Crescenta Valley volleyball holds off Burbank for five-game win
Over the past three seasons, the Crescenta Valley High and Burbank boys’ volleyball teams have battled it out for second place in the Pacific League.
The Bulldogs finished runner-up in 2016 and 2014, while the Falcons were second in 2015.
With Burroughs dominating the league landscape in recent years and the Indians the favorites to win another title this season, the Bulldogs and Falcons expect to be positioning for the second-place spot yet again.
The teams found themselves in a tight matchup Wednesday. Crescenta Valley was able to battle back from an early deficit and took control of the crucial fifth game to earn a 21-25, 25-13, 25-20, 17-25, 15-11 victory at Burbank High.
Join the conversation on Facebook »
“I 100% expected this to happen today,” said Crescenta Valley Coach John Nelson, whose team improved to 9-2, 2-0 in league. “We scouted them, so we knew what to expect and they scouted us, so we knew there weren’t going to be a lot of surprises and we knew what was coming.
“It seems like we always have tough battles against Burbank and today was another one.”
In the deciding fifth game, it was Burbank (13-8, 1-1) the Bulldogs jumped out to a 3-1 lead following a combo block by Adrian Rivera (match-high 19 kills) and Rory Ricky (nine kills).
But the Falcons fought back and wrestled away control of the game to the tune of a 5-0 run. That run culminated with a kill from Matthew Gardner to give Crescenta Valley a three-point cushion, 6-3.
Burbank would get as close as one point of the lead, 6-5, before the Falcons pushed back. A block from Falcon Anders Johnson (team-high 15 kills) put the Falcons up, 10-6, and the Bulldogs would only get as close as two the rest of the way.
“I think we were getting in our own heads a little bit today and we have to fight harder and really work on our teamwork,” Rivara said. “I know we can push harder the next time we play them.
“We knew it was going to be a tough one today against CV, it usually is.”
Crescenta Valley received 44 assists from Eugene Shin and nine kills from Jonathan Lee. Jonathan Ragheb added 13 kills for Burbank.
Burbank took control of the first game early, starting the frame on a 7-2 clip. The Falcons got to within one of the lead at 10-9, but couldn’t get any closer.
In the second game, the Bulldogs again started off well, enjoying a 4-0 advantage. But Crescenta Valley continued to whittle away at the lead and forged in front, using a 16-5 run to take a 16-9 lead. The Falcons ended the game on a 9-4 run.
The third game saw Burbank go in front, 12-11, before the Falcons made up the deficit and went ahead for good, 14-13, on a Burbank attacking error that went long.
“We know if we’re down in a game, we have to pick it up and play the way we know how,” Johnson said. “A lot of the times, we know we can play better than we are, it’s just a matter of believing in ourselves to make that happen.
“We have battled back in the past and we know how to do that and what we have to do to win.”
After the fourth game was tied at 8, Burbank stepped up and took control, winning the stanza and forcing the winner-take-all fifth set.
Twitter: @jefftsports
