Port Of Los Angeles High girls volleyball was already the favorite in a watered-down Crosstown League, but when Kellen McMurry moved from Virginia and came their way, prospects of a third straight league crown went up several notches.

The senior outside hitter/setter who transferred from West Springfield High School of Springfield, Virginia will try to help lead the Polar Bears today against Foshay Learning Center of Los Angeles, 4 pm at Peck Park in trying to capture an outright league championship.

"Playing (at POLA) is fun," says McMurry, who has 82 kills, 94 assists, 14 digs and 63 aces. "I love everyone on this team."

Exclusively a setter at West Springfield where she played for two years before moving to San Pedro, McMurry has been able to showcase her talents as an outside hitter as well for the Polar Bears (13-9-1 overall, 9-1 league), as she sometimes switches off both positions with fellow senior Maria Mohan, and they compliment each other quite well on the court.

"Kellen definitely completes the team and raises the bar," Mohan says. "She is an amazing setter and overall player that we all can rely on."
McMurry expresses her gratitude to Mohan as well.

"She is so good," McMurry says of Mohan. "Maria has a great attitude all the time and it's really fun playing with her."

On September 4 against Banning of Wilmington, McMurry made a great first impression on her new team right away by exploiting the Pilots' defensive mishaps for 9 kills and 14 assists, but it was her ten service aces that surprised everyone, even herself the most despite the four-set loss to the Pilots.

"I don't know how that really happened," McMurry recalls of her ten aces. "Banning was really good."

McMurry has missed two matches recently with an ankle sprain, but is good to go against Foshay, who handed POLA their only league loss on October 22 in a four-set decision, but the Polar Bears have beaten Foshay twice, giving them the edge and confidence to close out the Crosstown League title chase today.

"I definitely feel like we will finish strong," McMurry says.