Southern Section Volleyball : Loyola Keeps Coming Back to Take Another 3-A Title

Loyola High School won its second Southern Section 3-A volleyball title in three years by coming from behind in all three games to down Los Altos, 15-9, 15-11, 15-12, at Westminster High Saturday.

Los Altos took the early lead each time but eventually couldn’t overcome the serving of junior setter Parker Blackman of Loyola.

Blackman’s left-handed, overhand delivery confused the Conquistadores at the most important times in the match, particularly when the last game was tied, 12-12.

Loyola had been trailing, 12-5, but battled back behind the play of Mike Griswold and Michael Huntman before it came Blackman’s turn to serve.

“Even when we were down 12-5, I thought we had a chance to win,” said Loyola Coach Roger Yano. “After we started to catch up, I told the kids that, in a timeout, and it turns out they believed me, too.”

With the score even, Blackman’s serves handcuffed the Los Altos defenders twice in a row, giving the Cubs a 14-12 lead.

“He’s worked on that serve by himself,” Yano said. “The speed of the topspin is what makes it so tough to return. They didn’t handle it very well.”

On the last point of the match, Los Altos knocked Michael Jalavera’s serve out of bounds and the Cubs had the game and the championship.

Los Altos had its chances, taking a 7-1 lead in the first game and a 10-7 lead in the second, but the Conquistadores were never once able to put the Cubs away. “They’re the best 3-A team we’ve played all season,” Yano said of Los Altos. “We were hard-pressed throughout the match.”

In the Southern Section 4-A championship game, Corona del Mar defeated Dana Hills, 10-15, 15-6, 15-12, 15-13. The Sea Kings got even for an earlier loss to the Dolphins and finished the season 17-3, while Dana Hills (19-1) lost its first match of the season.