Burroughs boys’ volleyball trio picks up acclaim
Andrew D’Almada was one of three Burroughs High players to receive All-CIF honors.
- Share via
Though it’s difficult to claim a spot on the All-CIF Southern Section boys’ volleyball team, Burroughs High and Providence picked up their share of representation.
The CIF Southern California Regional Division II champion Indians picked up three CIF Southern Section Division II first-team honors for seniors Cameron Capili, Andrew D’Almada and Ryan Van Loo, while Pioneers senior Ethan Jacobsen was a Division IV first-team choice.
“I’m really happy because I think it’s really hard to get three picks unless you finish first,” Burroughs Coach Joel Brinton said. “I think losing in the CIF finals was a showcase for our team and we had a lot of players who really stood out.”
It truly was a breakout season for Burroughs, which finished 31-6 and 12-0 in league for a seventh consecutive Pacific League championship.
The Indians advanced to the program’s second CIF Southern Section championship match appearance, losing a 3-2 heart-breaker to top-seeded Oak Park at Cerritos College on May 21.
Burroughs recovered from the loss and won three straight playoff matches in the SoCal Division II playoffs, including getting revenge against Oak Park, 3-1, in the championship match at Edison High on May 28.
Van Loo proved himself dominant and versatile as the setter and Pacific League Player of the Year established a school record with 1,125 assists and also tallied 108 kills, 188 digs and 21 aces. The All-CIF selection is the second consecutive for Van Loo.
Like Van Loo, D’Almada also picked up his second straight All-CIF accolade. This time, the senior Pacific League first-team choice set a school record with 492 kills. D’Almada added 142 digs and 42 1/2 blocks.
“If you look at the stats for those two, it’s really crazy,” said Brinton, the Pacific League Coach of the Year. “Andrew almost has 500 kills, which is almost half of all of Ryan’s assists. It’s just awesome what those two accomplished.”
While any other player would have been overshadowed by the exploits of Van Loo and D’Almada, Burroughs senior Cameron Capili provided his own highlight reel.
The All-CIF first-team pick is also a Pacific Legue first-team selection after finishing second on the team with 353 kills. Capili also totaled 239 digs and 47 aces.
“Cameron put up some big numbers, too, and played exceptionally well,” Brinton added.
As for Providence, the Pioneers enjoyed a strong season under athletic director Andrew Bencze, who filled in as a coach this year.
Providence finished 17-9 and 11-3 in the Liberty League to take third place. The Pioneers won two postseason matches before falling in the second round to top seed and eventual division champion Damien, 25-13, 25-17, 25-21.
Jacobsen was a middle blocker for Providence and a league first-team pick who finished with 106 kills and 46 blocks.
“That’s fantastic,” Bencze said of Jacobsen’s selection. “We had a good year and it was fun to have a middle blocker who was dominant. He also hit the ball so well and had something like only 23 errors the entire year.”