Year after year, Trinity girls’ volleyball found itself falling just short of a Heritage League title.  The Knights were just a few wins short of a championship for three straight years, and one win short in the past two seasons. However, after a five-year drought, Trinity broke through.  Trinity won its first league title in five seasons after a 3-1 win at St. Monica Academy, completing its (15-11, 13-1) regular season. The Knights faithful and parents made the trip out to Montrose to see their team finally reach the pinnacle.  “It was fun. The parents surprised everyone with confetti cannons,” said Trinity coach Rebecca Peluffo. “The girls were so emotional, especially the girls who have been in the program for a few years, we’ve been so close for the past couple of years, getting second. I think just they saw the hard work and the dedication of working hard every match come to fruition with the title this year. There was a lot of emotion and excitement. It was for all that they’ve put in this season to just focus on game by game to get to where we ended up.”  The Knights clinched at least a share of the championship just two days earlier in a sweep over Vasquez on Trinity’s senior night. Peluffo’s team was all gassed up to clinch the league title in the seniors’ final regular-season home game. The Knights tore through the contest in straight sets and showed their energy from the jump, winning the first game, 25-4.  Trinity was pushed past straight sets in five league outings this season and prevailed in four of them.  Trinity swept Faith Baptist, the team’s biggest competition for the league title, at home but fell in a five-set thriller on the road in Canoga Park.  The Knights were also pushed to five sets by league rival Desert Christian but won both outings.  Peluffo knew she had a Heritage League title-calibre team early on in the year but obviously needed to see more results.   The Knights got off to a rocky start of the season with a 1-6 opening stretch. Peluffo wasn’t necessarily worried.  “I think we were all trying to figure out our system and playing well together,” Peluffo said. “I think we had the skills during that tournament and during our preseason play. It was just putting them all together to connect. After that tournament when we started getting into league, I think it really started to click. Even at the tournament, there were glimpses of us playing really well. It was just finding the consistency.”  Trinity quickly rebounded and won 11 of its next 12 matches, winning eight in straight sets.  The Knights were led all year by captains Emerald Lipis, Bethany Sedy and Chloe Horning. The latter became the program’s single-match all-time leader after her 40-dig night against Desert Christian and totaled 325 on the season.  Trinity outside hitter Bethany Sedy (20) goes for the kill against Faith Baptist during the fist set of Tuesday’s game at Church of the Nazarene on Sept. 24. Habeba Mostafa/ The Signal “(Horning) does a great job of commanding the court, taking balls so that our hitters can go get ready,” Peluffo said. “The girls trust her to cover a good portion of the court. She hustles with a lot of effort, to save either out-of-system balls or just making the big play to shift the momentum. She’s been a force on defense, which has been fun to watch.”  The other two captains have been lethal on offense, serving as the team’s outside hitters. Sedy led the team with 250 kills on the year with Lipis just behind at 242. Both outsides also added over 200 digs each this season.  Trinity outside hitter Emerald Lipis (6) puts the ball over the net during the second set of Tuesday’s game against Faith Baptist at Church of the Nazarene on Sept. 24. Habeba Mostafa/ The Signal The three captains played a huge role in leading both on and off the court. Peluffo watched her star trio welcome in a new group to the 2024 season, which featured three freshmen taking on varsity roles.  “Our captains, Bethany, Emerald and Chloe, they’ve done a really good job of just all season being an encouragement to the girls, both on and off the court,” Peluffo said. “They’ve walked through this. They have experience and the wisdom in what to expect, in how to walk through losses and how to just keep building from wins. I really think this team in general focused on investing in their relationships on the court. That really helped our team this year. They’re really genuinely all good friends.”  One of the freshmen stepping into a big role was Natalia Godoy, one of Peluffo’s two setters. Junior Scarlett Malkasyan helped guide her fellow young setter into the role, as the duo split time at setter in the 6-2 rotation. The offense ran efficiently through both setters, with seamless transitions. Malkasyan finished the season with 299 assists, just ahead of Godoy with 291. Both also totaled over 100 digs and 41 aces each.  Trinity setter Scarlett Malkasyan (15) sets the ball against Faith Baptist during the second set of Tuesday’s game at Church of the Nazarene on Sept. 24. Habeba Mostafa/ The Signal Trinity now returns to the postseason for the 10th straight season and will return to the Division 6 bracket with an opening-round match at San Jacinto Valley.   While the Heritage League title is always the goal, the team is hungry for more.  “It’s always our plan, right? We want that (CIF) title,” Peluffo said. “We just need to take it one match at a time. We can’t think about the championship looming in the back of our mind.”  Peluffo and the Knights are hopeful they can keep the season going. For the coach, it’s all about confidence in this new era for the Heritage League-champion Knights volleyball program.  “I just want to see them come out confident in what they’ve been able to do and produce as a team, to all genuinely work together and just encourage each other, support each other through it, because we do have a younger team,” Peluffo said. “This is a new experience for a lot of them to be in playoffs, so just going in confident, is going to be the biggest thing for us.”  The post Trinity girls’ volleyball wins elusive league championship  appeared first on Santa Clarita Valley Signal.