UCLA VOLLEYBALL TOURNAMENT OF CHAMPIONS : Marina Beats Canyon Country Canyon to Win 55-Team Event

The Marina High School volleyball team made sure the sun didn’t set too early on the Sunset League Saturday night at the UCLA Tournament of Champions.

Second-seeded Marina rallied from a 9-5 deficit to beat fifth-seeded Canyon Country Canyon, 15-12, in the finals of the 55-team, pool-play tournament at Pauley Pavilion.

Canyon defeated top-seeded Edison of the Sunset League, 15-10, in the semifinals.

Rob Trilk had two kills as Canyon, a Division 3-A school, turned a 5-5 tie into a 9-5 lead against Marina, a Division 4-A school.

But Marina, led by Brant Shelor, Dennis Winners and John Mull, fought back to tie it, 12-12. Marina scored the final three points, capitalizing on two Canyon hitting errors and a stuff block by Shelor.

Shelor had four kills and Winners added five for Marina. Trilk led Canyon with seven kills.

“We were behind most of the game and we came back and we gutted it out,” said Marina Coach John Burns, whose team won the Dos Pueblos tournament last month.

After breezing to 10 consecutive victories in pool play and the early rounds, defending-champion Edison found its path to the finals blocked by Canyon.

Canyon middle blocker Kevin Sathre had six kills and six blocks as Canyon won, 15-10.

Edison struggled in the middle, playing without starting middle blocker T.J. Van Reusen, who is sidelined for two weeks with torn cartilage in his sternum.

But Edison Coach Tim Wetzel didn’t use Van Reusen’s absence as an excuse.

“Canyon was more aggressive than we were,” Wetzel said. “We were a little intimidated by them yelling at us through the net.”

Canyon built leads of 8-2 and 14-6 before Edison rallied to cut the deficit to 14-10. The match ended on an Edison hitting error.

“They came out on fire, and I think maybe we were looking ahead to playing Marina in the finals,” Wetzel said.

Edison reached the semifinals by beating Dana Hills, 15-2, and Monte Vista, 15-5.

Marina made the finals by beating San Dieguito, 15-11, Loyola, 15-13, and Los Angeles University, 15-13. El Toro was eliminated in the first round, losing to Los Angeles University, 15-13.

Four of the eight county teams competing failed to advance out of pool play--Ocean View (3-5), Mission Viejo (3-5), Laguna Hills (3-5) and La Quinta (1-7). Only the top two teams in each of the 11 pools advanced.