Players and coaches of the Sage Hill men's volleyball team pose for a group photo with their championship plaques after defeating San Marino in the CIF-SS Division 5 finals Saturday, May 11, at Cerritos College. (Photo courtesy of Steve Flyer of Orange County Register/SCNG)
NORWALK — The Sage Hill men's volleyball program made history Saturday by defeating San Marino in five sets 19-25, 25-22, 22-25, 25-18, 15-13 in the CIF-SS Division 5 finals at Cerritos College. left his name on. .
The four-game opener at Cerritos College did not disappoint, pitting two teams seeking the program's first CIF title.
This suspenseful five-set thriller features a back-and-forth twist that tests will and determination, with the Lightning ultimately winning.
Sage Hill (24-8) dropped the third set and trailed 2-1 in the match, but won the final two games to capture the program's first CIF-SS championship.
“We're very mature mentally,” Sage Hill coach Shelby Young said. “We can turn our backs to the wall, look in the mirror and say, 'What are we made of?' And answer.”
Sage Hill's Jackson Crist, a 6-10 junior outside hitter, had a sensational performance with a match-high 53 kills.
In the final set, she had 10 of 53 kills, including championship points.
Crist was proud that he and his teammates set a new standard for the volleyball program by taking home the title.
“I think it's great. Honestly, I'm really happy for the players, especially the seniors and the coaches,” Crist said. “It's great for the school in terms of building a culture of volleyball. It's already a huge program in Orange County, but I think it would be great if more schools could have access to a competitive program at that level.” For example, we're competing with Beckman and other teams, and I think we can only go up from here.”
The fourth-seeded Titans (26-7-1) reached the finals without dropping a set in the playoffs.
San Marino held the lead in the first set, but the momentum shifted in the second and Sage Hill settled in to tie the match.
“Obviously, we ended up with a shaky result,” Young said.
The Lightning used postseason play to their advantage, including a five-set win over Camarillo in the second round.
Meanwhile, the Titans looked uncomfortable at first entering the fifth set as Sage Hill took a 5-1 lead.
San Marino bounced back with the play of outside hitter Ryan Wang, opposite Casey Chan, and middle blocker Luca Moggio.
Senior setter Brayden Brien had an effective game, as did sophomore outside hitter Connor Gap.
“It was performed exactly as written,” Young said. “I strongly believe that we should be here to support this group and use the expertise that I have to help push this group to get where it wants to go.”