Royal Set to Extend Its Reign

The coronation wasn’t official, but the Royal High volleyball team in effect crowned itself champion of the Marmonte League for the third consecutive year with a 15-5, 15-3, 15-10 victory over host Thousand Oaks on Tuesday.

The Highlanders (12-0, 10-0 in league play) have a two-match lead on the Lancers (12-2, 8-2) with four remaining and have beaten Thousand Oaks in both head-to-head meetings. Royal has not lost a game in three years of league matches.

“We wanted to come in here and show them that we can’t be beat,” said Royal’s Steve Hodge, who along with Jason Hughes had a match-high 16 kills.

“After the last (match, a three-game Royal victory March 26), they made a comment that they were definitely going to take a game from us here and break our streak in league. We wanted to really rub it in and show them.”

Such is Royal’s dominance in league play that opponents have the lofty aspiration of merely winning a game. “It’s really a compliment to us,” Hodge said.

The Lancers could not stop Hodge, a 6-foot-3 outside hitter, or Hughes, a 6-7 outside hitter who transferred from Westchester after last season. Royal’s two middle blockers, 6-7 twins Josh and Joe Penrod, had 11 and 10 kills, respectively.

“We just crushed them in the middle,” Royal Coach Bob Ferguson said. “Josh and Joe both really did a job. Our first group is really dominant.”

Their starters overpowered the Lancers in the first two one-sided games, but Thousand Oaks took advantage of Royal’s substitutions in the third game and tied the score, 10-10, on one of Carrick Patterson’s team-high 13 kills.

But Hughes, Jared White and Hodge put the game away.

“Their offense is so complex. It’s awesome,” Thousand Oaks hitter Matt Brasler said. “They run so many plays and the middle (of the defense) gets confused. I mean, I know what they’re doing, I just don’t know what to do about it.”