SOUTHERN SECTION DIVISION I BOYS’ VOLLEYBALL CHAMPIONSHIP : Unseeded Huntington Beach Makes It Two in a Row

Saturday’s volleyball championship match was about survival, and Huntington Beach left Cerritos College alive with its second consecutive Southern Section Division I championship.

The unseeded Oilers outlasted second-seeded Laguna Beach to post a 15-13, 11-15, 15-8, 15-9 victory.

Huntington Beach defeated Capistrano Valley in five games to win the Division I boys’ volleyball championship last season. Laguna Beach was the last team to win consecutive major division championships, winning the 4-A title from 1981 to ’83.

Dan Styles had a match-high 23 kills and Szilard Kovacs added 16 kills and four blocks for Laguna Beach (19-2), which defeated Huntington Beach in a nonleague match earlier this season.

But Nick Ziegler had 16 kills and Jeremy Bart had 15 to lead the Oilers, and Mike Grave’s defense also played a key role in the Oiler victory.

Grave finished with only 11 kills, but Huntington Beach Coach Rocky Ciarelli said he positioned Grave to receive most of Styles’ spike attempts.

“I dug that guy all night long,” Grave said. “He was nothing.”

Grave’s coach was a little more composed.

“We knew they would go to Styles so we put Mike back there because he plays great defense,” Ciarelli said. “We were fortunate that he got a few up.”

Ciarelli’s nephew, Ziegler, dyed his hair purple for the playoffs but made the Artists feel blue. The 6-foot-5 senior finished with two blocks, including a solo stuff of Kovacs, who has signed a letter of intent with USC, to give the Oilers a 12-7 lead in the fourth game.

“I think Mike and Nick stepped up in the fourth game,” Ciarelli said, “and said that they wanted to end it right there.”

Ziegler spiked to give Huntington Beach a 13-7 lead, then Styles fired a spike long to make it 14-7. The Artists drew within 14-9, but after Ziegler spiked from the right side for a side out, Jody Cook-Fisher spiked off the block for match point.

“This was great to be a part of because no one has won back-to-back titles for a while,” Grave said.

Ziegler also grinned after the victory. He has signed to play football for Colorado and had a championship slip through his fingers earlier this season.

Playing defensive line for the Oiler football team, Ziegler helped Huntington Beach win 13 consecutive games to reach the Division II championship game. But Los Alamitos dashed the Oilers’ title hopes with a 39-21 victory, also at Cerritos College.

Ziegler wasn’t going to let it happen again.

He started strong in Game 1, and his spike from the middle for a side out set up the Oilers for game point. Styles was called for going under the net, giving Huntington Beach a 15-13 victory in Game 1.

Laguna Beach rebounded in the second game and sprinted to a 9-1 lead behind Styles, who had eight kills in the game.

Huntington Beach closed to within 14-10 when Brad Simon blocked Styles, and a Laguna Beach error put Huntington Beach within 14-11. But Ziegler, who had six kills in the game, hit a spike wide from the middle and the Artists drew even with a 15-11 victory.

But Huntington Beach took a 2-1 lead in the third game, rallying from a 6-1 deficit to win 14 of the last 16 points to win, 15-8. Although Styles had 10 kills in Game 3, the Oilers took some of his steam away by digging his spikes numerous times.

Offensively, Grave seemed to find his rhythm in Game 3 and combined with Ziegler to block Kovacs for game point.

Huntington Beach setter Josh Moss finished with 59 assists. Laguna Beach setter Kurt Nelson finished with 57.