Burroughs volleyball takes Oak Park to limit in CIF championship loss

NORWALK – The Burroughs High boys’ volleyball team battled back and put itself in a position to win the CIF Southern Section Division II championship.

The third-seeded Indians lost two of the first three games of the title match Saturday afternoon against No. 1 Oak Park and were a game away from elimination. But Burroughs fought its way back, won the fourth game and forced a deciding fifth set.

Unfortunately for the Indians, they fell behind early in the final stanza and Oak Park finished things off in sending Burroughs to a 25-20, 18-25, 25-16, 24-26, 15-8 defeat at Cerritos College.

“We tried to focus all year on resetting and refocusing,” said Burroughs senior Andrew Dalmada, who had a match-high 27 kills. “After we fell behind after those first three games, we just wanted to let those three sets go and just concentrate on winning that fourth game.

“We weren’t going to give up. We knew that we still had a chance and we could still come back and force a fifth game.”

Burroughs (29-6), which captured its seventh straight Pacific League championship this season, was making its second CIF championship appearance in just 10 years as a program. The Indians also lost in the 2011 Division III final to Cerritos Valley Christian in three games.

The Indians were attempting to win only the second team title in the 68-year history of Burroughs High School. Still, the only championship is a Division I boys’ cross-country title won in 2014.

“It has been a goal of ours for four years to make it this far and I’m really proud that we made it,” said Burroughs senior Ryan Van Loo, who had 55 assists and 10 digs. “But I’m really disappointed that we just weren’t able to finish it. It looked like we had it a few times and we had the momentum, but we just couldn’t get it done.”

It is the second straight Division II championship for Oak Park (31-4), which swept Valencia Valencia in the 2015 title match. The Eagles have no seniors on their roster.

Burroughs received 19 kills and 11 digs from senior Cameron Capili, eight kills from junior Conner Ludlum and 10 digs from junior Skyler Bercini.

In the fifth game, the Indians got off to a rocky start. Burroughs fell behind early, 7-1, following a block from junior Grigory Manyk (team-high 17 kills and six digs). The Indians couldn’t get any closer than five points the rest of the game, as Oak Park junior Adam Parks (15 kills, 41 assists and 14 digs) delivered a kill to finish off the Indians.

“I’m still trying to figure out what happened to us in that fifth game,” Burroughs Coach Joel Brinton said. “I have to look over some things and try and wrap my head around what went on. We just sided out so well in that fourth set and we couldn’t side out in that fifth set.

“When you dig yourself a hole like that in a game up to 15, it’s just so hard to dig yourself out of that.”

Burroughs began the match by playing well in the first set, taking a 9-8 advantage following an Oak Park service error. The teams battled deep into the game, with neither able to make any significant runs. The Eagles finally surged ahead, 21-18, on a block by Parks. Burroughs got to within two, 22-20, but Oak Park took the final three points to win the stanza.

The Indians again came out and put pressure on the Eagles early in the second game, enjoying a 12-7 lead after a kill by Van Loo. Burroughs increased its lead to 20-11 on another kill by Van Loo. The Indians won the game and tied the match on an Eagles attacking error.

It was the first game surrendered by Oak Park in the postseason.

The Eagles dominated the third game, never allowing the Indians to lead or tie throughout.

Facing elimination, the Indians came out and took the lead in the fourth game, 11-10. They increased their advantage to four late, 21-17. However, the Eagles came back and tied the score at 24. Burroughs responded right back, with a kill from Dalmada and a kill from Bailey Carter to win the game and tie the match.

“I’m proud of the way the guys came back and won that fourth game,” Brinton said. “This is a group that has always battled for everything and they showed a lot by playing like they did in that fourth game.”

The season likely isn’t over for Burroughs, as state playoff pairings are released Sunday and the Indians are likely to receive a berth.

“We are looking forward to that,” Brinton said. “I know the guys don’t want to go out like this.”