IRVINE — The Beckman boys volleyball program had a long stretch of being the league powerhouse among the Irvine-area schools, but this season the Patriots became a member of the South Coast League.
And despite the change, they’re one win away from claiming yet another league title.
Beckman defeated Tesoro in four sets, 25-13, 25-21, 23-25, 25-21, on Thursday night at Beckman High.
The Patriots (27-5, 6-1) will face the Titans again Tuesday, April 22, in the regular-season finale with a league championship on the line.
San Clemente is 7-1 in league play after sweeping Alison Niguel on Thursday.
Beckman coach Darin McBain admitted that this week has been rough for his team, and he referenced Wednesday’s loss to Newport Harbor, but he liked the way his players bounced back Thursday.
“That was a huge match for us,” McBain said of beating Tesoro. “… One of our main goals this year was winning a league championship. Our first year moving to this new league, we’ve won five league championships previously in a row and I don’t want that to end. It’s a win and it gets us one win away from where we want to be.”
The Titans (14-12, 4-3) were blown out in the first set but came out strong in the second set but Beckman pulled away thanks to Gavin Looney, who had a match-high 18 kills, and Stanford commit Luke Morrison, who added 16 kills.
Tesoro avoided the sweep by winning the third set 25-23. The Patriots came back to tie that set at 23 apiece but the Titans got the last two points to get on board in the match.
Morrison and Looney took over in the fourth set to secure the victory.
McBain described what it has been like to coach Morrison.
Beckman’s Luke Morrison had 16 kills and played a big role in the Patriots’ 3-1 victory over Tesoro in a South Coast League match Thursday, April 17, 2025. (Photo by David Delgado)
“He’s a phenomenal volleyball player, obviously, and the best blocker I’ve ever coached.” McBain said. “It’s just natural to him and he’s so physical and athletic that he can do anything on the volleyball court. But the kid’s just such a good kid, like he’s respectful and he’s kind and he’s got incredible grades. And I mean, he’s everything you can ask for in a in a person, not just a volleyball player.”
McBain hopes to improve on some aspects before Tuesday’s rematch at Tesoro
“We’ll reset, take a couple of days off but on Monday at practice, we are going to have to work on a couple of things that we got absolutely exposed on today,” he said. “Their right sides probably hit .800 or .900, we didn’t stop them more than once or twice, so that’s gonna be a main focus.”
“Their middle, number 13 (Finn Smith) had a great match,” McBain continued. “He was picking us apart, so we’ve got to come up with some strategies to slow those guys down.”
When asked how it would feel to win a sixth consecutive league title and first in their new, more challenging league, McBain shared his ambitions and gratitude for the opportunity.
“We came in thinking we got shot at winning this league and our big win against San Clemente a few weeks back put us in line, but we still have work to do, for sure.” McBain said. “It’s special because it’s a goal that we set. We have other goals that we have, a little loftier, but that’s obviously the first goal that we have on our minds and so to accomplish a goal really helps but I’m actually excited about playing on the road in a match that we have to win with something on the line to see, you know. We gotta prepare ourselves for the playoffs.”
RELATED
Huntington Beach boys volleyball proud of first league title since 2016
Mater Dei volleyball on the upswing, closes in on Trinity League title
Foothill volleyball knocks off Sunny Hills with boost from new additions
Read More Details
Finally We wish PressBee provided you with enough information of ( Beckman volleyball overpowers Tesoro, moves closer to another league title )
Also on site :