Jake Maffett’s 26 kills lead Los Alamitos over Edison in five-set match
When the Wave League boys’ volleyball teams were determined for this school year, there was little doubt that Edison High and Los Alamitos would be the teams battling for the league title this season.
The Chargers swept the Griffins in the first meeting in the league opener on March 29. It was not the match that people expected, but the Griffins had also played the contest without senior outside hitter Jake Maffett, who was gone on an official recruiting visit.
The Loyola Chicago commit was back for the rematch, one that did not disappoint for those who had pegged it as a league title bout. Maffett had a match-high 26 kills and two blocks to lead the visiting Griffins to a 23-25, 25-12, 23-25, 25-19, 15-13 win and a split of the teams’ two-game league set on Friday night.
Edison (15-12, 3-1) and Los Alamitos (18-7, 3-1) are now tied for first place with two matches remaining. If both teams win their remaining two matches, they would share the Wave League crown.
In the event both teams are placed in the same division for the CIF Southern Section playoffs, Edison would receive a higher seed, having won the sets tiebreaker 5-3.
Energetic and spirited play characterized the match. In the opening point of Game 3, Maffett flew over his bench to save the ball. As he tried to get back into the play, Maffett knocked over a chair, and the Griffins went on to win the point on a block by Eric Allen and Erik Weissinger.
“It’s great energy,” Maffett said. “I just love having a great group of guys. I can put my heart on the line with these guys. I know they have my back in any scenario, and we can just grind it out, no matter what is going on.”
Weissinger distributed 50 assists, and the Griffins also received a strong hitting performance from Oliver Schulten, who had 14 kills.
At times, the Griffins used blocking to seize the momentum in the match. Allen had six kills and five blocks, and Tobias Murphree also had four kills and 4½ blocks.
“They’re a passionate group, and it was tough for us to match their intensity and their energy,” Chargers coach Elias Perez said of the Griffins. “That’s what they were good at. They were hyped on a lot of plays, and we, for sure, buckled under some of that energy. We got a little timid sometimes, but I thought in the sets that we won, those were the ones where we matched their energy.”
Senior outside hitter James Carpenter paced Edison with 17 kills. Senior opposite Caden Satterfield had 15 kills, junior outside hitter Sam Warren added nine kills, and senior setter Niko Boone handed out 44 assists.
UCLA-bound libero Cole Power, Boone and Warren each had two service aces for the Chargers.
Satterfield felt that even in a loss, the Chargers gained experience that will help them in the playoffs.
“I think we’re ready,” Satterfield said. “We had that tough loss to [No. 5] CdM in five here again. I think we have some of the most experience in the league, and we’ll see what we can do in CIF.”
Twitter: @ProfessorTurner
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