Several league titles remain on the line with just over a week left in the regular season for CIF Southern Section boys volleyball play.
CIF L.A. City Section teams are on spring break this week but also have about two weeks until the postseason. All but one league championship has been clinched.
Marmonte League comes down to the wire
The Marmonte League championship race has been a wild ride this season. Westlake, Thousand Oaks and two-time defending champion Newbury Park all are alive for the title.
Last week saw Thousand Oaks win one match and drop a five-set match, as the Lancers bested Agoura two days after a 3-2 loss to Westlake. The Warriors were set up to clinch at least a share of the title after the win but fell on Friday at Newbury Park. Westlake (12-7, 7-2) will take on Oaks Christian on Wednesday, a team that beat the Warriors in five sets earlier this season, for a shot at the program’s first league championship since 2017.
Newbury Park (8-16, 6-3) has won four straight matches and has snuck back into league contention after starting the season 0-11. The Panthers will head to Thousand Oaks (17-12, 7-2) on Wednesday and can force either a two or three-way tie for the crown.
St. Francis still confident after win streak snapped
St. Francis saw its nine-match win streak come to an end last week, but the team is in no way deterred.
The Golden Knights locked up a playoff spot Wednesday by defeating Notre Dame (10-5, 3-3) 3-1 on the road. St. Francis dropped the opening set 25-19 but stormed back to win three straight games.
Senior outside hitter Ryan Bender led the Golden Knights with 15 kills and 10 digs. Benjamin Andrade added 14 kills, Matt Polenzani had 13 kills, while setter Gabriel Heim Benoit tallied 44 assists.
On Friday, St. Francis looked to end Loyola’s decades-long dominance over the Mission League. The Knights won set two, 25-21, and adjusted well to the Cubs. But St Francis was lost in four sets, 25-19, 21-25, 25-19, 25-19.
St. Francis first-year coach Carlos Medina was thrilled with his team’s performance.
“We just came out confidently,” Medina said of the second set in a phone interview. “Our block was so key. It was one of the best performances I’ve ever seen this team have. Not just in my time, but from watching St Francis in the (past). It was just an epic, epic set. And then after that, it was competitive again, but Loyola showed they’re Loyola. They knew how to finish as the third-best team in the country.”
Bender again led the way with 13 kills, six digs, a pair of blocks and two aces. Matthew Polenzani totaled 13 kills with no hitting errors.
The Golden Knights (18-7, 5-1) have won 14 of their last 15 matches after a slow start to the season. St Francis will play just one more nonleague match before postseason play begins in two weeks, where Medina hopes the team will remain resilient.
“More so than anything, it’s been their resilience,” Medina said. “They got punched in the mouth early in the season, but they refused to give in. (The Loyola match) really showed what we were capable of. It wasn’t like Loyola ran over us. They definitely had some great moments, but so did we, and they had to make adjustments, just like we had to make adjustments. So it kind of showed the boys that we’re competing with one of the best teams in the country. And so where does that put us?”
West Ranch has league title in its sights
West Ranch (20-4, 9-0) can clinch its first Foothill League title in three years on Wednesday.
West Ranch can claim at least a share of the throne with a win over Valencia (17-6, 6-3). The Wildcats haven’t beaten the Vikings at home in three years but took down Valencia earlier this season in four sets on the road behind 30 kills from Noah Douphner.
If the Wildcats prevail, they can lock up an outright championship next week with a win over Hart or Golden Valley.
VAAS clinches third straight league championship
Valley Academy of Arts and Science clinched its three-peat last week with a straight-set win over Northridge Academy.
The Vipers took a handful of losses the week prior in the Chatsworth tournament but proved they’re not just a good Valley League team but a strong CIF L.A. City team.
VAAS (16-5, 9-1) took handed its first league loss of the season by Vaughn on Thursday. VAAS will focus on tournament play before its CIF redemption journey begins May 5.
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