BY ALLAN STEELE
HEMET—It was an official Mountain Pass League match between Hemet and Hemet West Valley on Thursday, but it might as well have been a practice match for the upcoming playoffs. With three regular-season matches remaining, the Bulldogs maintained their place atop the league standings with a 3-0 victory, while the Mustangs are in position for a playoff spot of their own. Hemet (16-1, 7-0) has bigger goals than a league title and has been gearing up for a run at another CIF-SS title. West Valley (9-6, 5-2) has had a turnaround season and Wednesday’s 25-16, 25-10, 25-11 loss did nothing to hamper the team’s progress, coach Shaun Pulsipher said. “From last year to this year we’ve made a huge turnaround, mostly with the same girls,” Pulsipher said. “We started playing together as a team and gelling on the court, and that’s helped us beat some pretty good teams by keeping our composure and playing defensively. We don’t have any power hitter that can put a ball away on every swing, we don’t have an all-star. We just play together as a team.” The Mustangs were just1-6 in league a year ago, but currently sit in second place. A strong finish would land them in the postseason, where it’s hard to imagine they’ll face a tougher team than No. 1-ranked Hemet, which is also looking ahead to the postseason. “We still have a lot we can work on, but this whole league has been preparing us for what’s coming up in CIF,” said Hemet outside hitter Baylee Christian, who finished with 25 kills and was a force on the left side. Hemet wasted little time, pulling ahead in game one before the Mustangs closed the gap to 13-11. That was as close as West Valley would get. The Bulldogs finished strong and looked even better in the final two games. “This was an intense game,” Hemet coach Janie Washburn said. “It was good practice for CIF and keeping the momentum on our side, having the loud crowd.” Hemet closes the regular season with matches at Citrus Hill, home against Beaumont and at San Jacinto. West Valley hosts Hemet Tahquitz and San Jacinto, and then finishes the league season at Citrus Hill. Follow Allan Steele on Twitter at @asteele12000