league losses during the regular season were to High Tech High North County, including a five-game match in San Marcos.