Boys’ volleyball: Birmingham pulls off biggest upset in City history

This article was originally on a blog post platform and may be missing photos, graphics or links. See About archive blog posts.

When is the last time the No. 1 seeded team lost to No. 16 in the City Section boys’ volleyball playoffs? The answer is never, but that’s what happened earlier this week, when Birmingham upset top-seeded Chatsworth in five games.

‘I was just shocked,’ said Tom Harp, coach of No. 3-seeded Granada Hills. ‘Somebody told me and I didn’t believe it.’

Coach Anthony Thomas of Birmingham said it was the first time in weeks that the Patriots were finally healthy with their top three players -- setter Jose Ortega, 6-foot-6 middle blocker Daniel Lopez and outside hitter Richard Galindo -- on the court at the same time.

Birmingham, which finished fifth in the West Valley League behind Chatsworth, will try to continue its climb in the second round tonight against another West Valley opponent, El Camino Real.

-- Eric Sondheimer