MANHATTAN BEACH - Zana Muno of Notre Dame won nine tournament titles last summer, but came up just short of the perfect 10 at the California Beach Volleyball Association Cal Cap Youth Championships.
Although Muno didn’t approach that impressive total on the sand this summer, especially competing against older opponents in most tournaments, she arrived Sunday at the Cal Cup 18-under state championship looking to complete some unfinished business.
Muno, a UCLA commit, and Sarah Sponcil of Arizona’s Veritas Prep beat Harvard-Westlake’s Jo Kremer and Long Beach Wilson’s Haley Martin 21-8 in the final, capping a perfect six-match run to the title.
Long Beach Wilson’s Mary Hernandez and Muno suffered a 31-29 loss to Valley Christian of San Jose’s Kirsten Mead and Aptos’ Jenna Belton in last year’s 16-under final.
“Putting this one away just kind of shows that I’m still in it,” said Muno, who gained revenge Sunday against Belton and Mead with a 21-13 semifinal win.
Sponcil played Saturday in a women’s event with Mira Costa’s Skylar Caputo — who won the 16-under title Sunday with Redondo Union’s Abril Bustamante — while Muno was with family in Santa Barbara.
Although it made for a long trip Sunday to compete in the one-day tournament, Muno said the opportunity to play again with Sponcil — they also won July 25 at Huntington Beach — was well worth it.
Kremer and Martin lost their final two pool-play matches, before rebounding to knock off Escondido’s Samantha Manley and Torrey Pines’ Savannah Rennie 24-22 in the quarterfinals, then atoning for an earlier setback to Huntington Beach’s Gianna Guinasso and Hernandez with a 21-13 semifinal victory.
Muno and Hernandez beat Harvard-Westlake’s Nicole Elattrache and Kremer 28-23 in last year’s 16-under semifinals.
Muno and Sponcil built a 7-1 lead over Kremer and Martin in the championship, and never looked back.
Westlake’s Julia Mannisto, a South Carolina commit, and Villanova Prep’s Kaity Bailey tied for fourth in their 18-under pool.
Oaks Christian’s Isabelle Carey and Ventura’s Kobie Jimenez were fourth in their 16-under pool.
Loyola’s Matt Reilly and Huntington Beach’s T.J. DeFalco captured the boys 18-under title, with former Calabasas standout Oliver Martin and Camarillo graduate Owen Yoshimoto falling in the quarterfinals.
Valencia’s Kyle Ensing and Camarillo’s Matt Yoshimoto lost in the 16-under quarterfinals, with Mira Costa’s Blake Markland and Huntington Beach’s Davis Gillett winning the title.
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