Pacifica Christian boys’ volleyball passes first CIF test at Bolsa Grande
Pacifica Christian Orange County lacked a little of its usual power heading into its CIF Southern Section boys’ volleyball playoff opener Thursday evening. It hardly slowed the Tritons down.
Matthew Macpherson, forced by an ailing shoulder to alter his approach, winningly emphasized other aspects of his game as opposite Christian Hahne and fellow outside hitter Hudson Reynolds took command at the net in a straight-sets Division 3 victory at Bolsa Grande.
It didn’t come easy — the Garden Grove League champions provided a real fight in the first set and dominated much of the second — but the 25-22, 27-25, 25-19 triumph and the toil it required provided Pacifica Christian added determination heading into its second-round showdown, on Saturday evening, against top-ranked St. Margaret’s, last year’s Division 4 titlist.
“That absolutely helps the confidence,” Pacifica Christian coach Evan Fredericks said. “St. Margaret’s is a good team. They’re definitely going to give us a run for the money. The good news is we have home-court advantage, so we’re excited to face them on our court.”
Pacifica Christian (20-4) will need more than it showed Thursday. The Tritons labored with their passing and were inconsistent at times with their service, which helped Bolsa Grande (16-11), like Pacifica Christian a Division 4 quarterfinalist a year ago, build a six-point lead midway through the second set — and reach set point before faltering.
Ultimately, Pacifica Christian’s advantages — in height, experience and quality — were too pronounced, and several big performances, Hahne’s most of all, carried it past the first round for the third successive season.
Macpherson, the Tritons’ captain, provided a foundation. His right shoulder had been bothering him all week, so he aimed to rely on his “back-row skills and ... blocking” while “trying to shoot a little bit more and take it easy, but still try to get kills for the team.” He ended up with 13, most on deft placements.
Macpherson’s subtlety at the net contrasted with Reynolds’ ferocity on the left and Hahne’s wherewithal on the right, among other spots. Reynolds, a sophomore, also had 13 kills, plus six blocks, and Hahne worked through some rough stretches to play galvanizing roles all three sets, dominating pivotal sequences in each. The senior left-hander led Pacifica Christian with 14 kills, half of those in the last set as the Tritons romped to a 7-2 lead and pulled away after a brief Bolsa Grande push; he punished the Matadors in duels at the net, with cross-court shots and with lunges to turn errant or opportunistic balls into points.
“Hudson was amazing,” Fredericks said. “If we gave him the ball, he was going to put it away. ... And when Christian plays his game, nobody can keep up with him.”
Hahne gave Pacifica Christian command of the first set with a searing four-serve sequence, three aces and a fourth delivery the Matadors batted about unsuccessfully, and had three kills in a six-play stretch, two on tips, as the Tritons surged ahead through a 13-4 run.
When Bolsa Grande replied with four straight points, for a 25-24 lead, senior middle blocker Brendon Booth stepped up, finishing a Callen Bray set to stave off set point, then blocking Minh Le to restore the lead. Pacifica Christian prevailed when the Matadors hit wide of the antenna.
Bolsa Grande’s grit kept it close most of the way, and outside hitter Brayden Huynh’s resourcefulness caused havoc. He teamed with junior setter Andy Vo and finished with 11 kills.
“At least it was a close 3-0,” Matadors head coach Rebecca Wagner said. “I was very proud of them to keep it that close. If it’s 25-16, 25-15, it’s, ‘Oh, they crushed you.’ I’m happy they got to 20s, and that second game was really close.
“We are the Garden Grove League. We understand we’re not the tops, but we still surprise some people, and they tried their best.”
St. Margaret’s (27-5), which swept Downey, will be a far fiercer challenge.
“We have to have a near-perfect game [to beat them],” Fredericks said. “We have to have a game where we stay up the whole time, we don’t get down on ourselves, we don’t dig ourselves a hole like we did in the second set. It will be a battle, and we’ll have to battle for every point, but if we’re able to band together and stay above, we’ll be OK.”
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