Bay League volleyball showdown on the court set for tonight

Mira Costa’s Thomas Kretschmer gets the ball past a Loyola defender during the Mustang’s 3-2 victory last Friday. Photo

Another showdown between rival and highly-ranked boys volleyball teams takes place tonight when Redondo hosts Mira Costa in a 7 p.m. contest which will determine the frontrunner for the Bay League title.

Ranked No. 4 in the CIF Southern Section Division1 poll, Mira Costa (8-2) scored a 3-1 victory over then No. 3 ranked Loyola Friday evening in front of fans who packed the Redondo Union gym.

The Mustang rebounded from an opening set loss to score the 18-25, 25-20, 25-18, 25-22 win. Adam Sevier led Mira Costa with 19 kills and eight blocks while teammate Dain Johnson added eight kills and eight blocks.

“The win means a lot to the team, I think most importantly because of the way we played,” Mira Costa head coach Avery Drost said. “We’re only midway through the season, so it’s really important for the guys to get a sense of what it looks like/feels like when we’re playing at close to our potential like that, and try to bottle that feeling for the future. Plus there is still plenty more we left out there that we can clean it up, so we can dig into that on film.

“For the seniors especially, I’m so stoked they were able to get their first win against Loyola. It’s obviously a great rivalry because there is a lot of friendship and brotherhood between the guys on both sides. I think they handled the emotions in the gym so well.”

After defeating a good Peninsula team on Tuesday, Mira Costa lost starter Ethan Young to an ankle injury.

“Sam Collins came up huge, and for him to come back this year after back surgery, it was a really special moment,” Drost said. “There were a lot of challenges the whole week and everybody stayed focused.”

Redondo entered the week with a 10-1 record and a No. 6 ranking behind top-ranked Newport Harbor, the team that beat Mira Costa in the semifinals of the Best of the West tournament.

The Sea Hawks have won six in a row heading into Tuesday’s match at Peninsula and are coming off a 2-0 tournament win over Otay Ranch. Redondo had previously swept a strong Palos Verdes team which is ranked No. 15 in the Division1 poll.

“I think we’re as excited to play them (Redondo) as we were to play Loyola, because they have such a good team this year and we get to step into an energized environment again and try to play at our highest level,” Drost said. “I think our team does a great job of playing ‘up’ in big matches. Like with Loyola, the guys know each other well across the net. Redondo has a group of awesome coaches and good kids playing well together.”

Drost’s squad plays Newport Harbor for the second time this season in a match that will be held at Manhattan Beach Middle School. The Mustang’s new home gym is under construction.

“In our first meeting, Newport Harbor did a great job adjusting after we won the first set,” Drost said. “We’re looking forward to seeing how well we can adjust back. They are technically strong and they execute very well, so we have to disrupt what they do best.”

Comments:

comments so far. Comments posted to EasyReaderNews.com may be reprinted in the Easy Reader print edition, which is published each Thursday.