Santa Cruz High School's Julian “JuJu” Parry and Tim Pohlman bump chests after scoring in the first round of the CIF Division I Boys Volleyball Northern California Regional Playoffs against Foothills of Pleasanton on Tuesday. Ta. (John Lee – Santa Cruz Sentinel)
SANTA CRUZ โ Home of the boys volleyball season, Santa Cruz High School doesn't want its sensational campaign to end. But more than winning, the Cardinals appear to be motivated to play with their coach and close friends again.
But the first game, in which the fourth-seeded Cardinals defeated fifth-seeded Foothills of Pleasanton 20-25, 25-19, 25-21, 25-17, was filled with smiles, high fives, and chest-thumping. I couldn't stop throbbing. Tuesday's round of the CIF NorCal Regional Tournament.
“It feels great,” Cardinals junior outside hitter Gammon Nilsen said. “Everything about this team feels great. Every win is a great feeling, but even if we have a few losses, I'm pretty much happy about every game we play. Especially with my friends. It's a great sport when played.”
Coach Justin Bates was elated for the Cardinals to continue their “journey.”
“Our players have always stepped up, but now they're coming into their own,” Coach Bates said.
Even after shaking hands with the Falcons and warming down after the game, the Cardinals' smiles remained on their faces. That's when they received word that they had been spared the long trip to the Central Valley for the next round of a single-elimination tournament.
In the first round on Tuesday, the Cardinals (39-2 overall) faced the Monarchs in the second game, as No. 8 San Jose Archbishop Mitty defeated No. 1 Clovis 25-20, 25-23, 26-24. (29 wins, 9 losses) will be at home.The semifinals are Thursday at 6 p.m.
In the other semifinal, No. 3 San Jose Christian (32-10) will face No. 2 Sanger (38-8), also from the Central Valley.
This will be the fourth matchup between Santa Cruz and Mitty this season. The Cardinals won 2-1 in tournament games on March 23 and April 6, and won 3-1 in the Central Coast Section Open Division semifinals Thursday in Santa Cruz.
Bates expects a close game against the Monarchs.
โThey have a really good offense and a really good serve, but the minute they take us out of our system and be able to stay aggressive and push the ball and find the floor, I “They've done a really good job,” he said.
The Cardinals, who lost to Valley Christian in the Open Division final on Saturday, benched sophomore libero Lucas Kamalani for undisclosed reasons and lost the first set to the Falcons, 29-7. .
When Kamalani took the court in the second set, he provided the defense and passing the Cardinals needed to gain the upper hand.
The third set was tied at 14-all, but junior outside hitter/libero Julian โJujuโ Parry and Nilsen traded big strikes, and junior middle Leo Sapnor made two big blocks to lead the Cardinals. led 23-20.
โMe and JuJu, our whole game plan is to swing as hard as we can on every ball,โ Nilsen said. “We don't like to tip. Tipping is never fun, so give it a try.”
Cardinals senior setter Maverick Manners set up his teammates all over the court, and each took advantage of the opportunity to show off their hitting prowess.
Senior middle/opposite Tim Pohlman scored on a dink and Parry spiked it, but Falcons libero Noah Mitzenmacher couldn't control it, giving the Cardinals a two-set-to-one lead.
The Cardinals took a 7-3 lead in the fourth set. Each team made some hitting and serving errors in some big outbursts, but the Cardinals kept the Falcons close at arm's length.
With Parry's famous kill putting the Cardinals ahead 22-16, Bates returned to the bench and replaced opposing senior Jake Smith, a crowd favorite.
The Cardinals joined in the “Jake Smith” chants, and play was halted as officials checked in at the scorer's table to make sure Foothill's service rotation was correct.
During the hiatus, Smith and Nilsen worked on their golf swings. Yes, the Cardinals looked nice and relaxed.
When play resumed, Nilsen added two more kills to his total and Kamalani finished off the Falcons with an ace. He clenched his fists and let out a roar.
Parry led the Cardinals with 16 kills and two aces, Nilsen had 11 kills and one block, and Pohlman had 10 kills and two aces. Sapnor finished with six kills and five blocks.
Jeremy Sun and Kayan Bora each paced the Falcons with seven kills. Setter Yunbe recorded 28 assists.
Score
Santa Cruz 3, Foothill 1
20-25, 25-19, 25-21, 25-17
Next up is the CIF DI NorCal semifinals, 8th place Archbishop Mitty vs. 4th place Santa Cruz.
When: Thursday, 6 p.m.