Huntington Beach Has Defense Needed to Win

Using its trademark defense, third-seeded Huntington Beach fought past second-seeded Manhattan Beach Mira Costa in four games Wednesday in a Southern Section Division I boys’ volleyball semifinal.

The Oilers (22-0) ousted Mira Costa, 15-10, 7-15, 15-13, 16-14, beating the Mustangs for the second consecutive season in the semifinals.

Huntington Beach will face Capistrano Valley in the final at 7:30 p.m. Saturday at Cerritos College.

Although Mira Costa had the height advantage, Huntington Beach had 14 blocks, led by Nick Ziegler’s six blocks, which helped slow the Mustangs’ offense.

Huntington Beach rallied from deficits in Games 3 and 4 to stun the Mustangs (21-1) and a partisan crowd of 1,000.

In Game 4, Huntington Beach trailed, 14-9, and held off three game points before Huntington Beach setter Chris Jones blocked Greg Snyder at match point to culminate a 7-0 run.

“I don’t have an explanation,” Mira Costa Coach Mike Cook said. “You have to remember that’s a 22-0 team we played tonight, and Huntington Beach deserves all the credit in the world.”

Outside hitter Shadd Walker single-handedly brought Huntington Beach back from a two-point deficit in Game 3.

Following a hitting error by Mira Costa’s Sean Shoptaw, which got the Oilers within, 13-12, Walker first blocked Mira Costa’s Matt Walker, who had a match-high 32 kills.

Huntington Beach then scored on two consecutive spikes by Shadd Walker to take a 15-13 victory.

Ziegler had 17 kills, and Mike Grave added 16 and Tom Walden had 12 for the Oilers’ balanced attack and Jones had 62 assists.

“When Jon Wimbish went down (with an ankle injury) and couldn’t play tonight, at first, everyone kind of hung their head,” Huntington Beach Coach Rocky Ciarelli said. “But I thought everyone stepped it up tonight.”