Santa Ynez Takes Care of Business

First came the Southern Section Division IV boys’ volleyball final Saturday afternoon for Santa Ynez, which made quick work of Irvine Northwood, 15-12, 15-9, 15-12.

Then the Pirates flew home Saturday evening to Santa Ynez so they could attend to personal business--the prom.

With their win on Saturday, the Pirates claimed their fourth Southern Section title in a row, finishing with their first undefeated record since 1995, when the Pirates defeated Sun Valley Village Christian for the Division III title.

“I don’t know if you understand the magnitude of what just happened,” Pirate Coach Chip Fenenga said to his players after the match. “Going undefeated, winning the [section title] for the fourth year in a row--it was a whole team effort. I couldn’t be prouder, especially of the seniors.”

The match ended on a bitter note for the Timberwolves (23-2) as Santa Ynez (27-0) was awarded match point when a Northwood player argued a call and received a red card.

“It’s always a relief to get a game over with,” said Santa Ynez senior Matt McKinney, who finished with a game-high 22 kills. “[Northwood has] improved so much in the last year, but we have a lot of seniors and we’ve been in this situation before. We know we have to stay poised.”

Middle blocker Dan Profeta led the Timberwolves with 12 kills.