Boys’ Volleyball: Timely win for Costa Mesa
Six times in his sparkling high school career, Costa Mesa High senior Mason Tufuga helped a team qualify for the postseason.
The previous five appearances were one-and-done. The Mesa boys’ basketball team lost in the first round every time, as did the boys’ volleyball team a year ago.
Tufuga had his last chance to taste postseason success Tuesday night, as the Mustangs’ boys’ volleyball team played host to El Modena in the first round of the CIF Southern Section Division 2 playoffs.
The Stanford-bound opposite hitter made the most of it.
Tufuga had 24 kills and seven aces as the Mustangs swept the Vanguards, 25-21, 25-22, 25-23, to move on. Not only was it Tufuga’s first playoff victory at Costa Mesa, but it was the first one for the boys’ volleyball program since 2009.
“We actually got bad draws every year [in basketball],” said Tufuga, who saw the Mustangs bounced by teams like Harvard-Westlake, Oaks Christian and JSerra. “This is huge. I’m glad we could do it, especially my last year.”
Costa Mesa (17-3) lost the pre-flip and will play at South Torrance in a Division 2 second-round match Thursday. South Torrance, which was ranked No. 7 in the final Division 2 poll, swept Crescenta Valley at home on Tuesday.
Tufuga helped Mesa move on, making big plays late in every set against El Modena (11-11). At 24-21 in the first set, he closed it out with a huge block on El Modena senior Andrew Reina, who is headed to Cal Baptist University. Costa Mesa Coach Todd Hanson called it one of Tufuga’s biggest blocks of the season.
“It couldn’t have come at a better time,” Tufuga said. “I think it was kind of in his head the rest of the match, where he wasn’t on top of his game for the rest of the match.”
Tufuga and Reina, the biggest hitters in the match, both wore No. 12. Reina matched his jersey number in kills for El Modena, the second-place team from the North Hills League. But Tufuga doubled that, usually getting set by senior Coby Pham, who racked up 26 assists.
Junior libero Juan Islas had 17 digs for the Mustangs, while senior outside hitter Steven Vu and senior middle blocker Nabeel Salameh each had four kills. Hanson also highlighted the play of senior Christian Chavez, who had four kills as well. Chavez has split time between track and field and volleyball this spring, but moved into the starting lineup Tuesday after a Costa Mesa middle blocker was ruled academically ineligible prior to the start of the postseason, Hanson said.
The Mustangs led throughout most of each set. They trailed, 17-15, in the first, but some tough serving by senior Randy Stucker helped Mesa earn six straight points and keep that lead.
The score was tied late in the second set, 22-22. But that’s when Tufuga hammered a kill, then Salameh sput down an overpass. On set point, the Vanguards hit it into the net, and Costa Mesa could start thinking sweep.
El Modena was also close late in the third. The Vanguards were down just 23-22 after a controversial point went their way, when the ball spun on the top of the net before falling out of bounds.
“Mason dumped it off the blocker, and [the referee] said that the blocker blocked it back into him, and he managed to block it back into the net and roll it in the opposite direction,” Hanson said. “Worst-case scenario, I was thinking it should have been a redo. Unfortunately, it didn’t go our way, but we responded immediately with two really strong plays.”
A kill by Tufuga set up Mesa’s first set point. Reina’s kill pulled El Modena within 24-23, but Tufuga ended it with another slam.
“It’s one of those things where you’re like, ‘OK, can we get through that back-row rotation with him to get him to the front,’” Hanson said. “When he’s front row, we close out games so much better. He’s a huge block. That block to finish Game 1 was just huge.”
So was the win for the Mustangs, who aren’t used to moving on in the playoffs. But they want to keep their strong season going, after finishing second in the Orange Coast League.
“Playoffs is something we don’t really experience much here,” Tufuga said. “It’s going to be a cool learning experience. You have to battle each and every game, and there’s not a very big break in between [matches], only one day. We’re going to touch up a few things [Wednesday] during practice, watch a little film and hopefully we can take another win.”
Twitter: @mjszabo
