Mira Costa looks forward to rematch in boys volleyball semifinals
Senior outside hitter Kevin Inlow powers the ball past two defenders in Mira Costa’s victory over Dana Hills in the CIF Southern Section-Ford Division 1 playoffs. Photo
Kevin Inlow didn’t need pink socks to be noticed on the floor of Fisher Gym. While his support of breast cancer awareness was evident, it was Inlow’s passion for the game of volleyball that inspired his Mira Costa teammates and the Mustang faithful in Saturday’s win over Dana Hills in the quarterfinals of the CIF Southern Section-Ford Division 1 championships.
“I got a little excited there,” Inlow said in an understatement. “It was an exciting match and a lot of fun to be a part of.”
The senior outside hitter excited the home crowd as he bounced around the court pumping his fists and chest-bumped fellow Mustangs. He even kept a rally alive by using his foot to pass the ball to a teammate.
“That was just a spur of the moment thing,” Inlow said with a smile. “I couldn’t do that again if I tried.”
Inlow had 15 kills and 10 digs to help third-seeded Mira Costa (30-4) overcome a first-set loss and defeat sixth-seeded Dana Hill 26-28, 25-20, 25-20, 25-14.
Christopher Orenic had a game-high 19 kills, Scott Stephanoff added 17 kills, Keith Waddell recorded eight kills, 11 digs and three blocks, Brooks Varni had 27 digs and Jackson Carr finished with 62 assists for Mira Costa, which overcame a season-high 15 service errors.
“Basically our kids righted the ship,” Mira Costa coach Mike Ninnis said. “We went through rough patches, but they didn’t get down on themselves and panic. They righted the ship and rode through the rough part. That was a very good Dana Hills team there tonight. They have a lot of good players. Our guys were really hitting some balls and they were coming back over the net.”
Christopher Orenic recorded a game-high 19 kills in Mira Costa’s quarterfinal victory. Photo
“We had a lot of energy,” Orenic said. “We overcame some mistakes and it was a great win for us.”
The victory was the 14th in a row for Mira Costa who will host second-seeded Esperanza (26-9) in a semifinal match Tuesday at 7 p.m. Esperanza handed the Mustangs their last loss in mid-April with a 25-23, 25-20, 25-23 win in the final of the Karch Kiraly Tournament of Champions in Santa Barbara.
In the latest Powerade Fab 50 high school boys volleyball national rankings, Mira Costa is listed at No. 3, one spot ahead of Esperanza.
“This will be a grudge match for us,” Inlow said. “We know what they’re about. They’ve got a bunch of great players and we’ll need to focus, have a great practice on Monday and come out and play well. We could use some work on our defense, me included. Brooks Varni, as always, was amazing, but we need to tighten up our defense. If we can pull that off, we’ve got a great chance of winning.”
Ninnis was focusing more on his team’s offense.
“We need to clean up our serving and our passing had some lapses,” Ninnis said. “Esperanza is a similar team to our team. We look forward to seeing them again. I think our team is a much better team than it was a month ago.”
Orenic was recovering from a wrist injury and did not play in the first meeting between Mira Costa and Esperanza, and would like nothing more than to help the Mustang’s avenge their loss to the Aztecs.
Scott Stephanoff makes one of his 17 kills against Dana Hills. Photo
“We definitely look forward to playing Esperanza again,” Orenic said. “It’s going to be a fun match between two really good teams.”
The other Division 1 semifinal match pits top-seeded Loyola (30-1) against fourth-seeded Servite (31-3-1). The two teams are ranked first and fifth in the nation, respectively. The championship match will be held Saturday at Cypress College.
In the Division 3 playoffs, second-seeded South Torrance (24-4) eliminated Crescenta Valley 25-15, 22-25, 25-18, 25-21 and will host third-seeded Burroughs/Burbank (21-4) in the semifinals on Tuesday.
El Segundo (18-6) saw its season come to an end with a 25-18, 25-20, 25-16 loss at top-seeded Warren.
A pair of South Bay teams will square off in a Division 5 semifinal contest when third-seeded Vistamar (18-5) hosts second-seeded Chadwick (20-2).
Vistamar defeated San Gabriel Academy 25-17, 25-17, 25-19 while Chadwick had little trouble beating Saddleback Valley Christian 25-9, 25-13, 25-14.