It was a tough week for the Los Alamitos High boys volleyball team, but two wins to end the Orange County Championship Tournament might have the Griffins back on track.
The Griffins will begin Sunset League play on Friday and the league again looks like a gauntlet run for whichever team eventually wins the league title. The Griffins finished third last year, behind Huntington Beach and Newport Harbor.
The most recent CIF-SS Division 1 poll has Newport Harbor ranked sixth and Huntington Beach ranked 10th. Edison is ranked 9th in the poll and Fountain Valley is ranked 10th in the Division 2 poll. The Griffins have tested themselves with a tough schedule, and has shown plenty of competitiveness against top-tier opponents.
Last week, the Griffins hosted Mater Dei in a hard-fought four set match that the Monarchs eventually won, 31-29, 24-26, 25-19, 25-18. After losing the first set in extended scoring, the Griffins fell behind in the second set before rallying to capture the set.
“I was really impressed with the effort of my team,” Head Coach Mike Whitcomb said after the match. Whitcomb said his team may have become a little fatigued in the two long sets, but also noted that he was not overly concerned with it this early in the season. Whitcomb was encouraged by the competitiveness of his team, particularly with the strong league battle they are sure to encounter.
After dropping the first set, the Griffins needed to rally from behind to eventually win the second set. Mater Dei led 23-21 after a tip shot by the Griffins fell wide. Senior Kevin Marshall closed the set to 23-22 with a kill before the Monarchs scored on a block to get to set point, 24-22.
Junior Josh Ridgeway got the Griffins to within 24-23 with a kill to the back line, then the Monarchs were called for a net violation to tie the match at 24-24. Ridgeway then put the Griffins up 25-24 with a tip shot off a defender’s hand. Sophomore Jake Maffett then closed the set with kill from the left off a block that dropped in for the point.
Maffett and Marshall each had 24 kills to lead the Griffins, while senior Tanner Kaufman had 13 kills. After struggling in the early rounds of the Orange County Championships over the weekend, the Griffins bounced back to win its final two sets over Tesoro and Dana Hills.
The Griffins will open Sunset League play on Friday at 5:45 p.m. at Huntington Beach High. Despite the tough test of league play, Whitcomb said his team has the talent to compete if they can stay focused.
“We’re going to be a lot better at the end of the season if we desire it,” Whitcomb said.
This article appeared in the March 22, 2017 print edition of the News Enterprise.
