It was the culmination of all the hard work the Mary Star High girls volleyball team put in the second Tyler Jaynes took the coaching job in 2014 and he inherited a set of ten players, all sophomores.

First year with the group: a Santa Fe League co-championship and a CIF-Southern Section second round appearance.

Second year with the group: ANOTHER Santa Fe League co-title & CIF-SS second round playoff berth.

Now the 'magnificent ten', all full-fledged seniors, can add a little bit of bragging rights to their resume with a rather emphatic 25-10, 7-25, 25-9, 25-17 victory over visiting San Pedro in front of a standing-room only, boisterous crowd at Mary Star High.

With this resounding victory, the Stars (10-6 overall) officially announced their arrival as a powerhouse program in their own city, and who knows? They could potentially make even more noise in the CIF-SS Division 8 playoffs in passing their last and final regular season test as they march through the Santa Fe League schedule.

"We have been wanting this match for the longest time and tonight's game showed the passion, desire, and love we have for the game," said one of the many catalysts, Mary Star senior setter Angela Pisano. "I'm also proud of Pedro for their hard work as well and for making tonight's match unforgettable."

With the suddenness of a lightning strike, Mary Star wasted little time in asserting themselves, taking advantage of several San Pedro (13-8) defensive lapses on successful attacks from senior outside hitters Ally Spillane and Lexi Andrie, along with tough serves from sophomore libero Jena Denardo (2 aces, 18 digs), and two monstrous blocks from senior middle blockers Kaitlyn Martinez and Gianna Fletcher to a pretty easy victory in the opening set.

Every attack the Stars executed was with a purpose, according to Spillane.

"We knew we had to set the tone right from the start to affect their confidence and give us great momentum going forward," said Spillane, who had a match-high 15 kills to go with 19 digs and a block.

Much to the credit of the Pirates, they stormed back with an resounding answer, staking the crucial serves of freshman defensive specialist Maya Courtney, who served three of her match-high four aces in the early portions of the second set, which led to Mary Star's worst loss of a set all season long. Sophomore middle blocker Lauren Sutrin also caused problems with her height during San Pedro's run, with three stuff blocks.

"That was overall, the crucial statement we made that San Pedro is not a team to underestimate," said San Pedro junior libero Alison Lyons, who had 16 digs. "We have been fighting this season to make a change, and we haven't reached our full potential. That second set win over Mary Star was just a glimpse of our future."

And Lyons is right on the money.

San Pedro came into this match with a ten-game win streak, fresh off winning their own San Pedro Invitational Tournament on September 24, and sweeping Marine League rival Narbonne of Harbor City last Thursday in their previous match.

Even after dropping that second set, the Stars remained undaunted.

"We just accepted the fact that we had an awful second game and we let it go," Spillane said. "It motivated us to get back on track and minimize the errors we had and close out the match."

And sure enough, the third set ended up just like the first set, as Mary Star was quick to erase the memory of the second set nightmare. Suddenly, senior opposite hitter Ticela Molio'o emerged into the fray to take the pressure off both Spillane and Andrie, and the brilliance of Pisano keeping rallies alive with digs gave the Stars the crucial 2-to-1 edge going into the fourth (and final) set.

Molio'o was quick to point out the play of both Martinez and Fletcher as tantamount to the Stars' success.

"Kaitlyn and Gianna greatly impacted our win tonight," said Molio'o, who contributed with 2 kills and 7 digs for Mary Star. "Gianna even played tonight despite a broken finger."

San Pedro made an early charge in the fourth set to take a 9-4 lead, but Mary Star was not about to let what happened in the second set deter them this time as they were eager to put the Pirates away.

"It was crucial for us to get back to our level of play," Andrie said of the Stars' third set victory. "We made too many unforced errors early on in the second set that caused a huge gap in the score. So it was important for us to take a breath and spark the charisma we always have together when we play."

The combined serving of Spillane, Denardo, Pisano and even senior backup setter Theresa Ibarra eventually wore down San Pedro as the Stars rallied to tie the set at 14, then would score 11 of the final 14 points to notch the moment they were waiting for since the match was agreed upon in June after an attack error from San Pedro junior outside hitter Selene Ramirez closed out the match... and the celebration was on.

"I am beyond grateful for those girls next to me on that volleyball court because we're not just a team, we're a family," said Andrie, who had 10 kills, 16 digs and 2 aces. "And tonight is a night we will always remember."

In spite of the loss, San Pedro still got viable contributions from sophomore outside hitter Sara Peterson, who had 5 kills and 19 digs. Grooms and Sutrin tied for the team lead with 6 kills each, while Sutrin also added two blocks. Senior setter Katie Bentovoja dished out 21 assists, and junior outside hitter Serena McGillivray had 10 digs.

The Pirates, who next host Gardena on Thursday, still have designs on a Marine League championship as on Monday they get their second opportunity at league leading & defending champion Carson when they visit the Colts, who are the only team to pin a loss on San Pedro in league thus far. 

"This match really created an opportunity to continue to fundamentally build our team," Lyons said.

Mary Star's magnificent ten seniors finish with a perfect 4-0 record against in-city schools, as they also have defeated Port Of Los Angeles three consecutive years.

This one is a little more sweeter for the Stars, who play at St. Bernard Thursday in Santa Fe League play.

"It was definitely surreal and it became evident that every single point we worked and battled for paid off in the end," said Pisano, who finished with 28 assists, 21 digs, 3 aces and 3 kills. "It was definitely a night to remember."