Assumption of the Blessed Virgin Mary School of Pasadena completed an outstanding season by capturing the 2013 Catholic Youth Organization Girls Volleyball championship Nov. 3 at St. Paul High School in Santa Fe Springs. In an all-San Gabriel Valley area final, second-seeded Assumption — which won the East Foothill Conference title, posting a 14-0 overall record — faced fourth-seeded Holy Family (South Pasadena) — which won the Foothill Conference with a 13-1 record, their only loss to Assumption at the beginning of the season. Assumption ended up victorious, with a hard-fought win over Holy Family, as a full house of enthusiastic fans generated plenty of excitement for this crosstown rivalry. In fact, many of the girls on both teams know each other through club volleyball and will find themselves as teammates next year in high school. The contest was very competitive from the first serve of set one which Assumption won narrowly, before Holy Family battled back to win the second set to force a deciding third set. Despite spirited play by Holy Family, Assumption prevailed and earned the championship. Congratulations to Coach Ben Ashkinos and the Gators on their title. In the third place game, Our Lady of the Miraculous Medal (Montebello), the sixth seed, defeated top seed American Martyrs, the six-time defending CYO champion, in a touch three-set match. (Editor’s note: A photo of Assumption’s team in last week’s issue was incorrectly identified as American Martyrs, which placed fourth. The Tidings apologizes for the error.)

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