The Durango Fall Classic is one of the top high school girls volleyball events in the nation, a 64-team, national tournament in Las Vegas.
San Diego was represented last weekend by its top two teams: No. 1 Cathedral Catholic and No. 2 Torrey Pines.
The Falcons beat Las Vegas Bishop Gorman 23-25, 26-24, 25-17 to win the Bronze Division championship on Saturday. Jaycee Mack finished with a team-high 19 kills, with twins Finley Krystkowiak (16 kills) and Samantha Krystkowiak (8 kills) chipping in. Lila Green added 14 digs for the Falcons in the championship match.
Torrey Pines went 2-1 in pool play, then beat Corner Canyon of Utah 25-19, 25-20, Hawaii Kamehameha 25-14, 25-12 and San Jose Archbishop Mitty 22-25, 25-21, 27-25 to earn a spot in the championships.
Cathedral Catholic won its pool with three relatively easy victories, advancing to Saturday’s Championship Qualifying Round, where the Dons lost to Los Angeles Marymount 25-19, 25-19.
The loss knocked the Dons into the Silver Bracket quarterfinals, where they lost to Phoenix Xavier Prep 25-22, 22-25, 25-17.
Cathedral Catholic then played for fifth place, beating Carrollwood Day of Tampa 25-13, 25-22.
The Dons and Falcons have long been the city’s two premier girls volleyball programs. Cathedral Catholic won their head-to-head matchup last week in straight sets. If history holds, the two programs will likely square off in the playoffs.
JOHN MAFFEI
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