Campbell Hall Steps Up Again but Gets Knocked Down

So much for the trifecta.

The Campbell Hall boys’ volleyball team, which had already beaten two Southern Section Division I schools, failed in its attempt for a third Friday night at Campbell Hall.

Brentwood defeated the Vikings, 5-15, 6-15, 15-7, 15-10, 15-11.

Campbell Hall, a Division III school, had been fattening up on bigger schools during the preseason.

Then came previously winless Brentwood which, at first, looked like another minor speed bump.

Campbell Hall (3-1) dominated early, especially on the quick set, where middle blocker Larry Cole had nine of his 10 kills in the first two games.

But Brentwood (1-3) countered with a dominator of its own--Scott Fagan.

Fagan, a 6-foot-2, 210-pound senior who plans to walk on with the Notre Dame football team next year, threw down 33 of the Eagles’ 48 kills.

He helped corral Campbell Hall’s Dylan Herrick, who had 13 kills and six blocks but made nine errors, and had a monopoly on offense, receiving almost every set.

Fagan was impressive with eight kills in the fourth game, but it was his block in the final game that will be remembered.

Brentwood had leads of 4-0 and 9-3, but Campbell Hall crawled to within 12-11 thanks in part to three of 10 kills recorded by Jon Rosenberg.

But Fagan blocked an attempt by Herrick to give Brentwood a 13-11 lead and closed out the match two serves later with a kill.

“That’s the biggest comeback we’ve ever had,” said Fagan, who also had seven blocks.

The Vikings, who beat Crespi and Notre Dame earlier, were stymied offensively after a near-flawless first two games.

The quick set and outside attack stalled because Brentwood began to touch almost every attempt at the net.

The Vikings, who open Alpha League play next week, feel a lesson has been learned.

“I hate to say it, but it’s probably the best thing that could happen to us,” Herrick said. “We thought we were just going to come into this game and win it. We learned we’ve got a lot of work to do.”

Brentwood was worked over in its first three matches, including losses to Loyola and Crespi.

“This is supposed to be the year Campbell Hall beat Brentwood,” said Brentwood Coach Bill Ferguson. “This is big for the kids.”