CORONA — Centennial girls volleyball coach Joe Schnake did his best to maintain a glass-half-full outlook Wednesday night. The Huskies did not deliver their best performance of the 2024 season but still swept Crescenta Valley 25-16, 25-21, 25-21 in a CIF Southern Section Division 2 playoff opener. Centennial heads to South Torrance for a second-round match Saturday night. “Definitely not the prettiest of wins but we advanced,” Schnake admitted. “We have to clean things up for South Torrance.” Cydnee Bryant, a 6-foot-4 junior middle blocker, was one of the few Huskies who didn’t experience many down moments during the match. Bryant recorded 13 kills and only one error on 17 attempts (.706 hitting percentage) and also had four total blocks. Centennial (24-7) used a 7-0 run to take the early advantage in the opening set. Bryant kickstarted the run with a kill and combined with Charlotte McCully for a block that gave the Huskies a 9-2 lead. Crescenta Valley trimmed the deficit to 16-14 at one point, but Centennial answered with a 6-0 run. Morgan Wilson’s second ace of the match gave the set to the Huskies. Wilson and Londyn Neal shared setting duties and did a great job spreading the ball around. Bryant and Asia Udo-Ema tallied four kills apiece in the opening set, but three other Centennial attackers registered at least two kills during that frame. “What we’ve been working on with our setters is trying to get our hitters isolated as much as we can,” said Schnake, whose team hit .387 in the opening set. “When we get can get those 1-on-1 opportunities, it’s pretty hard to stop our hitters.” The second set featured a couple of early lead changes, but Centennial put together an 8-2 run to take control of the game. Bryant had five kills in the second set, including two during that key stretch. Udo-Ema ended the frame with a crosscourt kill. Despite losing that second game, Crescenta Valley (34-7-2) had plenty to build on. The Falcons had nine kills in the first set but upped that total to 14 in the second game. Crescenta Valley’s efficiency also jumped from .143 to .323 from set to set. The Falcons raced out to a 5-1 lead in the third set to put some pressure on Centennial. Crescenta Valley did not register a block in the first two sets, but the Falcons had four in the third set. Bryant led the comeback for Centennial, smacking back-to-back kills to the floor to give the Huskies an 11-10 lead. The set was still up for grabs late, with the lead changing three times down the stretch. Jordyn Wilson’s kill put Centennial up 23-20, and two hitting errors by Crescenta valley ended the match. Related Articles High School Sports | IE Varsity’s CIF Southern Section playoff scoreboard for Wednesday, Oct. 23 High School Sports | Inland college notes: Players respond following cancellation of San Bernardino Valley College football season High School Sports | IE Varsity’s previews of the top high school football games Thursday, Oct. 24 High School Sports | IE Varsity’s CIF Southern Section playoff schedule for Thursday, Oct. 24 High School Sports | IE Varsity’s CIF Southern Section playoff scoreboard for Tuesday, Oct. 22 Centennial has dropped ost only two sets during its winning streak, one to San Clemente (Sept. 7) and one to Roosevelt (Oct. 8). “Even when things aren’t going the best, like the third set tonight, they just press forward and find a way,” Schnake said. Udp-Ema finished with nine kills for Centennial, while McCully and Jordyn Wilson added seven and six kills, respectively, for the Huskies. McCully had four block assists, and libero McKenna Giles led the back-row defense with 15 digs. Adelyn Lopez had nine kills to lead the way for Crescenta Valley. Isabel Haytayan and Hayden Shirvanian added seven and six kills, respectively, for the Falcons.