SOUTHERN SECTION: LA REINA GETS SHOT AT TITLE.

Byline: Rich Hammond  Staff Writer

Most of the players have been waiting for this day for four years. Now that La Reina's chance at a Southern Section Division IV-AA championship has arrived, the Regents want to relish the moment.

This senior-dominated team, led by middle hitter Jennifer Ryan and outside hitter/setter Ashlie Hain, endured three years of playoff disappointment. Followers wondered if they would ever reach their potential.

Now, they have.

The third-seeded Regents (25-0) will face top-seeded Marymount (24-3) today at 7 p.m. at Cypress College in La Reina's first trip to a section final.

In the college's other gym at the same time, top-seeded Harvard-Westlake (21-2) will face second-seeded Bishop Montgomery of Torrance (21-11) in a rematch of last year's Division III-AA final.

``Mainly, I just want them to enjoy it,'' said coach Don Hyatt, who has coached La Reina's softball team to three Southern Section championships in 10 years. ``I've seen it with the softball kids, that this experience stays with them for the rest of their lives, so if they give less than their best, they are going to have regrets.

``If you play hard and you get beat, then you say congratulations and hope you see them again in state. The big thing is that we've already made state, so I'm guaranteed at least two more games. Right now, I'm asking for as many games as I can have with this group.''

On Tuesday, the Regents overcame their mental block of having lost in the quarterfinals six of the past seven years. They beat Paraclete in the quarterfinals, then dropped the second game of the semifinals against Laguna Beach but won in four.

``We had won 70 consecutive games before that, so it was nice to see them respond the way they did,'' Hyatt said. ``There's just been a huge shift in attitude. They were very nervous getting through the quarterfinals, but now they just want to play, they don't care who it is against.''

A similar attitude has developed at Harvard-Westlake, as the Wolverines' only two losses have come in tournament play. Last year, Bishop Montgomery overwhelmed Havard-Westlake with its depth at hitter, but the opposite situation seems to exist this season.

Middle hitter Courtney Schultz and outside hitters Karalyn Kuchenbecker and Anna Nesser give the Wolverines a hitting trio that is difficult to match. Harvard-Westlake defeated Bishop Montgomery in three games in a nonleague match in September.

The Wolverines have not dropped a game in three playoff matches, but they were pushed in the third game of a semifinal sweep of La Canada on Tuesday in the semifinals.