Amy Hartwell provided 18 digs for the Eagles and Amanda Watson had 29 assists.
Estancia (11-7) started off strong, jumping out to an early lead.
But Costa Mesa brought the first game right back into reach, pushing the score to 19-17.
That would be as close as the Mustangs would get.
The emotion of the rivalry seemed to come alive in the second game.
With the Eagles taking a commanding lead early at 9-3, they were playing well and playing strong until the momentum seemed to shift.
The Mustangs went on a 7-1 run, tying the score at 10.
The game went back and forth, with Estancia scoring points and Costa Mesa coming right back.
Unfortunately for the Mustangs, the play of Schow was too much for the Mustangs to overcome.
Schow played extremely well, impressing her coach with what she was able to do.
“She was on fire,” Estancia Coach Jim Huffman said of his middle blocker. “We worked really hard all week on her middle because she has been struggling a little bit, even though you may not believe it. She really came through.”
Game Three was more of the same from Estancia.
Schow continued driving shots down toward the ground for points, outside hitter Amy Tomasek came through with big shots and the rest of the Eagles played good defense.
Huffman was very happy with his team’s set-up down the stretch.
“I liked the way we were setting up our defense,” he said. “Every person we thought was going to get set got set and we executed exactly what we wanted to execute.”
The third game was intense, both teams fighting on and the score staying close.
Estancia led the entire game and there was a string of points from the Eagles that seemed to deflate the Mustangs of their confidence.
But Costa Mesa was able to tie the score at 20, keeping hopes alive.
At this point, the emotions of the rivalry flowed through the crowd with both sides chanting for their team.
For Estancia, the result was what it liked to see: another win.
Even though the Eagles took the match in three games, credit for Costa Mesa’s play was definitely warranted, according to Huffman.
“I thought Costa Mesa did a phenomenal job of passing,” he said. “We have been picking people apart all year long with our serves and I thought they did a fantastic job of keeping the ball where they could actually run an offense.”
As for the Eagles next league match against Calvary Chapel, Huffman said he doesn’t know too much about those other Eagles except that they have a good record.
“We are going to definitely look at improving our defense and our passing,” Huffman said.
ANDREW SNYDER may be reached at (714) 966-4616.
