NORWALK — Just two years removed from a 1-23 season, the El Toro boys volleyball team reached the summit and made school history in the process.
The Chargers capped a sensational turnaround Saturday with a victory over Quartz Hill in four sets, 17-25, 28-26, 25-21, 25-19, in the Division 6 final at Cerritos College.
It is the first CIF-SS boys volleyball championship for El Toro.
El Toro coach Sean Dixon, in his third-year at the helm, reflected on the journey that saw his team go from nearly worst to first.
““To be the first program to do it at El Toro and really to be a program that started at the bottom and made it to the top,” Dixon said, “obviously we have state next week, but, you know, they’re going to remember this for the rest of their lives. And it’s going to be such a good experience that they look back on fondly.”
Senior outside hitter Ryan Lim collected a match-high 24 kills and 14 digs for El Toro (18-15), which was the No. 2 seed in Division 6.
Senior Jeremy Gould finished with 12 kills,12 digs and three aces and Ziyuan Liu added 10 kills. Senior setter Moses Kim had 52 assists while controlling the action while Ben Earnsahw and Colin Fletcher provided key plays in crucial moments.
The Royals (27-13) took the opening set thanks to their middle blocker, Joseph Bonner, who had four kills in the set. Quartz Hill also tallied six total blocks at the net.
“I think we were all a little bit nervous and to be fair, I think that is a good thing,” Dixon said. “But it was really nothing new for us. This is, I want to say, the fourth match in a row where we’ve been down a set at a certain point.”
Lim shared his thoughts on the pregame and opening-set jitters as well.
“I was feeling it myself, the entire bus ride here, to be honest,” Lim said. “Yeah, I was walking here, and my hands were shaking and everything. First set, my chest was tight and everything, and I guarantee you, the other guys were feeling it too. But, you know, once we get in our rhythm, we ball out.”
“I give credit to our two captains, Moses Kim and Ben Earnshaw, for really just keeping the guys calm on the court,” Dixon said. “Li bringing everyone in after every point. I think that was just the biggest difference.”
The Chargers fought off a set-point opportunity for the Royals in the second set, on a swing by Earnshaw, then after a service error , found themselves in danger of going down 2-0 in the match once again.
Lim’s kill and Fletcher’s ace gave El Toro a chance at their own set point, which Gould helped win, 28-26, after a long rally and a tough swing at the pin.
“We just kind of got fired up after that (first set),” Gould said. “We’re like, ‘We can’t let this be our last play, you know? We gotta just bring all we have.”
Dixon praised Lim’s play, especially as the match progressed. Lim had eight kills in the second set, five in the third and six in the fourth.
“He’s just one of those guys that gets stronger as the game goes on,” Dixon said.
Dixon took one final introspective glance at his team’s journey and described the joy it brought him.
“I’m more happy for the guys because it’s really tough to win only one match (in 2023) and really just to stay positive after you’re basically losing every game,” he said. “I’m just so happy for them. You know, they really worked hard. I just remember them being young sophomores who really just got their first taste of varsity. A lot of them didn’t play JV, it’s just incredible.”
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