Southern Section Volleyball : Dana Hills Crashes Edison’s Party and Wins 4-A Crown

Saturday was Prom Night for Edison High School, but it was Dana Hills that was dancing when the last ball fell to the floor in the CIF Southern Section 4-A volleyball championship game.

The Dolphins rallied from a 4-1 deficit in the final game to score the next 13 points and claim their first volleyball title with a 14-16, 15-10, 15-6, 6-15, 15-4 win over the Chargers in front of an estimated 2,000 spectators at Marina High School in Huntington Beach.

Senior hitters Chris Knowles and Tim Glasgow teamed to lead Dana Hills, which had lost to Corona del Mar in last year’s 4-A final.

It was the first time top-seeded Edison was forced to play five games this season.

The Chargers came back from an 11-3 deficit to win the first game. John McCormick had a stuff block for the Chargers to cut Dana Hills’ lead to 10-11, then drilled an errant Dolphin pass to the floor to make it 11-11. Steve Titus and Rich Smith closed out the game with some solid outside hitting.

Chris Knowles and Glasgow brought Dana Hills back in the second game. After an early exchange of leads, the Dolphins went ahead, 10-8, then scored four unanswered points to break it open.

Edison fell behind, 11-2, in the third game and, this time, couldn’t come back. The Chargers made a run to cut the gap to 12-6 before Knowles and Glasgow reestablished themselves at the net.

The Chargers took a 10-1 lead in the fourth game and held off a mild Dana Hills threat to extend the match to five games.

Loyola beat Brentwood, 15-1, 15-12, 15-7, to win the 3-A final. It was Loyola’s third 3-A title in the last four years.