Champs sweep Rebels
LA CAÑADA FLINTRIDGE — Near the midway point of Flintridge Prep’s Prep League boys’ volleyball match against Chadwick, Rebels Coach Sean Beattie made an observation.
He conveyed the thought to his team after Flintridge Prep suffered a 25-13, 25-17, 25-17 home loss Tuesday afternoon to Chadwick, which won the league and CIF Southern Section Division V titles last season.
“Chadwick never gets frazzled or angry and that’s something our team hasn’t learned,” said Beattie, whose team dropped to 8-11, 2-2 in league. ‘We are more of an emotional team than them.
“They got a couple of runs in the first game and it deflated us. You have to be in control and go point-by-point, especially when you play a team like Chadwick. You have to move on to the next point right away, good or bad.”
The Rebels struggled at times against Chadwick (8-1, 2-0) in the first of two head-to-head meetings. The teams will next face off April 20 at Chadwick, which is ranked No. 1 in the latest division poll.
When the Dolphins needed somebody to take charge, they turned to James Lenihan and Hank Trumbull to stifle Flintridge Prep, ranked No. 7 in Division V. Lenihan contributed 12 kills and 27 assists and Trumbull added 19 kills.
“Hank goes out there and gets his points, so you need to make somebody else beat you and we couldn’t stop [Lenihan],” Beattie said.
Lenihan and Trumbell contributed greatly in the first game. With the team deadlocked at 6, the Dolphins used an 11-2 run to make it 17-8. Trumbull and Lenihan had three kills apiece in that stretch.
The Rebels fared a bit better in the second game. A kill by Kareem Ismail tied it at 16. Then Trumbull had three kills, as the Dolphins closed out on a 9-1 run to move a step closer to completing their sweep.
In the third game, the Dolphins led virtually the entire way. After Flintridge Prep closed to within 20-17, the Dolphins used their experience by finishing out on a 5-0 run.
“From the very start, we were expecting some great competition and we got that,” said Chadwick Coach Michael Cass, whose team played its first match in nearly two weeks. “That’s the way it is with Sean’s teams.
“We had to try and get those hustle points and we were able to.”
Ismail, who finished with nine kills and four blocks, said the Rebels have time to regroup.
“We made some mistakes on defense and I didn’t do well with my blocking,” Ismail said. “We get them again and I know we can get better.”
Kory Hamane finished with six kills for Flintridge Prep, which got 18 assists from Mike Lii.
