Spring Sports : BOYS’ VOLLEYBALL

University has won six City Section championships so it’s no surprise the Warriors are in position to win the title again this season. “The key is that our kids are more concerned with losing than winning--they hate to lose,” said Coach Neal Newman. And the Warriors rarely do. Led by brothers Raul and Mark Williams and Nick Strauss, University is 12-1, with tournament victories over several top teams from the Southern and Central sections. The Warriors lost only to Manhattan Beach Mira Costa, which has one of the top teams in the nation. . . . Mira Costa (16-0) has four of last season’s All-Southern Section selections playing--Adam Naeve, John Timmer, Kevin Collins and Nick Schneider. But Coach Michael Cook said that doesn’t make the team a lock for the Division I title. “Until the tournament we just hosted with Redondo, we really hadn’t played to our potential,” he said. “We have to execute better than we have yet.” . . . In Division II, Downey Warren (13-0) has been the top-ranked team all season. Returning All-Southern Section outside hitter Robert Tauler and middle blocker Vagele Flevetomos have led the way for the Bears. Coach Chris Hyatt said his team isn’t looking at only winning the San Gabriel Valley League or getting back to the section semifinals, it wants it all. A key could be the return of 6-6 middle blocker Adam Sorenson, who has been out because of a back injury. Sorenson starts in the back row, so when he rotates to the net, it’s often against the opponent’s No. 2 blocker, and he has a distinct height advantage. “As they say, you can’t teach height,” said Hyatt. . . . The City Section will release its playoff pairings Friday, with first-round matches scheduled for Tuesday. The Southern Section will release its pairings Monday and begin with the wild-card round on Wednesday.