Erratic Chatsworth Loses Leads, Match to University

Was there really any other way for the season to end for the Chatsworth High boys’ volleyball team?

The Chancellors, who have experienced more ups and down than the Dow Jones industrial average the past month, hit a dead end in a match against University that had plenty of peaks and valleys.

University outlasted Chatsworth, 15-13, 15-17, 15-13, 16-14, in the City Section 4-A Division quarterfinals in West Los Angeles.

The match took 2 hours 31 minutes and kept alive the third-seeded Warriors’ quest for a fourth consecutive 4-A title.

Sixth-seeded Chatsworth (10-5) held leads in every game, but despite 26 kills from Stephen Wiessner and a career-high 23 kills from Omer Samiri, the Chancellors could not finish.

It helped University (11-5) that it could turn to 6-foot-6 outside hitter Mark Williams, who signed a letter of intent with UCLA. He had 37 kills in 73 attempts.

The Chancellors lost leads of 13-12 in the first and third games. They also led in the fourth game, 14-12, before University ran off four straight points to end the match.

“We’ve been looking forward to this for three years,” said Samiri. “This was the moment of truth.”

The wildest ride may have been in the second game.

Chatsworth led, 14-8, but the Warriors fought off nine game points and took a 15-14 lead.

The Chancellors fought off game point and tied the score at 15-15 on a kill by Wiessner, took a 16-15 lead on a double block by Wiessner and Samiri and won the game on a triple block that snuffed Williams.

The game took 50 minutes and featured 71 side-outs.

“I was ready to go with that fire and keep it burning,” said Chatsworth middle blocker Chris Wilson, who had 17 kills and eight blocks.

In the third game, the Chancellors took leads of 8-4 and 10-7 before Williams countered with three kills for a 10-10 tie.

Chatsworth took another lead, 13-12, but couldn’t keep it. Williams ended the game with a kill.

“It didn’t look like we should have won,” said University Coach Neal Newman, whose team will play at Palisades in the semifinals Wednesday. “A lot of people in the stands are probably asking how we did win.”