Marina Duo Aims for Section Title

When Jeff Wootton and Rob Kijewski arrived at Marina High four years ago, the school had no boys’ volleyball championship tradition.

But three consecutive Sunset League championships later, the seniors have the Vikings in their best position ever to make a run at the school’s first Southern Section title.

“From the first day I saw them as freshmen,” said Coach Darrick Lucero, who has led Marina to the No. 1 seeding for the Division I playoffs, “I knew down the road we’d be real good.

“The raw talent was there. But the difference was, they believed in the program and totally bought into it. They’ve taken us to another level.”

Wootton and Kijewski’s assets are obvious. Both are 6 feet 5, both have signed with Long Beach State, and the two played together on the last two junior national youth teams. Both players were also selected to this year’s U.S. junior national team, along with UC Irvine-bound Jimmy Pelzel of El Toro and Stanford-bound Kevin Hansen of Corona del Mar.

And the two share more than just volleyball. Sure, they’ve played together for the Surf City club since eighth grade, but their friendship goes beyond the court. Wootton, when asked for a favorite story about Kijewski, didn’t tell of any volleyball heroics.

It involved Kijewski wolfing down 16 pieces of pizza after volleyball.

“Then he was almost digging through the trash looking for more,” said Wootton with a laugh.

Wootton and Kijewski have had plenty to smile about during their high school careers, although they feel there is some unfinished business. The Vikings have suffered tough losses in the playoffs in the last two seasons, and they are hungry for redemption.

“That was one of the most frustrating things last year, losing to Newport Harbor at home,” Kijewski said. “The year before, they beat us too.”

Although the Vikings clinched Sunset title No. 3 almost two weeks ago, they haven’t had any trouble staying focused.

“We know it’s our last year,” Kijewski said. “We need to show the younger guys on our team how much we want it. We wanted that No. 1 seed for the playoffs and we want to win CIF.”

Although Kijewski and Wootton’s championship goals are identical, their college destinations are the same and they’ve taken similar journeys through the club system, there are plenty of differences between the two.

While Wootton may be blessed with more natural abilities, Kijewski’s intense on-court personality has driven him to a similar level.

“Robbie has a lot of savvy,” said Surf City and Golden West College men’s Coach Mike D’Alesandro. “He gets by on heart and desire as much as his talent. You know when he’s out there, every minute he’s working his tail off.”

Said Lucero: “He hit the weights, got stronger and became quicker. That was a rap on him, that he couldn’t move well enough, but he worked hard on it and he improved.”

That’s not to say that Wootton doesn’t work hard, but he can just make it look so easy.

Although Wootton, who is regarded as one of the nation’s top recruits at outside hitter, is not as vocal as Kijewski, he’s also developed into an effective leader by example.

“He’s just really good at everything,” D’Alesandro said. “He’s a great all-around player who gives confidence to the rest of the team because they know whatever he’s doing, passing, digging, hitting, blocking, they don’t have to worry about him.”

Wootton has made an impact since he started high school--he played varsity at Marina as a freshman--and he made an impression on D’Alesandro early. Wootton started as a sophomore at Surf City, alongside some current UCLA players, including Matt Komer and Sam Nelson.

“After about a month, it was already apparent that Jeff was going to be our go-to guy,” D’Alesandro said. “For some, when you get involved with the top level at a younger age, they might shy away. But Jeff has always had the fire and competitiveness.”

PLAYOFF PAIRINGS

Marina is the top-seeded team for the Division I playoffs, which begin Wednesday with wild-card matches; first-round matches are Friday. Sea View League champion Irvine is seeded second and Pacific Coast League champion Corona del Mar third.

The Sea Kings host a tough first-round match Friday against the Huntington Beach-Capistrano Valley winner. They play a wild-card match at 7 p.m. Wednesday at Capistrano Valley.

Sunset League runner-up Fountain Valley plays at Serra League champion Santa Margarita in another high-powered first-round matchup.

In Division II, Mater Dei is seeded third and Woodbridge is the unofficial second-seeded team. The Warriors, second in the final section poll, finished third in league so they open with a wild-card match Wednesday against Canyon. If they win, they play at Citrus Belt League champion Hemet West Valley in the first round Friday.

In Division III, Whittier Christian is seeded fourth.

If you have an item or idea for the boys’ volleyball report, you can fax us at (714) 966-5663 or e-mail us at mike.itagaki@latimes.com