Twelfth year head Coach Raissa Adolphe has Crespi in position for another successful season. With Adolphe at the helm, Crespi has been in the CIF Division I Playoffs eight of the last nine years. Crespi continues league play on Thursday at 6 p.m. against host Loyola.

In 2003, 2004, 2009, and 2010, the team finished second in the competitive Mission League. This past season, the Celts were ranked in the top 50 nationally by ESPN, and were also ranked in the top ten in the CIF Southern Section Division I. 

The 2010 Varsity Team received the American Volleyball Coaches Association (AVCA) Team Academic Excellence Award. On the court, the Celts were led by six seniors and finished second to Loyola with an overall record of 25-9. Two of those seniors are now  playing at Division I schools; Brandon Lebrock (’10) is at CSUN and Daniel Stork (’10) is at UCI.  

Even though this may look like a rebuilding year, the 2011 squad might surprise a few opponents. In pre-league play at the annual Best of the West Tournament in San Diego, Crespi finished ninth overall. 

"This team has already done something that no volleyball team has done at Crespi," said Adolphe. "We finished in the top 10 in The Best of the West Tournament, which was comprised of all the top CIF Division I high school teams in California.”  

The Crespi volleyball team earned some great experience and finished second in pool play.  Crespi had impressive wins over host school Poway, ranked 21 by the ESPN FAB 50, and defeated Palos Verdes. The Celts had to defeat Palos Verdes to make the consolation final after losing to Mira Costa, ranked second by ESPN FAB 50.

Although the Celts could not avenge the playoff loss from last year to Mira Costa, they found some redemption in the consolation bracket.  In the Consolation Final, Crespi faced Newport Harbor, ranked seventh by the ESPN FAB 50. Through an amazing effort by the entire team Newport Harbor was defeated 2-1. 

At the Dos Pueblos Invitational in Santa Barbara, Crespi placed second overall out of 30 teams after the pool play. The Celts overall record is 12-5, 3-2 in Mission League with wins over Oak Park and Notre Dame, Alemany and Chaminade.

“This team is intelligent and coachable. They understand how important strategy is in a match, and they have extreme confidence in each other on the court. They demonstrate composure and intensity, as well as the ability to battle and compete to the final whistle,” said Adolphe.

Some of the returning leaders for the Celts are senior Quinn Costello, senior Ryan Vanvakaris, junior setter John Rumer, and junior outside-hitter Danny Burns. 

Joining them are two liberos, sophomore Brandon Enbody and Junior Christian Beltran. Senior Evan Herbert comes in to serve and play defense.  Junior opposite Anthony Banzuela and senior outside-hitter Nick Martinez will also contribute. Stellar sophomores Ashton King and David Eaton-Kittrell are 6'5" are quickly becoming fan favorites.