Santa Barbara High wound up second best for the second straight year in the CIF Southern Section men’s volleyball championships. Top-seeded Valencia swept the Dons by scores of 25-16, 32-30 and 25-22 on Saturday evening at Cal State Dominguez Hills.
The second game was pivotal, as the Dons fought to square the match after a slow start. But the magic that occurred on their home court in a semifinal comeback against Corona del Mar did not come through this time, and Valencia’s Vikings pulled out the marathon win and took control of the match.
The Dons, who lost last year’s final to Corona del Mar, finished with a record of 30-5. Valencia, winning its fourth section championship in six years, went 35-2 – one of the defeats at the hands of Santa Barbara early in the season.