CCS volleyball: Carmel succumbs to Santa Cruz in DII finals

MOUNTAIN VIEW — In an attempt to keep the mood light, Hannah Castillon looked into the eyes of a group of disappointed players for Carmel High, and brought a smile to their faces – albeit briefly.

“I said section wasn’t good enough,” the 23-year-old Carmel volleyball coach said. “We have to go to state. I was joking of course. But we’re guaranteed at least one more match. Lets enjoy the moment.”

Castillon felt Saturday the moment might have been too big, that the pressure her players put on themselves was overwhelming in a 25-15, 25-18, 25-21 loss to Santa Cruz in the Central Coast Section Division II title game at St. Francis in Mountain View.

“Honestly, it was the energy,” Castillon said. “I think if we had our heads in the game and had been a little more fired up, it might have been a better match. Santa Cruz came guns blazing and didn’t let up. It controlled the match with its energy.”

The setback snapped an 11-game winning streak for the Padres, who ran through the Gabilan Division this year, while Santa Cruz was the runner-up in the Santa Cruz Coast Athletic League.

“I think we were holding on to things too much and overthinking,” Castillon said. “They wanted to be perfect. I get that. But perfect doesn’t win a game. It’s mentality, grit, fight, and energy. We have the skill. We just couldn’t get it going.”

The loss does not end the Padres (19-6) season as they’ll be seeded Sunday into the State Northern California playoffs along with Santa Cruz in one of the three divisions.

“With our overall record and playoff performance, I hope to have a good seed,” said Castillon, who played volleyball for CSUMB from 2022-2025, and has been at Carmel for the last four years.

Carmel swept Saratoga in the quarterfinals and knocked off Mt. Madonna in the semifinals in five sets to reach its first title match since 2022.

For the first time in the postseason, the Padres were on their heels after falling 25-15 in the first set to the Cardinals, who are 11-2 in their last 13 matches, with both setbacks coming from SCCAL champion Harbor.

“I basically said after the first match we got our first set out of the way,” Castillon said. “Lets get the nervous jitters out. Stick to the game plan and lock in.”

While the Padres played better, they were staring at a 2-0 deficit for the first time since falling to Whitney of Rocklin in a tournament in March.

“We were overthinking and misthinking,” said Castillon, a former prep standout at Central Catholic in Modesto. “I think we were in our own heads. We need to play loose and show more energy. Be in the moment.”

Jacob Peterson led Carmel with nine kills, while Zach Speakman finished with five kills and three blocks. Tristan Henderson added 16 assists and five kills, while Drew Galy and Nick Tonini combined for 10 digs, and Chase Ford eight assists.

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This story was originally published May 16, 2026 at 3:41 PM.