Eagles sweep

Rick Devereux

This is starting to become routine for the Estancia High boys

volleyball team.

Another opponent, another three-game sweep.

The unfortunate victim Wednesday at Moorpark High was Camarillo.

The top-seeded Eagles (27-6) moved on to the CIF Southern Section

Division III championship match against unseeded Orange Lutheran

(16-2) Saturday at 1 p.m. at Cypress College after beating the host

Scorpions, 25-13, 25-16, 25-22.

Orange Lutheran upset second-seeded Oxnard, 21-25, 25-17, 19-25,

25-22, 15-12, in the other semifinal Wednesday.

For the Eagles, who reached the semifinals last year, it’s their

first appearance in a CIF final in 20 years.

“We proved [Wednesday] that no one can beat us,” outside hitter

Kris Hartwell said. “We proved that no one can take a game from us.”

The confidence is not out of place considering Estancia swept

through Golden West League play and the first four rounds of CIF

without losing a game.

“They remind me of our team last year,” Camarillo Coach Earnest

Rittenhouse said.

The third-seeded Scorpions (14-6) were Division III champions last

year.

“[Estancia is] well-rounded and didn’t commit many errors

tonight,” Rittenhouse said.

Camarillo took an early 3-1 lead in first game, but a kill and ace

by Hartwell inspired the team and the red-shirted Estancia fans who

traveled close to 90 miles to cheer on the team.

Middle blocker Scott Sankey blocked the Scorpions’ top hitter and

last year’s Division III Player of the Year Eric Vance to give

Estancia a lead it would not relinquish.

But the real weapon Vance was stifled by was the Estancia jump

serves. The Eagles registered nine aces and forced Camarillo into

many bad passes that resulted in poor attacking opportunities for

Vance.

Trevor Holmes, who finished with 25 assists, spread the ball

evenly to all his hitters on the night, making it difficult for the

Camarillo blockers to anticipate who would get the set.

Captain Josh Kornegay had a team-high 10 kills, Hartwell finished

with eight and Sankey registered nine.

“I’m the luckiest player on the team,” Holmes said, referring to

the many offensive threats Estancia has.