San Marcos High boys’ volleyball faced a tough road test at Santa Barbara High but came away with a hard-fought victory, winning 25-21, 18-25, 25-6, 25-21.
The win pushed the Royals to 5-0 in Channel League play and into sole possession of first place.
Matteo Burdick led a well-rounded San Marcos offense with 22 kills, while Koji Hefner added 13 and Owen Willer contributed 10. Keanu Nguyen spearheaded the Royals defense with eight digs, and received strong support from Jamie Hetrick, Burdick, and setter Tyler Walker.
After splitting the first two sets, San Marcos dominated the third with efficient, error-free play. Santa Barbara responded in the fourth behind a strong performance from Hayes Costner, who led all players with 26 kills and briefly gave the Dons a late lead. However, San Marcos regained control with key blocks, a service ace, and clutch plays from Walker and Willer to close out the match.
With the victory, San Marcos improved to 15-2 overall, while Santa Barbara fell to 11-4 and 4-1 in league play.
Bishop Diego 3, Foothill Tech 0
The Bishop Diego boys volleyball team continued its strong run in Tri-Valley League play with a straight-set victory over Foothill Tech in Ventura, 25-20, 25-18, 25-18.
With the win, the Cardinals improved to 10-3 overall and 4-0 in league play.
The Cardinals were led by John Michael Flint, who recorded 14 kills and two service aces, while Damien Krautmann added 13 kills along with a block and an ace. Contributions from the middle also proved valuable, as Kingston Bustos and Tua Rojas combined for five kills and three blocks to help balance the offense.
Setter Luke Walters played a key all-around role, finishing with 37 assists, six digs, three kills, a block, and an ace while directing the Cardinals’ attack.
Despite facing a Foothill Tech team with several strong hitters, Bishop Diego adjusted effectively throughout the match. The Cardinals improved their approach against the block and made key defensive changes to limit the Dragons’ offense. Consistency from the service line and an emphasis on fundamental plays helped Bishop Diego maintain control.
“Foothill Tech has three guys who get up and bang the ball, and since they haven’t played as much this season, we didn’t have a great game plan heading into the match. I credit the guys for making adjustments to how they attacked the block, and the defensive adjustments we had to make to try and mitigate their offense. We were able to focus on simple plays and serve the ball in bounds, we played well. We’ll look to clean up the errors this weekend.”
Up next for Bishop Diego is a non-league matchup against Bakersfield Christian before hosting the seventh annual Cardinal Classic tournament on Saturday.
The tournament will feature 12 teams competing in a format that begins with pool play and advances into a single-elimination bracket. Participating schools include Bishop Diego, Oxnard, Santa Ynez, South Pasadena, Rio Mesa, Coastal Christian, St. Joseph, Cate, Channel Islands, Hueneme, Nipomo, and Bakersfield Christian. Play is scheduled to begin at 8:30 a.m.
Dos Pueblos 3, Buena 0
The Chargers made quick work of Buena on their home court with a 25-12, 25-8, 25-10 victory.
Caleb Damron led a balanced Dos Pueblos attack with nine kills, Evan Daugherty added eight kills and Leo Hine chipped in seven kills.
With the victory, Dos Pueblos improves to 10-6 overall and 3-2 in Channel League play.
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