El Dorado Takes Servite 4 Games Before Losing

El Dorado finally flinched in its defensive duel with Servite and the host Friars escaped the two-hour match with a 16-14, 15-11, 9-15, 15-7 victory Tuesday in a Southern Section Division II second-round boys’ volleyball playoff match.

A poor pass helped give Servite a free ball on match point, and Kyle Smith, who had 16 kills and eight blocks, put one away from the middle to send Servite to the quarterfinals, where it will meet Goleta Dos Pueblos, the defending Division II champion, which defeated La Quinta, 15-2, 15-2, 15-2.

“We lost to Dos Pueblos in the quarterfinals last season,” Servite Coach Ed Cunningham said. “We finally beat Mater Dei for the first time this season, so hopefully Friday, we can get over that hump too.”

Servite (21-2) and El Dorado (14-2) finished the regular season as the fifth- and ninth-ranked teams in Division II, so it was no surprise the teams were evenly matched.

“It was like playing ourselves,” Cunningham said. “They don’t make many mistakes. I told our guys that it would go four or five games.”

Bryce Lindsey had a match-high 23 kills and 32 digs and Aaron Mills had 17 kills for the Golden Hawks, who played the Friars to a virtual standstill in the first two games but still came out of trailing, two-games-to-one.

“It seemed they got every ball we hit back at them,” said El Dorado’s senior setter Ryan Carlos, who had 55 assists and 18 digs.

El Dorado led, 14-12, in the first game and had three game points. But Servite’s Eric Barnes (16 kills, 29 digs) and Jordan O’Brien (12 kills, eight blocks) helped Servite get three side outs.

Then Barnes served for three consecutive points to make it, 15-14, but El Dorado erased three Servite game points with side outs. Servite finally ended the 40-minute Game 1 when reserve middle blocker Justin Robinson teamed with setter Billy Hamilton (61 assists, 10 digs, five blocks) on a block.

In the second game, El Dorado pulled to within, 11-10, but a block by Smith and Tony Grisey and a kill from Grisey pushed Servite’s lead to 13-10. Then Golden Hawks Coach Craig Tefertiller made an illegal substitution to give Servite another point and the Friars were in control.

In another Division II match:

Bolsa Grande 3, Ocean View 2--Jon James had 20 kills and teammate David Nguyen had 17 as Bolsa Grande (15-3) won, 11-15, 15-6, 8-15, 15-11, 15-11, to advance to play second-seeded Santa Barbara San Marcos.

Alan Paesdan had 19 kills and Jeff Slater had 17 for Ocean View (11-3).