Tesoro boys volleyball sweeps Orange Lutheran to win Division 3 title ...Middle East

NORWALK – It’s difficult to make one comeback in any championship competition.

Tesoro’s boys volleyball team made two.

The Titans came back from large deficits in the first and third sets Saturday on their way to sweeping Orange Lutheran, 25-16, 25-16, 27-25, in the CIF Southern Section Division 3 final at Cerritos College.

The Titans trailed Orange Lutheran 4-0 in the first set and were behind 15-8 in the third set. And won both sets.

“It’s a credit to the boys,” said Pat Eaton, Tesoro co-coach with Rich Polk. “They never flinched. We talked about this, that you’re in the finals and it’s two good volleyball teams. You’re going to have moments where you’re going to have to weather storms and find a way to find an answer, and I think our guys did that.”

Most of those Tesoro guys are not seniors.

Junior outside hitter Max Draper and junior opposite hitter Connor Hatch led the Titans in kills Saturday with 13 each. Junior outside hitter Alex Barrientos had seven kills as did senior middle blocker Dawson Pedranti. Sophomore setter Cash Summers had 32 assists.

After that 4-0 deficit in the first set Tesoro caught up at 8-8. The Titans scored 11 of the final 15 points to win it 25-16. Tesoro led throughout the second set for its 25-16 win.

“The first two sets were some of the best volleyball we’ve played this season,” Hatch said.

It occurs frequently in high school volleyball that a team with a 2-0 lead in sets falters in the third set. That happened to Tesoro early in the third set Saturday.

Orange Lutheran was ahead 15-8 in the third set. Titans senior Finn Smith’s kill got the rally started.

The Lancers had a 24-21 lead but could not get the winning point. A Hatch kill tied it 24-24, and a Hatch kill would provide the match winner in the 27-25 third-set win.

Orange Lutheran enjoyed an outstanding playoff run to get to Saturday’s final. The Lancers finished last in the Trinity League with a 1-9 league record before rising to the Division 3 championship match. Seniors Connor Engelbrecht and Logan Busch led Orange Lutheran with 13 kills apiece.

Tesoro played in a CIF-SS boys volleyball final for the third time in four seasons. The Titans won a CIF-SS title in 2022 and lost in a ‘23 final.

This is Eaton’s final season coaching volleyball at Tesoro. He will coach boys and girls volleyball at Newport Harbor next school year. Tesoro athletic director Ernst Bucher said Saturday he was unsure what the coaching arrangement would be.

“Tesoro’s a very special place for me,” Eaton said. “Coaching with Rich Polk who I played for when I was a kid (at Balboa Bay Club), it’s very special to end the best way we possibly could.”

There could be another special ending coming. As the CIF-SS Division 3 champion, Tesoro qualified for the CIF Southern California Regional playoffs that begin Tuesday. Regional brackets will be released Sunday.

While six teams in CIF-SS Division 1 are invited to the SoCal Regional, only champions of Divisions 2-9 qualify for the SoCal Regional.

Tesoro finished third in the South Coast League with a 4-4 league record. Beckman and San Clemente tied for first place at 7-1 each. The Titans also played a challenging nonleague schedule that included a match against Mater Dei, which won the CIF-SS Division 2 championship on Friday.

“You’re only as good as the teams you play against,” Eaton said. “Playing those teams, those well-coached teams, challenged us as players and as coaches.”

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