Costa Mesa boys’ volleyball heading to playoffs with win over Estancia
Costa Mesa had a big week ahead of it, one that would weigh heavily into its fortunes as it sought a return to the CIF Southern Section boys’ volleyball playoffs.
Things were different when the team got in the gym to prepare for the second half of the Battle for the Bell series.
John Luong had eight kills and two service aces to lead the host Mustangs to a 25-11, 25-20, 25-14 win over Estancia on Tuesday at home, completing the sweep of the crosstown rivalry.
The Mustangs were feeling good about themselves after the match, sporting city champions medals provided by Costa Mesa United around their necks.
Costa Mesa (11-8, 7-3 in the Orange Coast League), which clinched its playoff berth in Division 6 with the win, will take aim Thursday at Calvary Chapel (13-7, 7-1). The Mustangs will need a straight-sets victory to make the battle for second place in league come down to point differential. If they accomplish that, they would still need help from league-leading St. Margaret’s (21-4, 8-0), which plays Calvary Chapel in the season finale.
“The Battle for the Bell, there’s a lot of emotion, a lot of passion, a lot of energy,” Costa Mesa coach Tan Nguyen said. “The guys certainly sensed it and felt it. There’s a different level of focus in the gym this week for this match, and then also, we’ve got Calvary on Thursday. Excited for the win today, and I’m excited to see how we show up against Calvary.”
Two early blocks from the combination of Kurt Riley Mateo and Chris Rivera helped set the tone in the first set for Costa Mesa.
When Adam Menendez’s turn in the rotation came up, he stepped up to the service line and seemingly never left. After serving for a dozen consecutive points, the Mustangs had arrived at set point.
The Mustangs briefly appeared stunned when Dimitri Downs left the match early in the second set. Nguyen said Downs told him he was dealing with cramping.
“Volleyball relies on every single person,” Rivera said. “As my coach Tan said, you have to overcome adversity, there’s different challenges, and just get ready for the next play.”
Estancia rallied from a 5-1 deficit to take the second-set lead, courtesy of a 10-point scoring run with Jordan Rooker at the service line.
Costa Mesa did not get back in front until back-to-back kills by Luong and Grant Vu provided a buffer in establishing an 18-16 advantage. Vu’s tip at the left pin ended the closest set of the match.
“We kind of hit a little bump in the road,” Menendez said of the Mustangs playing without one of their more effective pin hitters. “We got over it, though, just took a few points. I think it showed how we can adapt.”
Menendez distributed 22 assists to go with two aces and a kill for Costa Mesa. Rivera contributed across the board with six kills, four assists, three block assists and two aces. Downs had six kills before his exit, and Justin Foreman added five kills. Libero Phi An Vo provided two aces.
Nik Paguirigan had six kills to lead Estancia (3-12, 1-7). Rooker wound up with four kills, and Sebastian Avalos supplied two kills and a pair of block assists. Marcos Gonzalez chipped in with nine assists and an ace.
“I was proud of them for digging deep and never giving up,” Estancia assistant coach Joy Akins said.
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