Fountain Valley Tumbles in 4 to Underrated Jordan

Fountain Valley might have been the top-seeded team going into the Division I boys’ volleyball playoffs this season, but it was Long Beach Jordan that looked more the part in the teams’ semifinal matchup Wednesday at Edison.

The fourth-seeded Panthers beat the Barons, 15-9, 15-3, 0-15, 15-13, to advance to the Division I championship game against Valencia Valencia on Saturday at Cypress College.

If Fountain Valley Coach Todd Hanson had his way, however, a match with Jordan would have been to decide the championship. Despite winning the Moore League, Jordan ended up seeded fourth behind third-seeded Santa Monica, which finished second in the Bay League to Manhattan Beach Mira Costa, which is competing in Division II.

“This should have been the final,” Hanson said. “[Jordan] could have easily been a No. 1 or 2, but the CIF seeds them fourth. It shouldn’t have happened this way.”

Jordan (17-1) rallied from a 9-7 first-game deficit by scoring the final eight points, and carried the momentum into the second game, building a big lead and cruising to a 2-0 lead going into the third game.

Fountain Valley finally came alive in the third game, holding Jordan scoreless, and the Barons (14-4) appeared poised to send the match to a fifth game when Russell Holmes put away a spike late in the fourth game to give his team a 13-11 lead.

But there would be no comeback. The Panthers scored the last four points of the match, the final two coming on emphatic spikes by Jermaine Seiuli that sent the Jordan’s players and fans into a frenzy.

“Their passing was on and ours wasn’t,” Hanson said. “When we finally did start putting it together, it was too late. They’re a great team and just beat us.”

Seiuli finished with 26 kills, including 19 in the first two games, and Larry Taylor added 11 blocks, his final one helping set up Seiuli for the match-clinching kill.

“My players were relaxed,” Jordan Coach Jeff Johnson said. “They kept their composure [after the third game] and stuck to the game plan.”

Nate Hagstrom led the Barons with 19 kills, Holmes added 14 and setter Joe Volz finished with 48 assists.