Polls in the first month of the season don’t mean much to Mike Ninnis, yet the head coach of the Mira Costa boys volleyball team couldn’t help but smile after his squad captured first place in the prestigious Best of the West tournament held in Poway last weekend.
The Mustangs defeated Santa Margarita 25-22, 25-22 to win the Gold Division title after placing third in the tournament last season. Redondo placed ninth in the 32-team tournament with a hard-fought 26-24, 27-25 win over Long Beach Poly. The Bay League’s other representative, Palos Verdes, finished 13.
The championship moved Mira Costa from second to first in the CIF Southern Section Division 1 rankings while Santa Margarita jumped from fourth to second after defeating previously top-ranked Loyola 25-19, 25-23 in the semifinals. Five of the top ten finishers compete in Division 1.
“We are more concerned with rankings at the end of May than in early March,” Ninnis said. “This was a nice early season victory, but there is much to improve on if we would like to hold on to that ranking.”
Mira Costa setter Kameron Bain was named tournament MVP after a 94 assist, 11 block performance on Saturday when the Mustangs defeated Crespi 25-14, 25-16, La Costa Canyon 25-19, 25-13 and Bellarmine 25-22, 25-17 before their win over Santa Margarita in the championship match.
Chris Orenic led Mira Costa with 28 kills for the day and added six blocks. D.J. White recorded 23 kills and 13 digs, Karl Acres had 22 kills and seven blocks and Tony Ensbury contributed 33 digs in the four games.
Mira Costa began pool play Friday defeating St. John Bosco 25-12, 25-20 and St. Ignatius 25-17, 25-19 before rebounded to beat Valencia, the third ranked team in CIF Southern Section Division 2, by scores of 23-25, 25-20, 15-8.
White had 20 kills for the day, Orenic recorded 13 kills and five blocks, Keith Waddell registered 10 kills and six blocks, Jake Miller added 10 kills, Zack Proctor had nine kills and Ensbury contributed 19 digs.
“The key to us winning the Best of the West is that we competed enthusiastically,” Ninnis said. “D.J. (White), Chris (Orenic), and Tony (Ensbury) all passed very well, we were aggressive on defense, blocked well and got great setting all tournament from Kameron Bain, while converting on many points in transition. It was truly a team victory.”
Mira Costa (9-0) kept rolling Tuesday with a 25-15, 25-18, 25-12 over visiting Orange Lutheran. Bain had 24 assists while D.J. White led the Mustangs with eight kills. Acres and Kevin Inlow each scored four kills.
Mira Costa will have ten days to hone their skills before hosting Newport Harbor on Friday, March 25. The following day, the Mustangs will compete in the Foothill Tournament.
Redondo, the fifth-ranked team in Division 1, rebounded from a 25-20, 25-19 loss to Loyola in its first game Saturday. The Sea Hawks beat St. Ignatius 25-17, 25-20 before knocking off Long Beach Poly, the seventh-ranked team in Division 1.
Riley Theunissen scored a team-high 24 kills in the three games, Trevor Butler added 23 kills and Nick Williamson recorded 53 assists.
Redondo opened the tournament beating Harvard-Westlake 25-14, 25-16 and Long Beach Wilson 25-21, 25-21 before losing to seventh-place finisher La Costa Canyon 25-19, 25-22 on Friday.
Ryan Olson had 19 kills on the day, Ryan Mather recorded 18 kills, Austin Moore added 11 kills and Louis Richardson had ten kills.
In a non-league match Tuesday, host Redondo (13-3) defeated Harvard-Westlake 20-25, 25-12, 25-21, 25-14 behind Theunissen’s 10 kills, 18 digs and seven aces. Mather registered 10 kills and four blocks, Butler added 13 kills and Kevin Fender recorded 21 digs in the victory.
Redondo plays at Bishop Montgomery, the second ranked team in Division 4, Friday at 6 p.m. and will host North Torrance Tuesday in a 6 p.m. match.
Other local teams ranked in the top ten are El Segundo and South Torrance, who are ranked fifth and sixth, respectively, in Division 3. Vistamar and Chadwick hold the top two spots in Division 5.
