Second Team
Dave Stuart, Carlsbad, Sr.
Scott Hartley, La Costa Canyon, Sr.
Billy Evans, Francis Parker, Sr.
Mike Gervasoni, Poway, Sr.
Jack Latta, La Jolla, Sr.
Jamie Ferguson, Mt. Carmel, Sr.
Patricio Healy, St. Augustine, Sr.
Stephan Lawrance, Mt. Carmel, Sr.
DAVID SHEVLIN, GROSSMONT, SR.
Max Greenberg, La Jolla, Sr.

Player of the Year: Connor Mortland, Mt. Carmel
Coach of the Year: Patsy Malta, Mt. Carmel

© East County Sports.com
SAN MARCOS (5-16-10) — A pair of East County boys volleyball programs saw successful seasons come to an end during the quarterfinals of the San Diego CIF Championships over the weekend.

On Saturday (May 15), the most prolific campaign in Monte Vista history came to an end after posting 30 victories this season. The Monarchs fell to San Marcos, in a match which was moved to the afternoon to accommodate the Knights' prom schedule. San Marcos won in straight sets, 25-9, 25-16, 25-17, in the Division III match.

Meanwhile in Division II action, second-seeded Grossmont eliminated Steele Canyon on Friday (May 14) night, but not without a fight.

Although the Foothillers captured both Grossmont Hills League matches, the Cougars gave the second-seeds a scare after splitting the first two sets before Grossmont responded back to take a 25-16, 23-25, 25-15, 25-10 triumph.

© East County Sports.com
SPRING VALLEY (5-13-10) — In what was described as "a roller-coaster match," Monte Vista High survived some lulls to finally skate past Crawford in a 5-set marathon during Wednesday's (May 12) opening round of the CIF Division III boys volleyball playoffs.

After getting nipped in the first set, the 5th-seeded Monarchs bounced back to eventually take a 5th-set tiebreaker in a 23-25, 25-18, 25-23, 20-25, 15-8 triumph over the visiting Colts.

"We played up-and-down, then up-and-down – it was a roller-coaster match," said Monte Vista coach MICHAELSKIBBE. "But we learned some things about our team."

Included was the discovery of some back row talent from the junior varsity, who kept the Monarchs in the match by extending rallies, according to the coach.

"We may have some new faces taking away other people's jobs against San Marcos ," noted Skibbe.

Meanwhile, the offense was paced by BRANDON TILLETT, who is expected to be announced as the player of the year in the Grossmont Valley League following postseason play. Tillett overwhelmed the Colts at the net with 12 kills and 12 solo blocks.

In addition, SHAMAR BARNES led all spikers with 20 kills, hitting the ball at a 69-percent (20-of-29, 0 errors) clip without a single error on attack.

On defense, JESUS VELARDE posted nine blocks, CARLOS MUNIZ added eight, while NOOR JAMIL had seven among 44 total stuffs by the Monarchs wall – a rate of 9.8 per set – to finally turn Crawford away.

Monte Vista, with its school-record 30th victory of the season, next meets 4th-seeded San Marcos in Saturday's (May 15) quarterfinals. But the game time is still in question.

" San Marcos has prom that night, so they want to move it to 1 p.m., but I offered 3 p.m.," noted the coach. "The administrators from both schools will discuss it (Thursday)."

Monte Vista — Kills: Barnes 20, Tillett 12, Muniz 10, Guinto 9, Jamil 6, Velarde 5. Solo Blocks: Tillett 12, Velarde 9, Muniz 8, Jamil 7. Assists: Velarde 44. Digs: Contreras 38, Tillett 25, Guinto 20, Velarde 18. Aces: Contreras 1, Tillett 1.

© East County Sports.com
TALMADGE (5-12-10) — Making the best of a less-than-desirable scheduling situation, the 7th-seeded Steele Canyon High boys volleyball team captured its playoff opener in short order, dropping Central League titlist Hoover in three sets, 25-18, 25-10, 25-12, in Tuesday's (May 11) first round of the San Diego CIF Division II championships.

The Cougars, seeded seventh, were forced to play on the road since the Cardinals were a league champion. But once they overcame the host’s emotional wave to open the match – Hoover once led, 13-11, in the first set – it was a one-sided affair for the Men of Steele.

"Everyone passed well and everything fell together once we got going – it all worked out," said Cougars setter TYLER WHITMARSH.

The majority of Whitmarsh's sets went to BYU bound senior COLE TYLER, who led all spikers with 12 kills. He also posted three solo blocks, joining teammate KEVIN BEATTY (7 kills, 4 solo stuffs) in dominating the net over the final two sets.

The same may not be true entering Friday's (May 14) quarterfinals, where another scheduling situation finds the Cougars meeting a familiar foe in second-seeded Grossmont, the Grossmont Hills League champion.

"At least we've played them two times and know a lot about them," said Tyler . "They have a bunch of great players, so we'll need to overcome that to give them a match."

Whitmarsh agrees, noting this might be Steele Canyon 's most difficult assignment to date.

"They'll be the toughest team we've faced," added Whitmarsh. "But we have some film on them, so we'll try to find some new ways to attack them and try our best."

Hoover didn't have the same advantage, entering the match missing its top player due to a family emergency in Baja California , leaving the middle open for Tyler to drive a truck through. Still, Steele Canyon possessed way too many weapons for the Cardinals (18-3 overall) to stop.

MATT GALE posted six kills and registered five service aces for the Cougars, while libero JASON KASSAB was among the team leaders in digs.

Hoover's kills leader was Jeremy Northard, an unsigned talent who was approached by several club coaches following the match. Meanwhile, libero Minh Do led both sides in digs with 20.

© East County Sports.com
LINDA VISTA (5-10-10) — Despite a record-breaking season, including a near perfect record against fellow Division III opponents, Monte Vista High was not rewarded with a first-round bye in the CIF San Diego Section playoffs after accepting the No. 5 seed.

Thus, instead of a first-round bye, the Monarchs (29-8) will open the postseason at home on Wednesday (May 12), entertaining Crawford (10-17). The victory would send Monte Vista to a road match in the quarterfinals at 4th-seeded San Marcos (20-13).

Cathedral Catholic, a probable semifinal round opponent should Monte Vista keep winning, is the top-seeded team in Division III.

Other top seeds include Poway (Div. I), Mt. Carmel (Div. II) and Francis Parker (Div. IV).

Among East County schools, Grossmont (31-3) is second in Div. II, meeting the first-round winner between Tuesday’s (May 11) Steele Canyon and Hoover contest.

Other first-round matches Tuesday (May 11) include: Div. II: Morse at Valhalla, and Helix at Mission Hills; Div. IV: Christian at St. Augustine.

Favored Cougars still ticketed for the road

© East County Sports.com
LINDA VISTA (5-9-10) — Steele Canyon High's highly-anticipated playoff match on its home court vanquished Saturday when brackets for the CIF-San Diego Section Div. II championships were released.

Tuesday's (May 11) first round pairings find the Cougars as the No. 7 seed. However, the ballclub was paired against a league champion in No. 10 Hoover. And since the Cardinals captured the Central League, CIF rules dictate a first-round home match, no matter the seed.

Thus, Steele Canyon should be a heavy road favorite against a team they have already defeated three times this season. The match is slated for 7 p.m.

Grossmont received the No. 2 seed, thus victories by both the Grossmont Hills League titlist Foothillers and the Cougars will mean a re-match in the quarterfinals later in the week.

Complete brackets for all divisions can be found on the San Diego CIF website, HERE.

© East County Sports.com
SPRING VALLEY (5-7-10) — The Monte Vista High boys volleyball team completed a perfect 8-0 run through the Grossmont Valley League schedule, capped by Wednesday's (May 6) sweep of host Mount Miguel. Game scores were 25-8, 25-10, 25-17.

BRANDON TILLETT paced Monte Vista with 8 kills, while CARLOS MUNIZ added 7, as the Monte Vista spikers dominated the Matadors. JESUS VELARDE added five kills, while also leading the team with 20 assists and six service aces.

The Monarchs (29-8 overall) now look forward to Saturday's (May 8) seeding meeting for the start of the CIF San Diego Section playoffs next week. The team anticipates playing a first-round home match on Wednesday (May 13) should the ballclub fail to receive an opening-round bye.

© East County Sports.com
RANCHO SAN DIEGO (5-6-10) — Steele Canyon High ran into a buzz-saw on Senior Night at Valhalla High, as the host Norsemen said good-bye to 10 players then defeated the Cougars in four sets Wednesday (May 5). Game scores were 22-25, 25-17, 25-19, 27-25.

The victory clinches second place in the Grossmont Hills League for Valhalla, while Steele Canyon placed third. Grossmont captured the league's inaugural title.

"Valhalla put it out there on us to win," said Cougars coach GIL SALDIVAR. "They had something like 10 players graduating, many who've played on their varsity for all four years."

Still, Steele Canyon got off to a fast start with its Game One victory, then nearly forced a fifth-set tiebreaker after pushing the Norsemen into extended play ("overtime") in the fourth set.

"Based on recent results, I would think we would get a seed between six and eight for the playoffs," added Saldivar. "Valhalla will be around three through six, while Grossmont will be No. 2 behind Mt. Carmel."

TYLER WHITMARSH led the Cougars offense with 30 assists. COLE TYLER posted 15 kills and five solo blocks, while KEVIN BEATTY added four stuffs.

© East County Sports.com
RANCHO SAN DIEGO (5-4-10) — A team to beat in 2011 still lacked just enough experience to defeat a senior-dominated opponent.

Helix, a ballclub filled with sophomores and juniors, raced to a quick 1-0 lead on Steele Canyon, but the Cougars rallied to hold the edge in each ensuing set to eventually down the Highlanders, 22-25, 25-22, 25-14, 25-23, in Monday's (May 3) Grossmont Hills League boys volleyball match.

Operating the Steele Canyon offense was TYLER WHITMARSH, who fueled the comeback with 32 assists. But it was his tough serving which kept the Cougars scoring points.

"Tyler kept serving well the entire match to get 19 service points," said Cougars coach GIL SALDIVAR. "That's a school record (for a 4-set match)."

TYLER COLE again was strong at the net with five solo blocks, but it was frontline teammate KEVIN BEATTY who did even better. He matched the all-county candidate with five stuffs of his own, plus a match-high 17 kills.

"With all these seniors, they know how to finish off matches," added Saldivar. "Helix played good defense, too, and will be tough to handle next season."

Steele Canyon closes the regular season Wednesday (May 5), going to Valhalla in a match which will the GHL's runner-up to league champion and 4th-ranked Grossmont.

Monte Vista 3, El Cajon Valley 0 – The visiting Monarchs needed less than 10 minutes to close out the first set by a resounding 25-3 count to bounce the Braves, then cleared the bench to complete the sweep 25-22, 25-21 in Monday's (May 3) boat race.

"We did some things that we haven’t done like let BRANDON (TILLETT) set some instead of play middle blocker like he has most of the season,” Monte Vista coach MICHAEL SKIBBE said.

CARLOS MUNIZ paced Monte Vista with 13 kills, but it was SHAMAR BARNES who was really impressive, spiking at a 73-percent clip with 11 kills on just 15 attempts without any hitting errors. Barnes led the match with five solo stuffs, part of 20 rejections by the Monarchs' front wall.

Also on defense, RAUL CONTRERAS paced the back row with 21 digs, while up front Tillett recorded five solo blocks, and NOOR JAMIL and Muniz added four each.

“We’re looking for the No. 3 seed,” Skibbe said of the San Diego CIF Division III playoffs, which open May 12.

Whether the Monarchs (28-8, 7-0 GVL) can gain that high of seed depends greatly on the results of Tuesday’s (May 4) Ramona-San Marcos match in North County. Both teams are ranked ahead of the Monarchs.

“We haven’t lost to anybody soft in San Diego County,” Skibbe said. “And we went 5-5 against some pretty good teams in Las Vegas.”

© East County Sports.com
SPRING VALLEY (5-2-10) — Monte Vista High made a solid showing at its own Monte Vista Invitational over the weekend, losing to only the two ballclubs which advanced to the championship in placing third overall after Saturday's (May 1) final round.

The Monarchs placed second in their pool in Friday's action, falling to eventual finalist Hilltop in a tiebreaker after splitting sets. In Saturday's knockout stage, the hosts reached the semifinals before falling to tournament titlist Otay Ranch. Monte Vista bounced back to sweep Mira Mesa in the third-place match.

"Each day we are getting better and we are starting to peak at the right time," said Monarchs coach MICHAEL SKIBBE. "We will be a legitimate threat in the Division III playoffs."

"I think we could be seeded somewhere between 3 and 6, but you never know how those things are going to go. We have got two important league games left and then it's one and done in the playoffs, so there is no room for mistakes."

Monte Vista (27-9 overall) closes the regular season with road contests at El Cajon Valley (Mon., May 3) and Mount Miguel (Wed., May 5). Both start at 6 p.m.

© East County Sports.com
SPRING VALLEY (5-1-10) — Steele Canyon High reached a milestone Friday (Apr. 30), capturing its 20th match of the season after the Cougars whipped West Hills in three sets. Game scores were a near identical 25-16, 25-18, 25-18.

"Even though we've only had a boys volleyball team at the school for seven seasons, it still says something to win 20 matches," said head coach GIL SALDIVAR. "It's a great achievement, plus it gives the Grossmont Conference yet another team with 20, which will help all of us gain a greater seed for the CIF playoffs."

The Cougars won in straight sets despite the absence of starting setter TYLER WHITMARSH. In his place was junior BRYAN BAZZI, who was responsible for operating the offense for the first time since playing for the junior varsity as a freshman two years ago.

"Bryan did an outstanding job," noted the coach. "He just stepped in and did it – he didn't miss a beat."

Bazzi registered 24 assists. He was aided by senior middle-blocker COLE TYLER, who recorded six solo stuffs, while senior CHAD NICKERSON collected 14 digs.

"Chad 's dig total was unusually high because he plays at opposite – you just don't normally dig the ball from that position. But he was there to cover the ball for us."

Meanwhile, the Cougars service game overwhelmed the young Wolf Pack passing game. Senior KEVIN BEATTY paced Steele Canyon with 16 service points, including three on aces.

© East County Sports.com
EL CAJON (4-30-10) — Steele Canyon High's hopes for an upset were quickly dismissed, as the second-place Cougars fell to Grossmont Hills League leading Grossmont in three sets Wednesday (Apr. 29). Game scores were 25-15, 25-19, 25-14.

"Grossmont is one of the best teams in the county," said Steele Canyon coach GIL SALDIVAR. "They will go far in the CIF playoffs."

Steele Canyon stayed close in the first set after COLE TYLER converted his first seven spiking attempts. However, the Hillers front line closed the door and limited the Cougars kill leader to just three additional putaways the rest of the match.

TYLER WHITMARSH posted 21 assists for the Cougars, who are tied with Valhalla.

© East County Sports.com
SPRING VALLEY (4-20-10) — Monte Vista High extended its school-record home court winning streak to 11 matches Monday (Apr. 19), sweeping Mount Miguel in Grossmont Valley League action. Game scores were 25-13, 25-12, 25-15.

The Monarchs amassed their 75 points on just 19 kills against the error-prone Matadors. SHAMAR BARNES and JASON GUINTO paced the hosts with a match-high 5 kills each, while CARLOS MUNIZ and BRANDON TILLETT added four each.

Monte Vista (19-6 overall, 4-0 GVL) stalled the Mount Miguel offense with 10 service aces, including four by JESUS VELARDE, who registered 19 service points over the three sets. The setter also garnered 15 assists.

The Monarchs seek to extend their home-court dominance Wednesday (Apr. 21), entertaining El Capitan at 6 p.m. The Monarchs then go for a perfect, full-season mark at home in a match that will determine the league champion when they host Santana next Monday (Apr. 26).

© East County Sports.com
SPRING VALLEY (4-15-10) — Utilizing an overall balanced attack, Monte Vista High jumped quickly on visiting El Cajon Valley, sweeping Wednesday's (Apr. 14) Grossmont Valley League match 25-11, 25-12, 25-22.

JASON GUINTO and BRANDON TILLETT paced the Monarchs with 11 kills each, as the team posted a resounding 37.9 spiking percentage.

But it was the backcourt which continues to impress.

"We continue to progress on defense and are getting better at covering our hitters and blockers," said head coach MICHAEL SKIBBE. "We have been getting into a good defensive position and now getting into a defensive stance is becoming more natural and we can see that our overall defense is getting better."

"Many of our guys can hit and attack, yet so can many of the teams in our league. We need to continue to work on our defense and transition game."

In this match, the blockers took center stage for the defense, with NOOR JAMIL registering 10 blocks (8 solo), while Tillett posted six solo stuffs.

Monte Vista (18-6 overall, 3-0 GVL), winners of all 10 home matches this season, returns home Monday (Apr. 19) at 6 p.m. against Mount Miguel.

Monte Vista – Kills: Guinto 11, Tillett 11, Muniz 8, Barnes 8, Jamil 5, Velarde 5. Blocks: Jamil 10 (8 solo), Tillet 8 (6 solo). Assists: Velarde 33, Tillett 10. Digs: Contreras 14, Muniz 13, Velarde 12, Barnes 11, Guinto 11. Aces: four w/1.

© East County Sports.com
SANTEE (4-8-10) — The two sides on Monte Vista High volleyball reared its head Wednesday (Apr. 7), although when you win, it can't be considered completely ugly.

The Monarchs raced to an easy first-set over host Santana, then had to fight and claw to hang on over the final sets to complete a 3-game sweep, 25-10, 25-23, 25-21. The triumph gives the team sole possession of first place in the Grossmont Valley League.

"We played Monte Vista volleyball in the first game," said Monarchs coach MICHAEL SKIBBE. "But we played Santana style volleyball after that."

A trio of Monarchs – SHAMAR BARNES, BRANDON TILLETT and CARLOS MUNIZ – equaled for team spiking honors with six kills each. However, a negative hitting percentage over the final two games meant a match of attrition by the team making the fewest ball-handling errors.

However, defender RAUL CONTRERAS, the runaway leader with 29 digs, kept the ball in control by the Monarchs to take crucial points down the stretch.

Monte Vista — Kills: Barnes 6, Muniz 6, Tillett 6. Blocks : Four with 2. Digs: Contreras 29, Gunito 18, Velarde 15. Aces: Gunito 3. Assists: Velarde 18.

© East County Sports.com
SPRING VALLEY (4-7-10) — Following a slow start, Monte Vista High continued to build throughout the evening en route to a 3-1 victory over visiting Hoover in Tuesday's (Apr. 6) key non-league match-up between SDCIF Division III programs.

BRANDON TILLETT paced the Monarchs with 13 kills, while CARLOS MUNIZ and SHAMAR BARNES added nine putaways each en route to a 16-25, 26-24, 25-20, 25-17 triumph.

"We were a little tight to start, but once we loosened up and played some defense, we kept gaining momentum," said Monte Vista coach MICHAEL SKIBBE.

After the Cardinals easily took the first set, the key second set saw Monte Vista get even in extended play (overtime), then expanded its advantage in the final two sets.

Muniz was the key on the attack. He gained his kills on just 20 spiking attempts, with just four total errors all match for a strong.250 spiking percentage.

JESUS VELARDE slowed down Hoover's offense with five solo blocks, allowing the Monarchs (17-6 overall) to run their home-court record to a perfect 9-0. Velarde, the setter, also registered 33 assists.

Monte Vista — Kills: Tillett 13, Barnes 9, Tillett 9. Blocks: Velarde 5, Tillett 2. Digs: Contreras 37, Guinto 23, Velarde 18. Aces: Contreras 2, Tillett 2. Assists: Velarde 33.

© East County Sports.com
LAS VEGAS (3-30-10) — Steele Canyon High won at least one match in each of the first two phases of the Las Vegas Invitational, which opened a 2-day run Monday (Mar. 29).

The Cougars, coming off a victory in their Grossmont Hills League opener before spring break, went 1-2 in pool play.

They fell to L.A.-Taft in two straight, then suffered a disappointing 3-set setback to Las Vegas-Spring Valley despite once leading 8-1 in the final set, only to fall 15-11. However, they avoided total relegation by sweeping Maywood Academy.

In the second round, they split two additional matches. Included was a 2-0 win over Canyon Springs, then a 2-0 loss to Las Vegas-Silverado's Skyhawks.

Results from Monte Vista High were not reported.

© East County Sports.com
EL CAJON (3-25-10) — Forget about the past. It's done and over with.

There are new programs ready to grab titles in new leagues, as Steele Canyon and Monte Vista high schools grabbed victories in a pair of league openers on Wednesday (Mar. 24).

The Cougars took the first-ever contest in the new Grossmont Hills League, outlasting Granite Hills in a 5-set thriller. Meanwhile, the Monarchs are the early leader of the Grossmont Valley League after dropping an improved El Capitan ballclub, 3-1.

STEELE CANYON 3, GRANITE HILLS 2 – In years past, this match-up would have gone the way of Granite Hills. No longer.

The first match under the Grossmont Hills League banner went the way of the Cougars, which rallied from a 1-set deficit to secure a 5-set decision, 20-25, 25-19, 25-17, 18-25, 15-9 on Wednesday (Mar. 24) at the Cougars' den.

"Perseverance – the difference was our experience," said Steele Canyon coach GIL SALDIVAR, who suddenly is East County 's most-tenured coach in his 7th season. "We have three elite club players, plus seven more who play club ball."

The glue is setter TYLER WHITMARSH, who posted 21 assists to six different spikers to lead the victory. The main benefactor wasn't even a front line attacker, it was opposite CHRIS NICHOLS, who registered 11 kills, while KEVIN BEATTY added 9 putaways.

"It was a nice win, but we're still learning to work with our guys," added the coach. "We're still in the process of meshing."

MONTE VISTA 3, EL CAPITAN 1 – The revamped front line of the Monarchs, which needed to make changes due to an injury to their top attacker, still generated enough offense to top the rising Vaqueros, 25-22, 25-17, 18-25, 25-18, at Foster Gymnasium.

Senior SHAMAR BARNES was moved to the outside to replace a missing spiker, yet still led Monte Vista with 8 kills. Meanwhile, CARLOS NUNIZ stepped into the middle to collect 6 kills to propel the Monarchs to a 2-0 lead.

"El Cap has really developed and never gave up – they didn't give us many opportunities," said Monte Vista coach MICHAEL SKIBBE. "Then Shamar came through for us in the end."

The Vaqueros were in position to force a fifth set, trailing 18-16 while receiving serve. However, Barnes single-handedly cancelled the comeback attempt with a pair of aces, served well enough to force turnovers on three more serves, then registered another ace for a 6-0 run to bring the Monarchs to match point.

Monte Vista (11-1, 1-0 GVL) also receive strong defense from RAUL CONTRERAS (27 digs) and JESUS VELARDE (22).

© East County Sports.com
SPRING VALLEY (3-18-10) — A year ago, Helix High took a 2-0 lead on Monte Vista, only to see the Monarchs romp back to claim a 5-set stunner.

"And I thought they'd flip the script on us," said Monte Vista coach MICHAEL SKIBBE. "It got pretty heated out there."

On Wednesday (Mar. 17), it was the Monarchs' turn to give back a 2-0 advantage, but this time the scenario failed to completely repeat. Thanks to a late defensive adjustment, Monte Vista held on to win in five sets, 25-18, 25-11, 24-26, 22-25, 15-8, over the Highlanders.

In addition to bouncing back from their first loss of the season, the Monarchs (9-1) handed previously unbeaten Helix (4-1) its first setback of the 2010 campaign.

"Helix made a great adjustment for the third game," added Skibbe. "They stopped hitting and starting tipping the ball. But we finally adjusted back in the fifth and starting covering balls well."

The defensive stand saw four Monarchs score in double figures, including a match-high 22 digs by RAUL CONTRERAS. The other leaders included JESUS VELARDE (21 digs), BRANDON TILLETT (17) and JASON GUINTO (14).

"Plus, we only had three receptions errors – we didn't give away many points," added the coach. "Overall, our defense tonight was very nice."

Monte Vista returns to Grossmont Conference Tournament play Monday (Mar. 22) at Granite Hills.

Monte Vista — Kills: Brandon Tillett 15, Shamar Barnes 10, Jason Guinto 7. Assists: Jesus Velarde 30. Blocks: Felipe Orozco 2 solo, 15 ast, Jimil Noor 1 solo, 15 ast, Shamar Barnes 16 ast.

Helix — No information provided.

© East County Sports.com
RANCHO SAN DIEGO (3-16-10) — The season-long winning streak by the Monte Vista High boys volleyball team ended on Monday (Mar. 15).

Following eight matches without defeat, host Steele Canyon found an answer to top the Monarchs in four sets, 21-25, 25-18, 21-25, 22-25, in Grossmont Conference Tournament play.

“This could be a costly loss for us considering that St. Augustine is in Division III like we are," said Monte Vista coach MICHAEL SKIBBE. "We won’t play either one of them unless it’s in the playoffs. Unless somebody knocks off St. Augustine, they’ll be seeded ahead of us”

The good news: the Saints also defeated Steele Canyon in three sets, so even if Monte Vista is relegated to a second seed, a meeting with St. Augustine would be on a neutral court in the SDCIF title match.

But first things first.

A rash of hitting errors, including six each by their two top spikers, doomed the Monarchs (8-1).

“We just had a bad night against a good team – yes, I am disappointed," added the coach. "They took advantage of our errors and got us out of our regular cycle. We were very inconsistent with our serving – we had seven serving errors.”

“That’s just not acceptable," Skibbe noted.

The Monarchs return home to entertain Helix at 6 p.m. Wednesday.

Monte Vista — Kills: Brandon Tillett 14-45, Jason Guinto 4-18, Shamar Barnes 4-28. Digs: Guinto 25, Raul Contreras 27, Jesus Velarde 17. Blocks: Felipe Orozco 6 solo 7 assists; Jamil Noor 3 solo 12 assists; Barnes 3 solo, 5 assists, Velarde 4 solo 5 assists.

Steele Canyon — Not reported by the Cougars.

© East County Sports.com
SPRING VALLEY (3-12-10) — A new power may soon be taking over East County boys volleyball after upstart Monte Vista rallied from a 1-set deficit to flash past visiting Valhalla in Thursday's (Mar. 11) Grossmont Conference Tournament match.

The Monarchs ran their overall record to 8-0 after coming back to win, 16-25, 25-22, 25-23, 25-22, by outplaying the Norsemen down the stretch over the final three sets.

"This is the first time we have beaten Valhalla in six years," said Monte Vista coach MICHAEL SKIBBE. "They got us in the first set, but I think it was just nerves. It was pleasant for us to get that monkey off our back and beat a solid program like Valhalla's."

Monte Vista saw three players — SHAMAR BARNES, JASON GUINTO and RAUL CONTRERAS — share spiking honors with 10 kills each. But it was the backcourt which prevented Valhalla from scoring which was key. Contreras paced the defense with 23 digs, while JESSE VELARDE picked up 16 spikes, and Gunito had 12.

"Valhalla is well coached. I think we are a little more fundamental," added Skibbe. "As a coach, we’re playing good team volleyball. Once we started playing and got into the flow, we did well."

We made some early mistakes. it’s was just a question of how you’re going to respond.”

Velarde, the setter, has 12 assists. At the net, Barnes led the match with 18 rejections, followed by NOOR JAMIL (11 blocks) and FELIPE OROZCO (10).

The usually tough serving Norsemen were foiled by Contreras, who registered 38 receptions without an error.

© East County Sports.com
SPRING VALLEY (3-7-10/Revised 3-8-10) — The revamped Monte Vista High boys volleyball team shocked one of the county's top programs, downing The Bishop's School, 25-15, 18-25, 15-12, in Saturday's (Mar. 6) championship match of the season-opening Monte Vista Classic.

The Monarchs are now 6-0 to open the season.

"The team grew up a lot as the tournament went on," said Monte Vista coach MICHAEL SKIBBE. "They quit trying to be heroes and win it by themselves, Once we started communicating and did team stuff, we were alright.

With only a handful of strong Division III programs in the San Diego Section, the Monarchs received an early look at their top competitors for the SDCIF playoffs.

" University City and Montgomery are both in D-3, just like us," added Skibbe. "So to beat them both was special, especially UC, since they put us out of the playoffs last year."

Monte Vista swept the Centurions to straight sets to complete pool play without dropping a game, then downed Christian in the quarterfinals of the Gold (championship) Bracket.

In the final four, the Monarchs needed to face a pair of teams which both came out of the strongest of the four pools, which played at The Fleet Center in La Jolla, yet captured both to win the 16-team tournament.

First, Monte Vista pasted Coronado, 25-21, 25-18, then went three sets to defeat The Bishop's School.

"We needed to have a good start against Bishop's, which is a very good program," added the coach. "And it wasn't just one guy – the group did a great job playing defense and let the ball take care of itself because we're bigger and more athletic than last year."

"What was key wasn't on spikes, but when there was a funny ball on shanks and miss-hits. We were able to play the ball clean and make a play."

Monte Vista opens Grossmont Conference Tournament play Monday (Mar. 8) at West Hills, then hosts St. Augustine in non-league action on Tuesday (Mar. 9). Both start at 6 p.m.

Pool Play, Fri.-Sat., Mar. 5-6

Group A (At Monte Vista) Hoover df. El Camino, 25-20, 25-19. Hoover df. Pt. Loma, 25-16, 25-13. Point Loma df. Mount Miguel, 25-18, 25-18. El Camino df. Mount Miguel, 25-12, 25-19. El Camino df. Point Loma, 25-23, 28-26. Hoover df. Mount Miguel Top 2: El Camino, Hoover. Consolation: Mount Miguel, Point Loma.		Group C (At Monte Vista) Monte Vista df. Orange Glen, 25-21, 25-14. Montgomery df. University City, 25-19, 25-19. Monte Vista df. Montgomery, 27-25, 17-25, 15-13. University City df. Orange Glen, 25-17, 22-25, 15-12. Monte Vista df. University City Montgomery df. Orange Glen Top 2: Monte Vista, Montgomery. Consolation: Orange Glen, University City
Group B (At El Cajon Valley) Top 2: Christian, Morse. Consolation: El Cajon Valley, SD-Southwest.		Group D (At The Fleet Center, La Jolla) Top 2: The Bishop's, Coronado. Consolation: El Capitan, Mater Dei Catholic.

© East County Sports.com
SPRING VALLEY (1-14-10) — For the fifth consecutive season, Monte Vista High is hosting a series of boys volleyball tournaments this spring in several divisions. The early-season events will prepare teams for league play with as many matches as possible, while the end-of-the-season events will pair teams from the same CIF divisions to prep for postseason action.

Varsity tournaments ($275 entry fee each) will be held March 5-6 and April 23-24, while junior varsity events ($225 per team per event) are slated for March 12-13 and April 30-May 1. There are early-bird and multi-team discounts available.

For further information, contact Monarchs head coach Michael Skibbe by email or call (619) 741-9000 or (619) 807-3235.