ALL-SDCIF TEAM (Selected by the media) First Team
Name, School Yr.
Tien Le, Carlsbad, Jr.
Connor Mortland, Mt. Carmel, Sr.
Danny Woodley, Poway, Sr.
John Walsh, La Jolla, Sr.
Jonny Hoolko, Cathedral Catholic, Jr.
Kendall Partie, La Costa Canyon, Sr.
Nick England, Mt. Carmel, Sr.
Cory Wagner, La Costa Canyon, Sr.
Tanner Clayton, Rancho Bernardo, Sr.
Mike Brunsting, Francis Parker, Sr.
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
CIF PLAYOFFS QUARTERFINALS
Cougars, Monarchs, fall in SDCIF quarterfinals
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.
CIF Division II Playoffs, First
Round:
Steele Canyon Cougars at Hoover Cardinals (Slideshow by Rusty Beatty)
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)."
The Cougars, seeded seventh, were forced to play on
the road since the Cardinals were a league champion.
But once they overcame the hosts 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.
CIF-San
Diego Section Boys Volleyball Playoffs
Division I
Division II
First
round
Wednesday
(All games at 7 p.m.)
Mira Mesa (9-20) at Eastlake (16-9)
San Pasqual (6-12) at Otay Ranch (27-7)
Sweetwater (12-14) at Torrey Pines (17-13)
Escondido (10-22) at Hilltop (23-11) Quarterfinals
Saturday
(All games at 7 p.m.)
Mira Mesa-Eastlake winner at No. 1 Poway (26-6)
San Pasqual-Otay Ranch winner at No. 4 Rancho Bernardo
(26-8)
Sweetwater-Torrey Pines winner at No. 3 La Costa
Canyon (19-7)
Escondido-Hilltop winner at No. 2 Carlsbad (17-9) Semifinals
Wednesday, May 19
(All games at 7 p.m.)
TBA at highest seed Finals
Saturday, May 22
At Cathedral Catholic HS, 5 p.m.
First
round
Tuesday
(All games at 7 p.m.)
Bonita Vista (11-8) at Henry (16-14)
Morse (16-13) at Valhalla (22-11)
Helix (13-13) at Mission Hills (11-10)
Steele Canyon (21-15) at Hoover (12-2) Quarterfinals
Friday
(All games at 7 p.m.)
Bonita Vista-Henry winner at No. 1 Mt. Carmel (27-3)
Morse-Valhalla winner at No. 4 Scripps Ranch (15-12)
Helix-Mission Hills winner at No. 3 Westview (22-12)
Steele Canyon-Hoover winner at No. 2 Grossmont (31-3) Semifinals
Tuesday, May 18
(All games at 7 p.m.)
TBA at highest seed Finals
Saturday, May 22
At Cathedral Catholic HS
3 p.m.
Division III
Division IV
First
round
Wednesday
(All games at 7 p.m.)
Montgomery (13-8) at Clairemont (18-10)
Crawford (10-17) at Monte Vista (29-8)
Kearny (11-7) at Canyon Crest (11-5)
University City (9-20) at Mar Vista (21-12) Quarterfinals
Saturday
(All games at 7 p.m.)
Montgomery-Clairemont winner at No. 1 Cathedral
Catholic (20-10)
Crawford-Monte Vista winner at No. 4 San Marcos
(20-13)
Kearny-Canyon Crest winner at No. 3 Ramona (22-11)
University City-Mar Vista winner at No. 2 La Jolla
(23-13) Semifinals
Wednesday, May 19
(All games at 7 p.m.)
TBA at highest seed Finals
Saturday, May 22
At Cathedral Catholic HS
1 p.m.
First
round
Tuesday
(All games at 7 p.m.)
Santana (11-12) at Olympian (14-6)
Christian (5-11) at St. Augustine (13-5)
Chula Vista Mater Dei (2-16) at Tri-City Christian
(16-11)
Escondido Adventist (6-11) at Coronado (12-6) Quarterfinals
Friday
(All games at 7 p.m.)
Santana-Olympian winner at No. 1 Parker (17-6)
Christian-St. Augustine winner at No. 4 Valley Center
(14-15)
Chula Vista Mater Dei-Tri-City Christian winner
at No. 3 Bishop's (19-5)
Escondido Adventist-Coronado winner at No. 2 Santa
Fe Christian (18-3) Semifinals
Tuesday, May 18
(All games at 7 p.m.)
TBA at highest seed Finals
Saturday, May 22
At Cathedral Catholic HS, 11 a.m.
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 Tuesdays
(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.
Steele Canyon action photos,
circa 2010 (Slideshow by Rusty Beatty)
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.
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.
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.
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 havent 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.
Were 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 Tuesdays
(May 4) Ramona-San Marcos match in North County. Both
teams are ranked ahead of the Monarchs.
We havent lost to anybody soft in San Diego
County, Skibbe said. And we went 5-5 against
some pretty good teams in Las Vegas.
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.
"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.
"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.
Monarchs rally in
marathon School claims GVL championship
However, the Monarchs shocked everyone, including
themselves, with an improbable comeback Monday
(Apr. 26), downing visiting Santana in a 5-set
marathon, 25-20, 20-25, 22-25, 25-15, 15-7.
Fueling the comeback was spiker BRANDON TILLETT,
who registered a match-high 21 kills on a mere
42 attempts while blocking 16 balls (10 solo
stuffs).
" Brandon showed exceptional leadership
down the stretch of both the fourth and fifth
games," said Monte Vista coach MICHAEL SKIBBE.
"More importantly than that is the fact that
the team stepped up and played great team defense
during the decisive fourth and fifth games."
The Senior Night crowd saw the Monarchs finish
unbeaten in 13 home-court matches, while all-but-mathematically
clinching the inaugural Grossmont Valley League
crown. Second-place Santana (9-8 overall) fell
to 4-2 in league.
"We seemed to let down a little bit and
Santana took advantage to push ahead," the
coach noted. "Somehow, we regrouped and pulled
it together."
In addition to Tillett, JASON GUINTO balanced
the court with 10 kills, while also digging 14
balls, one of a school-record eight Monarchs to
register double-figures in digs, led by 20 by
RAUL CONTRERAS.
Monte Vista (22-6, 6-0 GVL) will host this weekend's
Monarchs Invitational, meeting Hilltop, Mira Mesa,
Olympian, and Escondido in the final major competition
prior to the CIF playoffs.
Monte Vista Kills: Tillett 21, Guinto
11, Carlos Muniz 6. Blocks: Tillett 16 (10 solo),
Noor Jamil 11 (9 solo). Assists: Jesus Velarde
30. Digs: Contreras 29, Velarde 19, Felipe Orozco
16, Guinto 14, Tillett 14, Muniz 13, Shamar Barnes
13, Josh Labanon 11. Aces: Guinto 4.
The triumph sets-up Wednesday's first-place showdown
with front running Grossmont, the second-rated
team among Division II schools behind only state-ranked
Mt. Carmel.
The Cougars (19-13 overall, 4-2 GHL) cleared
the bench midway through the second set after
middle-blocker COLE TYLER pumped several balls
over the Wolf Pack block en route to a match-high
10 kills, most coming off assists from setter
TYLER WHITMARSH (19 assists).
"It was a near flawless match as complete
as we've played all season," said Steele
Canyon coach GIL SALDIVAR. "But we'll still
have to do much better in order to stay with Grossmont
they're a real, legit team."
Steele Canyon entered the match after taking
the consolation title at the West Coast Challenge,
hosted by Valhalla. The Cougars capped the single-elimination
phase by taking 8-of-9 games, downing Crawford
(2-0), Santana (2-1), Helix (2-0) and Granite
Hills (2-0).
Steele Canyon Kills: Tyler 10, Matthew
Gale 8, Kevin Beatty 4. Blocks: Fice with 2. Assists:
Whitmarsh 19. Digs: Tyler 15, Chris Nichols 14,
Gale 9, Whitmarsh 6. Aces: Tyler 2.
The Monarchs (21-6 overall, 4-0 GVL) extended their school
record with 12 straight home-court victories. They are
also 16-1 against CIF San Diego Section opponents.
BRANDON TILLETT paced Monte Vista with a season-high 14
blocks to pace the defensive charge.
"It was our best defensive effort of the year,"
said head coach MICHAEL SKIBBE. "We covered the court
very well."
NOOR JAMIL aided the defense with 7 blocks, while also
adding a match-best 11 kills. In the backcourt, RAUL CONTRERAS
registered 17 digs to limit the Vaqueros offense.
SHAMAR BARNES posted 9 kills, while CARLOS MUNIZ had 6
putaways.
Monte Vista next hosts second-place Santana in a showdown
for the league crown. Monday's (Apr. 26) match starts
at 6 p.m.
Yo! Monarchs make it 11
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).
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.
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.
Hoover Cardinals at Monte Vista
Monarchs (Slideshow by Ed Piper)
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.
The Cougars raced through five consecutive opponents
to reach the consolation title match before finally
falling to Rancho High (Henderson, Nev.).
Steele Canyon middle blocker COLE TYLER, who
plans to attend Brigham Young University and walk-on
to play for the collegiate Cougars, was named
to the all-tournament team.
"That was a lot of volleyball to play in
less than 36 hours," said Steele Canyon coach
GIL SALDIVIA. "We played 11 matches and simply
had nothing left to give toward the end."
"And Tyler was still noticed by the tournament
committee, which was nice. He shut down a 6-foot-10
kid who is being looked at by some big colleges,
so the honor was well-deserved."
In the 56-team tournament, the Cougars posted
a 7-4 record, moving their season ledger to 11-7
overall.
In the consolation round, they defeated L.A.
Whittier, Las Vegas High, L.A.-Birmingham, Narvonne
and Eagle Rock, with all but Narvonne being 2-set
sweeps.
"Our goals were to play better defense and
to learn how to compete," said Monarchs coach
MICHAEL SKIBBE. "And we achieved both of
those goals."
And it will be needed because Monte Vista will
return home to play an important match against
Hoover, starting at 5 p.m. Tuesday (Apr. 6). Both
programs hold similar records, so SDCIF Division
III playoff seeding could be on the line with
the head-to-head pairing.
"Hoover could win their league and we could
win ours," noted the coach. "I am expecting
this to be one of the best matches of the season."
In the early going, Monte Vista built its strong
record by many times just being more athletic
than the opponents. But now, actual volleyball
skills will be needed for the Monarchs to battle
for the league crown.
"We are now working on being better volleyball
players," he added. "Our guys only play
volleyball during volleyball season not one
club level player in the bunch. As the tournament
progressed, as a team, we learned how to cover,
how to communicate, and how to play volleyball."
Monte Vista results Pool Play: lost to
Van Nuys, 25-17, 25-19; lost to Sierra Vista,
35-18, 25-21; df. Fresno-Central, 25-20, 25-18.
Bracket Play: df. Henderson-Basic, 25-20, 25-18;
lost to Venice, 27-25, 25-17. Second Pool: df.
LV-Valley, 25-18, 25-21; df. LV-Durango, 25-20,
25-22; lost to Narbonne, 24-26, 25-10, 15-11.
Final Bracket: df. Las Vegas, 25-18, 25-23; lost
to Carson, 25-22, 25-17.
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.
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).
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"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.
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 wont
play either one of them unless its in the playoffs.
Unless somebody knocks off St. Augustine, theyll
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.
Thats 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.
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,
were playing good team volleyball. Once we started
playing and got into the flow, we did well."
We made some early mistakes. its was just a question
of how youre 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.
Tue., Mar. 9 (Non-League): St. Augustine df. Steele
Canyon, 25-18, 25-16, 25-10.
'Active' Monarchs block West Hills
And the biggest defender, embarrassingly for the Wolf
Pack, was one of the Monarchs' smallest players in setter
FELIPE OROZCO. The 5-foot-10 setter was credited with
four blocks, part of more than a dozen by the Monarchs
in sweeping West Hills, 25-6, 25-9, 25-16. Orozco also
registered 11 assists.
The backcourt also collected a series of pick-ups, as
RAUL CONTRERAS recorded 12 digs, JESSE VELARDE made 11
digs, and BRANDON TILLETT had 9.
At the net, SHAMAR BARNES finished with six kills and
seven blocks.
"We were pretty active around the net," said
Monte Vista coach MICHAEL SKIBBE. "And we were covering
well and limited our mistakes."
The Monarchs, coming off a victory in their own tournament
over the weekend, are 7-0 this season. It was the season
opener for West Hills (0-1).
Monte Vista Varsity Classic
Sat., Mar. 6 Championship
Monte Vista df. The Bishop's, 25-15, 18-25, 15-12. Semifinals
Monte Vista df. Coronado, 25-21, 25-18.
The Bishop's df. Montgomery, 25-19, 25-19. Quarterfinals
Monte Vista df. Christian, 25-23, 25-13.
Coronado df. Hoover, 25-16, 12-25, 16-14.
Montgomery df. Morse, 25-21, 25-21.
The Bishop's df. El Camino, 25-14, 25-15.
Monarchs crown The Bishop's
claim season-oepning tournament
"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.
Spike'd
hair not necessary El Cap seeks boys VB coach
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.