SOUTHERN SECTION VOLLEYBALL ROUNDUP : Huntington Beach Wins, but Irvine Ends Oiler Streak at 60

Huntington Beach’s unbeaten streak ended at 60 games when Irvine took the Oilers to five games in a Southern Section Division I volleyball quarterfinal Friday night before losing, 14-16, 15-11, 15-5, 3-15, 15-10.

“I knew Irvine wasn’t going to fold,” Huntington Beach Coach Rocky Ciarelli said. “It was a typical (match) here. It’s kind of strange, really.”

The match gave Huntington Beach (21-0) a 2-1 lead in the playoff series with Irvine: The Oilers and Vaqueros have split five-game, second-round matches the last two years.

The momentum bounced back and forth like an unruly child. Irvine came back from a 14-11 deficit to win the first game. The Oilers went on a two-game run, then Irvine held Huntington Beach to only three points in the fourth game.

But consistent offense, strong serving and a relentless block won the match. Irvine made 23 serving errors; Huntington Beach made 13. The Oilers out-blocked the Vaqueros, 22-9.

Irvine middle blocker Greg Wakeham had a match-high 27 kills; Shadd Walker led the Oilers with 20. All five starting hitters for Huntington Beach were in double figures in kills.