Huntington Beach boys’ volleyball edges Beckman in emotional home opener
The Huntington Beach High boys’ volleyball team took the court Thursday night dealing with all sorts of feelings.
Just two days prior, news had broken of the passing of Rocky Ciarelli, one of the program’s most celebrated alumni who came back to coach for 24 seasons at his alma mater.
Then there was the on-court matchup, the first meeting with Beckman since the Patriots eliminated the Oilers in five sets in the CIF Southern Section Division 1 quarterfinals last season.
Liam Phinizy had a match-high 22 kills, as Huntington Beach defeated Beckman 20-25, 25-21, 21-25, 25-16, 15-13 in a nonleague thriller at home.
In a fifth set that saw five ties from 9-9, Phinizy, who had three kills from that point to help the Oilers earn the victory, said the crowd provided a late energy boost.
“The last five points was insane,” said Phinizy, an outside hitter committed to Loyola Chicago. “Hearing the crowd back you up, the bench back you up, it’s an unreal moment. It’s awesome being on the court and having people support you.”
Ben Bray dropped in 13 kills and four service aces for Huntington Beach (2-0), which opened the season with a four-set win at San Clemente.
“That’s a revenge tour right there,” Bray said. “That’s for our seniors from last year.”
In a match that the Oilers never led until the end, they simply refused to give up. Jake Pazanti, a Long Beach State-bound setter, supplied 48 assists and four total blocks. Pazanti, who played with the words, “For Rocky,” written on tape around his wrist, battled leg cramps in the fourth and fifth sets, but he repeatedly motioned to the sideline to stay on the court.
He missed just one point when the trainer was called out to the floor where Pazanti stayed down after a block attempt in the fourth set.
“There was no way I was going out for more than a point,” Pazanti said. “I didn’t even want to go out for the one, but I had to because the trainer had to come out.”
Aidan Dubno had 11 kills, 3½ blocks and two aces. The opposite also made a big impact defensively, making two key digs in an extended point that gave the Oilers a 13-12 lead in the fifth set.
“We had most of the players coming back with only a few new people on the team that are actually playing,” Dubno said. “We all know each other pretty well. We’re grouped together. We feel like we have a lot of chemistry together already because we play on the same club team, too.”
Drew Bjork added eight kills, and Bennet Tchaikovsky also had two aces.
Luke Morrison had 20 kills and two blocks for Beckman (1-1). Noah Huang added 15 kills and 2½ blocks, Jack Graves provided 13 kills, and Ryan Graves handed out 44 assists to go with 2½ blocks.
Prior to the match, a moment of silence was held for the late Ciarelli. Huntington Beach coach Craig Pazanti acknowledged members of the Ciarelli family in attendance during his pregame remarks.
“On behalf of the Huntington Beach community, especially the Oiler volleyball family, I want to send out our love and our prayers to the entire Ciarelli family for the unexpected loss of Rocky Ciarelli,” said Pazanti, while fighting back tears. “He was a coach and a mentor to so many over his 30-plus years coaching high school volleyball. He is the reason I stand here today, and he will be remembered as a community leader for this and many generations to come.”
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