Legionnaires participate in CIF volleyball playoffs

The 2016 Bonsall High School girls volleyball team became the school's first team to qualify for the CIF playoffs.

The Legionnaires were chosen for the CIF Division V playoffs, which included 12 teams this year. Bonsall was given the 11th seed.

"The girls were real excited," said Bonsall coach Eric Hendy. "We're all real excited and proud to have grown as much as we did. The playoffs was just a nice icing on the cake."

Bonsall finished the season with a 10-9 record – including the first-round playoff loss Nov. 2 at Mountain Empire – and an Apollo League record of 10-6, which was worth third place in the nine team standings. The Legionnaires had a 2-6 Apollo League record in 2015.

"We had our own goals that we had set and our own metrics we were using to gage our improvement along the way," said Hendy.

Mountain Empire, which was seeded sixth, hosted the Legionnaires in the first-round playoff match and won 25-11, 25-8, and 25-15.

"The girls felt proud of their play," said Hendy. "The felt that they played well. There were some mistakes made, but Mountain Empire played a really good game. They had some quality players."

Mountain Empire subsequently swept third-seeded Calvary Christian Academy in the quarterfinals and won one set against second-seeded San Diego Academy in the semifinals.

Bonsall High School does not have seniors this year, so all 10 of the players on the Legionnaires' varsity roster – including all-league players ChaCha Pineda and Najia Lamb – are expected to return for the 2017 season. They now have playoff experience.

"It will definitely pay off for any big games down the road," said Hendy.