SAN MATEO — There won't be a rubber game to decide the Central Coast Section volleyball title, but perhaps just as important is the bragging rights between the two county rivals.
Monterey and Carmel's postseason run came to a halt Thursday when both were sacrificed on the road in the Division II semifinals.
The Gavilan District champion Toledores gave their all to second-seeded 31-2 Aragon, losing in five sets 25-19, 19-25, 25-21, 21-25, 15-12 in San Mateo. .
Carmel was aiming to reach the finals for the fourth time in the past seven years, but fell short with a 25-16, 25-21, 25-17 loss to top-seeded Montavista (Cupertino).
Monterey ended Carmel's dominance in the Gavilan Division earlier this year by ending a 12-game losing streak dating back to 2015, but it split the rivals' two official games.
Aragon 3, Monterey 2: Following their first Gavilan Division title in 14 years, the Toledores pushed Aragon to the limit, but lost 15-12 in the final set.
“That was our best volleyball of the season,” said Monterey coach David Swartz, who reached the semifinals for the second year in a row. “Fight with all your heart.”
The 23 wins this spring were the most for Monterey since 2011, when they won 24. The school record is 26 wins, set in 2010.
“When the season started, we didn’t know what we had,” Swartz said. “We didn't expect to be league champions. But let's go back to the playoffs and improve ourselves. We came within three points of making the finals. The plan is to be there again next year.”
The only time Monterey played for a section title in volleyball was in 1999.
Facing elimination, the Toledores fought back in the fourth set to win 25-21 and take the fifth and final set, marking the second time all season they had led by five sets.
Monterey tied the score at 11 in the final set behind a strong defense, but Aragon relied on its heavy hitters to grab the final three points.
“Their two best hitters dominated us in the last few points,” said Swartz, who had 14 blocks for the undersized team. “It wasn't a team mistake. You don't always win against the net. But we were digging into everything.”
Duran Lemasters scored 19 goals for the Toreadors, and defensive specialist PK Swartz added 18 goals. Jonathan Companion and Andres Espinoza combined for 10 of the 14 blocks recorded.
“It's huge to play against an experienced Bay Area team,” Swartz said. “They showed me things we haven't seen in Monterey in a long time.”
For Monterey, Companion and Noah Bigelow each had 12 kills, while Ryan Gallagher and LaMasters both had nine kills.
Montavista 3, Carmel 0: The Padres, who have appeared in the CCS Division II semifinals for the seventh year in a row, were aiming to advance to the finals for the second year in a row, but fell just short against the top-seeded Matadors.
Carmel (19-12) entered the game on a six-game winning streak, including erasing the cancer on Tuesday and sweeping Gavilan Division champion Monterey at the end of the regular season.
“It's tough to finish the season,” Carmel first-year coach Jim Airola said. “Our boys were competitive and played hard. But Monta Vista was relentless all night. It's a big school with a long tradition of volleyball.”
Trailing in the first set, the Padres fought back in the second and matched Monta Vista behind Sebastien d'Aste and Zachary Speakman, but lost 25-21.
“They combined good ball control with a very big hitter,” Airola said of Montavista. “They are well-coached and disciplined. We had five sophomores in the rotation this year and had a great season.”
D'Aste, who is headed to Princeton to play volleyball, had 14 kills, 16 assists and 11 digs for Carmel, while Speakman added 11 kills, 14 assists and 12 digs. Nico Vitiello had 14 digs.
