HIGH SCHOOL VOLLEYBALL PLAYOFFS : Chatsworth Opens With Easy Win

The Chatsworth High boys’ volleyball team is ranked No. 1 in the City Section after winning the West Valley League title this season. And it took only 55 minutes Tuesday to show Gardena why the Chancellors have earned the honor.

Behind the strong hitting of senior outside hitter Ryan Labovitch and junior middle blocker Gene Urcan, Chatsworth overpowered Gardena, 15-5, 15-9, 15-1, in the first round of the 4-A Division playoffs at Chatsworth.

“They have some great players,” Gardena Coach Marshall Jones said. “They really impressed me with the most polished offense I’ve seen from a high school team this season.”

Chatsworth (13-1), the defending 4-A champion, played a near-perfect passing game and served almost flawlessly, misfiring once.

Gardena had problems early with missed kill attempts and inconsistent passing.

“In the first game we were really nervous, a little jitterish,” Jones said. “But in the middle of the second game we realized that if we pulled our passing together, we could play with them.”

In the second game, the Chancellors faltered slightly after taking a 9-0 lead. Inconsistent setting forced six sideouts.

Gardena (7-8), seeded 16th, scored eight consecutive points to cut the deficit to 9-8 with help from John Won (three kills in the game) and Scott Ikegami (nine assists).

“I think our enthusiasm dropped a little in that game,” Labovitch said. “We played down to their level and we can’t do that.”

But the Chancellors took a 5-1 lead in the third game before scoring 10 unanswered points.

From the begining, the Mohicans had problems hitting over Chatsworth blockers. On average, Urcan (seven kills, eight blocks) and Craig Hewitt held a 5 1/2-inch height advantage and had 10 more blocks than their Gardena counterparts (14-4).

Hewitt finished the match with six blocks and five kills. Junior setter Dan Choi had 13 assists, Labovitch had nine kills and Scott Yager had nine assists.

“I wasn’t surprised by the outcome of the game,” Chatsworth Coach Steve West said. “We went in ready to play hard. I expect to win (the City Section title) again.