RIVERSIDE — Things didn't look too good for the Rancho Verde boys volleyball team Monday night.
The Mustangs, playing without injured captain Sir Lobban, trailed 16-10 in the fourth set, which may have been the last of the season.
But Rancho Verde showed its resiliency and found a way to advance, defeating North 25-22, 24-26, 25-27, 27-25, 15-7.
The second-seeded Mustangs (30-7) travel to Newport Beach on Wednesday to take on Sage Hill (18-8) in the CIF Southern Section Division 5 quarterfinals.
“North played well tonight, but we made our fair share of mistakes in that game,” Rancho Verde coach Brandon Baker said. “Last year we lost because we had never been in that spot (the fifth set) and didn't know how to win. This year we had that experience and we used it to our advantage.”
Neither team could lead by more than one point in the first set, but Rancho Verde's Frank Montez scored two solo points during a four-point deficit to give the Mustangs a 17-13 lead. North (21-12) tied the score at 19, but Rancho Verde took the lead on a goal by Daniel Omaibboje.
North took a 19-14 lead in the second set with five kills from Jasper Ann and a combination block from Brian Fokwa and Eli Eborn. Rancho Verde had a big block. Jeremy Morgan had a successful solo block and then teamed up with Montez for 24 points. But North's Cordae Sims had the set-ending kill.
There was a sense of déjà vu in the third set. The Huskies led 22-19 with two kills and an ace from Ann and two kills and a solo block from Mac Lyons. Rancho Verde's Giovanni Andrade hit an ace and Xavier Roban forced the extra point. However, Ahn's kill and Sims' ace gave North a 2-1 lead.
North took a 16-10 lead with back-to-back aces from Anne and two kills from Sims. However, Rancho Verde jumped to the front and had two set points ruined by Sims before the Huskies' offensive hitting errors forced a deciding set.
“It would be very easy to give up in that position, but we were determined to have our seniors reach the quarterfinals again and find a way to make that happen,” Omaibboje said.
The fifth set was all about errors, with Rancho Verde scoring six points off North's errors to take an 11-1 lead. Xavier Roban finished the match with a kill, but was mopped up by his teammates on the court.
“It's really tough to see the season end like this because I think we're just starting to figure out who we are as a team,” North coach Lillian McCandless said. “I'm very proud of how hard we fought to have a chance to win tonight.”
Omaibboje led Rancho Verde with 14 kills and 2 1/2 blocks, and Ann led North with 22 kills and seven aces.