Mater Dei celebrates a point during Saturday’s CIF Southern Section Division 1 final against Sierra Canyon at Cerritos College on November 7, 2026. Photo by Miguel Vasconcellos, Contributing Photographer
The Mater Dei girls volleyball team poses with the CIF Southern Section Division 1 championship plaque after winning against Sierra Canyon Saturday at Cerritos College on November 7, 2026. Photo by Miguel Vasconcellos, Contributing Photographer
The Mater Dei girls volleyball team celebrates winning the CIF Southern Section Division 1 championship against Sierra Canyon Saturday at Cerritos College on November 7, 2026. Photo by Miguel Vasconcellos, Contributing Photographer
Friends and family of Mater Dei’s Westley Matavao perform a haka for her after the team won during Saturday’s CIF Southern Section Division 1 final against Sierra Canyon at Cerritos College on November 7, 2026. Photo by Miguel Vasconcellos, Contributing Photographer
Sierra Canyon’s Eva Jeffries (13) and Kendall Omoruyi (16) try to block a hit by Mater Dei’s Westley Matavao during Saturday’s CIF Southern Section Division 1 final at Cerritos College on November 7, 2026. Photo by Miguel Vasconcellos, Contributing Photographer
Sierra Canyon’s Lucky Fasavalu, left, and Kendall Omoruyi (16) try to block a hit by Mater Dei’s Westley Matavao during Saturday’s CIF Southern Section Division 1 final at Cerritos College on November 7, 2026. Photo by Miguel Vasconcellos, Contributing Photographer
Mater Dei’s Jimin Seung tips the ball over Sierra Canyon’s Eva Jeffries (13) and Kendall Omoruyi (16) during Saturday’s CIF Southern Section Division 1 final at Cerritos College on November 7, 2026. Photo by Miguel Vasconcellos, Contributing Photographer
Mater Dei’s Emma Kingston tips the ball over Sierra Canyon’s Raneighla Gonzalez (19) and Eva Jeffries during Saturday’s CIF Southern Section Division 1 final at Cerritos College on November 7, 2026. Photo by Miguel Vasconcellos, Contributing Photographer
Sierra Canyon’s Lucky Fasavalu, left, and Raneighla Gonzalez (19) try to block a hit by Mater Dei’s Westley Matavao during Saturday’s CIF Southern Section Division 1 final at Cerritos College on November 7, 2026. Photo by Miguel Vasconcellos, Contributing Photographer
Mater Dei’s Westley Matavao reacts to scoring a point against Sierra Canyon during Saturday’s CIF Southern Section Division 1 final at Cerritos College on November 7, 2026. Photo by Miguel Vasconcellos, Contributing Photographer
Friends and family of Mater Dei’s Westley Matavao hug her after the team won during Saturday’s CIF Southern Section Division 1 final against Sierra Canyon at Cerritos College on November 7, 2026. Photo by Miguel Vasconcellos, Contributing Photographer
Sierra Canyon’s Lucky Fasavalu (5) and Kendall Omoruyi (16) try to block a hit by Mater Dei’s Westley Matavao during Saturday’s CIF Southern Section Division 1 final at Cerritos College on November 7, 2026. Photo by Miguel Vasconcellos, Contributing Photographer
Sierra Canyon’s Hanna McGinest goes for the dig to keep the ball in play during Saturday’s CIF Southern Section Division 1 final against Mater Dei at Cerritos College on November 7, 2026. Photo by Miguel Vasconcellos, Contributing Photographer
Friends and family of Mater Dei’s Westley Matavao, front row, center, pose for a giant group photo after the team won during Saturday’s CIF Southern Section Division 1 final against Sierra Canyon at Cerritos College on November 7, 2026. Photo by Miguel Vasconcellos, Contributing Photographer
Mater Dei’s Westley Matavao hits the ball past Sierra Canyon’s Raneighla Gonzalez (19) and Lucky Fasavalu during Saturday’s CIF Southern Section Division 1 final at Cerritos College on November 7, 2026. Photo by Miguel Vasconcellos, Contributing Photographer
Sierra Canyon’s Lucky Fasavalu (5) and Kendall Omoruyi try to block a hit by Mater Dei’s Jimin Seung during Saturday’s CIF Southern Section Division 1 final at Cerritos College on November 7, 2026. Photo by Miguel Vasconcellos, Contributing Photographer
Sierra Canyon’s McKenna McIntosh serves the ball during Saturday’s CIF Southern Section Division 1 final against Mater Dei at Cerritos College on November 7, 2026. Photo by Miguel Vasconcellos, Contributing Photographer
Mater Dei’s Sienna Cicero keeps the ball in play during Saturday’s CIF Southern Section Division 1 final against Sierra Canyon at Cerritos College on November 7, 2026. Photo by Miguel Vasconcellos, Contributing Photographer
Sierra Canyon’s Kendall Omoruyi puts the ball past Mater Dei’s Jael Smith during Saturday’s CIF Southern Section Division 1 final at Cerritos College on November 7, 2026. Photo by Miguel Vasconcellos, Contributing Photographer
Sierra Canyon’s McKenna McIntosh hits the ball between Mater Dei’s Emma Kingston (30) and Reagan Williams during Saturday’s CIF Southern Section Division 1 final at Cerritos College on November 7, 2026. Photo by Miguel Vasconcellos, Contributing Photographer
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Mater Dei celebrates a point during Saturday’s CIF Southern Section Division 1 final against Sierra Canyon at Cerritos College on November 7, 2026. Photo by Miguel Vasconcellos, Contributing Photographer
NORWALK – Mater Dei’s Westley Matavao smiles when something good happens.
She will smile when something bad happens.
Matavao’s smile was at its biggest after Mater Dei beat Sierra Canyon in four sets, 24-26, 25-23, 25-21, 25-22, Saturday in the CIF Southern Section Division 1 girls volleyball championship match at Cerritos College.
It is Mater Dei’s ninth CIF-SS girls volleyball championship. The Monarchs lost to Sierra Canyon last season in the CIF-SS finals. They came back to beat Sierra Canyon in the regional finals before winning the CIF State championship.
Sierra Canyon (32-2) and Mater Dei (39-1) qualified for the CIF Southern California Regional playoffs that begin Tuesday. The regional brackets will be released Sunday.
Matavao, a UCLA commit who led the Monarchs with 19 kills, said her smile comes from the enjoyment she gets from competing, from her sport and from working with her teammates.
“I try to smile as much as I can because I appreciate this game,” she said. “Nothing is given and nothing is guaranteed. So I enjoy every time I’m on the court.”
Mater Dei freshman Jimin Seung had 14 kills. Senior middle blocker Emma Kingston was a major contributor in the third and fourth sets and finished with 11 kills. Sophomore Jael Smith was outstanding in the fourth set and had six blocks.
Riley Stringer had 26 assists and Kalea Lee had 22 assists for Mater Dei. Sienna Cicero had 22 digs.
Sierra Canyon had a 15-11 lead in the fourth set, and it looked then like the match would go to five sets. A TV timeout was called. Coming out of the timeout, Lee grabbed the momentum for Mater Dei with a point-scoring block and a wicked kill.
Then came a Matavao kill and her service ace, a kill from Kingston and one from Saaliyah Brown and the Monarchs were on their way to a 25-23 win to clinch the championship.
“I didn’t come here to lose,” Matavao said. “And I didn’t want it to get to a fifth set, either.”
The Trailblazers won the first set, 26-24, via a huge comeback. Mater Dei played flawlessly in the early going and had a 17-11 lead. Sierra Canyon’s 6-4 senior outside hitter, Kendall Omoruyi, who this past week changed her college commitment from Nebraska to Texas A&M, led the Trailblazers’ comeback effort in the first set with five kills.
Matavao had eight kills in the second set as Mater Dei won, 25-23. Her kills supplied the Monarchs’ final points.
Mater Dei outscored Sierra Canyon 8-3 down the stretch in the third set to finish a 25-21 win to go up in sets, 2-1.
One of Matavao’s better points of the night was a line-drive shot that found the back left corner that pushed the Monarchs’ lead to 23-19.
Then came the surge in the fourth set to take the match.
“It was such a beautiful game,” she said. “It was awesome.”
The Monarchs defeated Sierra Canyon earlier in the season in the top-division final of the Durango Classic in Las Vegas on Sept. 19.