VOLLEYBALL ROUNDUP : Pitzak, Esperanza Still Dominate League

Esperanza won its first Empire League boys’ volleyball title in 1991 thanks largely to the strong play of sophomore setter Chris Pitzak.

Two years later, Pitzak and the Aztecs are still dominating the league.

Esperanza, ranked second in Orange County, won its 22nd consecutive league match Thursday night with a 16-14, 8-15, 15-11, 15-10 victory at eighth-ranked Foothill.

Pitzak, a senior, returned to the lineup after sitting out Tuesday’s match against Cypress because of a groin pull. He finished with 68 assists Thursday night for the two-time defending league-champion Aztecs (7-1, 2-0).

“Chris has been struggling to overcome that (injury),” Esperanza Coach Kurt Kersten said. “We were a little out of sync tonight.”

Still, Pitzak kept the ball going to the right people when the Aztecs were in trouble, particularly to outside hitter Brad Goldston and middle blocker Paul Nihipali.

Goldston finished with 26 kills and Nihipali, who’s headed to UCLA, added 23 kills.

Nihipali had seven kills and Goldston added six in the key third game. Esperanza built leads of 6-3 and 11-8 before Foothill cut it to 12-11.

Esperanza then scored the final three points on a Foothill violation and two hitting errors by Rich Lambourne to win the game.

Lambourne led Foothill with 22 kills, but had only two in the final game. Esperanza keyed its blocking on him throughout the late stages of the match.

“We figured if we shut down Lambourne a little bit,” Kersten said, “it would be hard for them to beat us.”

Foothill (7-1, 1-1) rallied from an 11-5 deficit in the fourth game and trailed, 11-10, after a Goldston hitting error.

But a kill each by Goldston and Nihipali, a Foothill hitting error and a block by Tyrell Moore gave the Aztecs the match.

Afterward, Kersten said he was pleased with the victory, but not with his team’s play.

“I don’t think we played particularly well,” he said. “We’re looking to have some time to recoup next week. We’ve had a brutal schedule.

“It was tough playing Foothill here. They just moved up in the top 10 recently, and I think it was well deserved.”