History was made on Oct. 25 for the Coronado High School girls volleyball program when the varsity squad took home the Eastern CIF league championship title for the first time since 2014.
The championship title comes after a hard fought 3-1 win against Scripps Ranch High School, a team the Islanders had previously lost all matches to in the 2023-24 season.
“It feels absolutely amazing,” said varsity head coach Adeile Ahmu. “This year our team played a lot less chaotic. They were very vocal about the opponent’s weaknesses and strengths and we listened to each other and executed. It was definitely a back-and-forth pull but when we found our rhythm, we were unstoppable.”
Ahmu, who has been with the Islanders for the past seven seasons, was coaching the JV squad when she witnessed the varsity girls take home the league title in 2014 – led by her sister-in-law, Leilani Ahmu.
“It was an amazing honor to stand on the sideline and watch it unfold not once, but twice since I’ve been here,” said Ahmu.
Senior outside hitter and co-captain Sadie Proctor, who has been on varsity for the past four seasons, echoed a similar sentiment to Ahmu as she prepares to wrap up her high school volleyball career.
“I couldn’t have asked for a better season,” said Proctor. “To finish off playing with this program and Adeile this way feels great.”
35-3 record headed into playoffs
After defeating their rival, Point Loma High School, in three sets on Sept. 17, the girls had their eyes set on dominating their league matches.
“Our goal every year is to win league, so we had our eyes set on that after our last streak of non-league games,” said Ahmu. “Of the five teams in our league, Scripps Ranch would have been our toughest match, and playing Patrick Henry and University City prepared us for that match.”
The Islanders defeated Patrick Henry High School and University City High School with a final score of 3-1 for both matches in the days leading up to their league championship battle.
“Each game we played the girls’ chemistry got stronger and with each game we won, we played more relaxed – even when plays became challenging,” said Ahmu.
That team chemistry, according to Proctor, came from a successful grouping of new and returning players.
“I think we had a really good mix of seasoned players and younger players on the team,” said Proctor. “The older players were able to sort of lead by example for the newer players and the newer players were able to bring a really strong offense to the team this year.”
Two freshmen joined the team and proved to be a major presence on the court – middle hitter Emily Albin and outside hitter Ashlynn Proctor. Ashlynn Proctor led the team in total kills and kills per set, hitting percentage, total serving aces and aces per set, while Albin led the team in total blocks.
Eyes set on winning Division 2 playoffs
The Islanders will be heading into the Division 2 playoffs with a 35-3 record and a 23-game winning streak.
Of the eight teams in the top half of the playoff bracket, Coronado has played against six of them. Ahmu anticipates Patrick Henry High School and Rancho Buena Vista High School to be their toughest competition, as the girls currently sit at a 2-1 record against Patrick Henry and a 1-0 against Rancho Buena Vista.
With playoffs concluding on Nov. 6, the girls are looking to keep the success from the season rolling until the very end.
“The team goal is to make it to the finals and win,” said Ahmu. “The plan is to take one game at a time and focus on one point at a time. When taking leads, trying to keep the other team from going on long point runs. The intention is to continue to play just like we have been.”
