Boys volleyball: CdM advances to finals, again

Steve Virgen

GLENDALE - Though he had never faced the Corona del Mar High boys

volleyball team before, Village Christian Coach Bill Schnobrich still had

a good idea about the Sea Kings.

“We know what they’re all about,” Schnobrich said before his No. 1

seeded Crusaders met CdM in CIF Southern Section Division IV semifinal at

Glendale Community College Wednesday. “They’re all about winning titles.”

For the record, the Sea Kings (15-5) are now one game away from

winning its second straight CIF title after dealing Sun Valley-based

Village Christian its first loss of the season, 15-13, 15-9, 15-13, in an

hour and a half.

“They wanted to get back to the finals for the pride of this program,”

CdM Coach Steve Conti said of his Sea Kings who made it to their fifth

straight title match. “These guys went out and wore the letters (CdM)

with pride.”

Perhaps the most obvious display of that pride came in Game 3. After

losing a 13-10 lead, CdM called a timeout when it committed two straight

errors which tied the game at 13.

The Crusaders (17-1), champions of the Alpha League, then committed a

service error which opened the door for the Sea Kings.

With senior Garrett Macklin serving, the Sea Kings reached match point

when Brian Gallagher set up a rare assist for John Grod’s third and final

kill of the match.

Like champions, CdM swung the knockout punch when senior Forrest Mack

rose for an emphatic block to end the match.

“I really liked how we finished tonight,” Conti said. “We just went

out and got it. We had a couple of guys who brought their ‘A’ level game

today. (Mack and Gallagher) were outstanding offensively.”

Gallagher, a team captain, had one of his better matches of the

season, according to Conti, slamming for 16 kills, while Mack thumped

down a match-high 17.

CdM senior Charlie Alshuler contributed 13 kills, helping to finish

off a portion of senior Evan Burden’s 44 assists.

“It’s unbelievable,” Gallagher said of reaching the CIF finals against

Santa Ynez. “All the seniors have been working so hard for so long to get

here. We’re exactly where we want to be. We never want to finish our

season on a loss.”

Said Alshuler, “I wouldn’t call this an upset. I have pride in my

team. I know we can beat any team if our hearts are in it.”

CdM, the Pacific Coast League co-champions, dominated in Game 2 after

grabbing momentum from its win in the first game.

Though the Sea Kings committed 15 errors in Game 1, they took control

in the closing moments. Trailing 11-8, CdM answered with a 7-2 run, which

included three Burden-Gallagher, assist-kill combinations, the latter

ending the game.

Game 2 saw CdM jump out to leads of 5-0, and 11-3, before Village

Christian made a mini comeback before falling, as Burden set up Gallagher

to end that game as well.

CdM and Santa Ynez will go at it Saturday at Cypress College for the

Division IV title.