SOUTHERN SECTION DIVISION III VOLLEYBALL CHAMPIONSHIP : Crusaders Are Swept by a Pair : Boys: Dynamic duo from top-ranked Santa Ynez is too much for Village Christian.

Village Christian High Coach Steve Levoe knew two reasons why his boys’ volleyball team lost.

“Roumain and Witt,” he said. “We weren’t able to stop them. That’s it.”

George Roumain and Andy Witt were nearly unstoppable in leading Santa Ynez to a 15-4, 15-6, 16-14 victory over Village Christian in the Southern Section Division III finals Saturday at Cypress College.

Roumain, who will play for Pepperdine next season, had 31 kills and Witt, a junior, had 27 kills.

Santa Ynez, the top-ranked Division III team all season, finished 22-0.

Second-seeded Village Christian could not be criticized for its effort.

Playing in their first championship, the Crusaders (20-1) showed understandable signs of inexperience. And awe.

“We couldn’t dig them,” Village Christian outside hitter Kiko Banos said of Roumain and Witt. “We couldn’t block them.”

The 6-foot-6 Witt had eight kills in the first game and Santa Ynez went on a game-ending 13-2 run.

Copy the script and insert Roumain in place of Witt for game two.

The 6-7 Roumain had 10 kills, most of them over or through the arms of three Crusaders at the net.

Village Christian closed to within 6-5 on a block by Chad Hanson (14 kills), but Santa Ynez went on a 10-1 run to win the second game.

Time for the Crusaders to pack it in and call it their best season ever.

Well, not quite. In the third game, hitting errors from Roumain and Witt helped Village Christian forge a 10-4 lead.

“We started playing Village volleyball,” said Banos, who finished with 17 kills.

Three kills by Banos plus two kills by Hanson equaled a new match--for a short time.

Suddenly rejuvenated, Roumain and Witt took turns decimating the Crusader defense and tied the score, 12-12.

“Just when you thought you had them, they’d throw one past you,” Banos said.

Village Christian fended off five match points before a kill by Roumain and a back row violation by the Crusaders gave Santa Ynez the title.

“We have some good hitters,” Roumain said, “and we played together when we had to.”