Flintridge Prep volleyball serves up another league title
LA CAÑADA — The Flintridge Prep boys’ volleyball team served its way to an undisputed Prep League championship.
Having already secured a share of the title the day before, the Rebels hosted Rio Hondo Prep on Wednesday afternoon with a opportunity to claim the championship outright.
Behind a serving performance that was downright dominant, Flintridge Prep finished with 24 aces in a sweep of the Kares, 25-14, 25-13, 25-13.
Flintridge Prep (17-1, 7-0 in league) has claimed six straight Prep League titles. The Rebels can put the finishing touches on an undefeated league campaign with a victory at home Tuesday against Chadwick.
“I think the guys are pretty loose and it’s a pretty calm group,” said Rebels coach Sean Beattie, who has piloted the squad through the six straight crowns. “They don’t get too emotional, high or low. And we talk about that a lot.
“Volleyball is a sport that is quick and you can’t dwell on what’s just happened because something else is happening right after that. I feel they do a good job at detaching themselves from things, like not focusing on the [league title] streak and just focusing on the game. When they do that we’re a really good team.”
Leading the Flintridge Prep serving parade was junior AJ Nicassio, who had 11 aces along with nine kills and two blocks. Junior Nathan Powell led the Rebels in kills with 11 and senior Majeed Ismail contributed seven kills and seven aces.
Flintridge Prep got rolling early against Rio Hondo Prep (7-13, 1-4 in league), which suffered through offensive lapses.
In the first game, the Rebels surged out to a 4-0 advantage and turned that into a nine-point lead, 12-3, following a kill by Ismail. With four kills each in the frame from Ismail and Powell, along with the help of six aces, Flintridge Prep easily closed out the game.
“We have been going on an upward trajectory this whole season and we have just been getting better as a team,” Nicassio said. “We have great chemistry and a lot of great players and, although a lot of them aren’t club players, they know what they’re doing, which is incredible.
“We want to close out the league season strongly and, after that, we play in the [Crescenta Valley] Tournament and we then want to be at our best for the playoffs.”
Nicassio put on a serving clinic in the second game, finishing with six aces, including five in a row at one point. Again, the Rebels built an early lead, 6-1, and upped their advantage to 15-5 following a kill by senior James Ayers. The lead ballooned to 22-7 before the Kares made a late surge. However, a Rio Hondo service error secured the game and a 2-0 lead for Flintridge Prep.
The Kares showed some life in the third game, taking a 6-4 lead on a Flintridge Prep lift call. But the Rebels grabbed the momentum in the frame with a 6-0 run which culminated with a kill by Powell to put the hosts up 10-6. Flintridge Prep took control and finished the match with another kill from Powell.
The Kares mustered just three kills in the final game, which featured four aces from Ismail.
Twitter: @jefftsports
