High School Playoffs : Bruckner, Chaminade Hammer Montebello in 3-A Wild-Card Match

Senior Chris Bruckner, soon to be spiking the ball for UCLA, had a match-high 26 kills Wednesday night as Chaminade High swept Montebello, 15-2, 15-10, 15-11, in a Southern Section 3-A Division wild-card playoff at Chaminade.

Bruckner (6-foot-5, 190 pounds), a three-year starter who is averaging 26.5 kills and seven blocks this season, committed to UCLA earlier this year and said he will sign a letter of intent today.

“You can’t beat UCLA volleyball,” Bruckner said of the Bruins, who have won 13 national championships since 1970. “It’s No. 1.”

Chaminade (13-6), which finished second in the San Fernando Valley League, fell behind, 2-0, in the first game before Steve Gerevas scored seven consecutive points. Marc Miles then served eight consecutive points to close out the game.

Tim Hayes had 12 kills and Fran Reyes added nine. Chaminade, seeded 12th, plays fourth-seeded Brentwood in a first-round match Friday at Brentwood.

In other wild-card matches:

San Marcos d. Crespi, 8-15, 13-15, 16-14, 15-9, 15-6--The Celts were a point away from sweeping the 4-A Division wild-card match, but visiting San Marcos rallied in each of the final three games.

Crespi (12-5) led, 14-13, in the third game after rallying in each of the first two games. San Marcos led, 5-1 and 7-2, before the Celts staged comebacks.

Crespi led in each of the final two games, 7-3 and 6-3, but San Marcos rallied, scoring the final 12 points of the deciding game.

Ken Lynch led Crespi with 24 kills. Chris McGee added 17 and Brian Scully had 12.

Glendale d. Lynwood, 15-9, 15-5, 15-6--Glendale, which finished third in the Central League, coasted in a 3-A match at Lynwood. The third-seeded Dynamiters (12-5) will play at unseeded Bishop Montgomery on Friday.

Dos Pueblos d. St. Francis, 15-5, 15-2, 15-13--The Golden Knights (10-9), who finished third in the Del Rey League, were eliminated in a 4-A match at Dos Pueblos.

CITY SECTION SOFTBALL

Carson 15, Chatsworth 6--Laura Roopenian (12-4) was shelled for 17 hits in a 4-A Division first-round game at Chatsworth.

Kelly Tubin hit a two-run home run in the first and Mara Phillips hit a solo shot in the seventh in a losing effort. Roopenian added a single and a triple. Chatsworth (12-4) committed nine errors.

In other first-round games:

Granada Hills 5, Birmingham 1--The Highlanders collected nine hits and capitalized on six Birmingham errors in a 4-A Division game at Birmingham.

Banning 10, Canoga Park 0--Kricket Kearn lost her no-hitter on Belen Mota’s two-put single in the seventh inning, but the fifth-seeded Pilots breezed by the 12th-seeded Hunters in a 4-A Division game at Banning.

Poly 25, Dorsey 8--Junior Jodi Soto pitched a six-hitter with 12 strikeouts and added a double at Poly as the top-seeded Parrots (17-2) won their 15th in a row in a 3-A Division game.

Julie Dawson was three for four, including a home run, with six RBIs.