Royal Gives Marmonte the Boot

SIMI VALLEY — Mired in a slump, Thousand Oaks High borrowed a page of protocol from the armed forces.

Time for boot camp.

The Lancers prepared for a key match against Royal with an intense practice Thursday, featuring a hustle drill where hard-driven volleyballs targeted the whites of players’ eyes.

Thousand Oaks couldn’t be all that it could be, however, as Royal defeated the Lancers, 15-5, 15-4, 15-9, in a Marmonte League match Friday at Royal.

“Obviously, we didn’t play well enough to win,” said Lancer outside hitter Brian Callahan.

Obviously, nothing short of a full-scale attack can stop Royal these days.

The Highlanders (6-2, 6-0) set aside their league rivals by dominating in nearly every category, including strategy.

In studying Thousand Oaks game films, the Highlanders noticed the Lancers often clogged the middle defensively.

Fine with the Highlanders, who attacked the sidelines with outside hitters Scott Hambly (eight kills) and Danny Rizzo (six).

The middle wasn’t exactly ignored, either.

Middle blocker Scott Hambly had five kills.

“In our league right now, we are above everybody,” Royal Coach Bob Ferguson said. “We’re just plain more skilled and can do more things.”

Thousand Oaks Coach James Park, who masterminded the intense practice, could only smile when the match ended.

“They’re better than us, no doubt,” said Park, whose Lancers (3-3, 3-3) have lost three in a row. “We can play with them if we have the right attitude.”

That attitude was only prevalent in the third game.

Trailing, 8-1, Thousand Oaks made a game comeback behind three kills by Callahan.

But the Highlanders, who rested most of their starters during the final game, put the match away on Joe Olsen’s seventh block.

“We improve every day, every practice,” Hambly said. “Not just individually, but as a team.”