Fountain Valley boys’ volleyball back in CIF Division 3 quarterfinals
In a season of peaks and valleys, adversity prepares those who go through it to respond when such a moment presents itself again.
The Fountain Valley boys’ volleyball team experienced disappointment on its home floor when it was unable to beat Los Alamitos a second time, forcing them to share the Wave League crown with the Griffins.
A couple weeks removed from that result, the Barons found themselves a point away from going down two sets with their season on the line. They erased two set points and rode that momentum.
Senior outside hitter Thomas Ho had 15 kills, six service aces and 2½ total blocks, as Fountain Valley rallied for a 23-25, 26-24, 25-15, 25-14 win over Capistrano Valley Christian on Monday in the second round of the CIF Southern Section Division 3 playoffs.
Second-seeded Fountain Valley (24-5) will hit the road to take on Long Beach Poly (22-12) in its return to the quarterfinals, where the Barons lost to Division 3 finalist St. Margaret’s last season.
“There was a lot more pressure on my team because we have a higher expectation, rather than no expectation, which was last year,” Fountain Valley coach Rebecca Cheltenham said. “Our goal is to be able to battle St. Margaret’s in the semi[finals], a rematch, that should be fun, but we’ve got to get through Wednesday.”
Junior outside hitter Alec Pinedjian wiped away the first set point against the Barons in Game 2 with a kill off the block. Senior Gavin Hoang, primarily deployed as a serving substitute, produced one of his four service aces to pull even at 24-24.
“Our plan there was just to target a singular player, and we kind of did our job out there, making him get flustered and getting our game on,” Hoang said.
Sophomore middle blocker Billy Watkins (11 kills) continued the run with a quick-set kill at the end of an extended rally, and Pinedjian found the floor with a right-handed strike to give the Barons the second set.
“It’s honestly one of the best feelings,” Pinedjian said of the Barons pulling through with the home crowd behind them in the second set. “It’s indescribable. It’s honestly just hoping that the ball drops, and it’s the greatest feeling.”
Capistrano Valley Christian (15-10) had done well to get an offensive swing when the ball went to its side of the net during the first two sets, but targeted serving by the Barons took the Eagles out of system. The last two sets came easy.
Senior setter Bryant Johnson distributed 49 assists, adding three block assists and two kills for the Barons. Senior opposite Bennett Heydorn had eight kills and three aces. Senior middle blocker Nicholas Kang added four kills and 3½ total blocks.
Senior outside hitter Blake Sheveland paced the Eagles with 13 kills. Senior opposite Christian Wilkinson and junior outside hitter Jacob Johnson each had 11 kills, and junior setter Brayden Darm contributed 38 assists, two aces and two block assists.
Also in the CIF Southern Section boys’ volleyball playoffs:
Sage Hill 3, Camarillo 2: Junior outside hitter Jackson Cryst’s 42 kills and five blocks sent the Lightning to a second consecutive road playoff victory by a count of 25-22, 20-25, 18-25, 25-19, 16-14 on Saturday.
Sage Hill (19-8) plays host to No. 2 seed Moreno Valley Rancho Verde (27-6), a five-set winner over Riverside J.W. North, on Wednesday in a Division 5 quarterfinal match.
Sophomore opposite Connor Gapp added eight kills, 10 digs and two blocks for the Lightning. Sophomore outside hitter Ryan Manesh had seven kills, and senior setter Brayden Brien dished out 59 assists.
Costa Mesa 3, La Puente Bishop Amat 1: Junior outside hitter Dimitri Downs had 19 kills and two blocks to lead the visiting Mustangs to a 22-25, 25-21, 25-18, 25-22 win in the first round of the Division 6 playoffs on Saturday.
Senior Chris Rivera and junior John Luong each had 10 kills and 15 digs for Costa Mesa (14-9), which plays host to third-seeded Palmdale Knight (18-9) on Tuesday.
Senior Justin Foreman had 17 kills, junior Kurt Mateo produced nine kills, and junior Phi An Vo had a team-leading 18 digs. Junior Adam Menendez chipped in with 14 digs, and junior Grant Vu added 11 digs.
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