DAVIS VOLLEYBALL FESTIVAL: A RALLY TO CHEER ABOUT SMBC COMES BACK FROM BIG DEFICIT TO SWEEP DAY 2.

Byline: Lauren Gustus Staff Writer

SACRAMENTO - Santa Monica Beach Club's top 18-and-under team had just pulled off a improbable comeback at the Davis Festival, with its under-12 and under-16 teams cheering it on.

After SMBC's victory Wednesday, its supporters crowded around their team as if their older counterparts weren't just good volleyball players but national celebrities.

``They look up to us,'' said middle blocker Linda Wang, who just graduated from Chatsworth High and will play at UC Santa Barbara in the fall. ``And we wanted to play harder for them. It was inspirational.''

That SMBC beat No. 29 Santa Barbara 25-15, 28-26 was well within the realm of possibility. But for SMBC, or any team, to do it after being down 24-18 in rally scoring is almost unheard of.

``We did the impossible,'' said coach Turhan Douglas, also the men's coach at USC. ``It was such a confidence builder. I don't think it could've been any better for us coming back like that.

``Allison Malloy, our defensive specialist, was the MVP today. She's a consistent server and it's hard to put the ball in like that all the time.''

Malloy, who just graduated from Providence of Burbank, closed out the second game with two float serves that caught Santa Barbara off guard.

--Strong at three: Sports Shack won its three matches again Wednesday to maintain its No. 3 seed going into the round of 16 today.

Although focused, Sports Shack, which has yet to lose a game, was relaxed enough to entertain itself with a handstand contest in the lobby of the convention center between matches.

``We're a very confident team,'' said Virginia Levanas, a senior at Marymount of Los Angeles. ``Ever since practice started in January, we've been talking about winning this tournament.''

Sports Shack beat No. 19 Arizona Juniors 25-19, 25-18 and No. 29 Surf Dede 25-29, 25-12. In its first match of the day at 8 a.m., Sports Shack seemed sleepy and had trouble with No. 61 Shasta Creations but won 25-19, 25-12. Courtney Schultz and Levanas combined for stellar blocks throughout the afternoon, and Nevena Siljegovic, who graduated from Hart of Newhall and will play for Moorpark College, unveiled a powerful jump serve that sent opponents scrambling.

--Odds and ends: SMBC beat No. 57 Corpus Christie 25-16, 25-13 in the morning rounds. In its final match of the day, SMBC beat No. 23 Cowlitz 25-13, 25-16 to take a No. 7 seed into the round of 16 today.