Mira Costa’s boys volleyball team took care of business in convincing fashion Thursday evening, sweeping visiting Servite in the second round of the CIF Southern Section Division 1 playoffs.
The 25-20, 25-18, 25-13 win advances Mira Costa (23-4) into the quarterfinals when the fifth-ranked Mustangs will travel to take on fourth-seeded Newbury Park (21-1) Saturday at 7 p.m.
The first set against Servite was a see-saw battle that included 12 ties. When Mira Costa’s Roy McFarland tied the score 13-13, Servite had seen its last lead of the night.
With the game even at 18-18, a kill by Blake Markland and two by McFarland gave Mira Costa a 21-18 lead and the Mustangs began to pull away.
“We played much better tonight. I really liked our energy, our execution was great and the guys got locked in early,” Mira Costa head coach Sean Shoptaw said. “After we were tied in the first set, we pulled away and kept our foot on the gas which is what you need this time of year.”
In the second game, Mira Costa jumped out to an 18-6 lead and never looked back. Markland had six of his team-high 12 kills in the set.
“I thought we’d take it to them a little more than we did because we were really pumped up for the match. We got off to a slow start but it worked out fine,” Markland said. “I hope the momentum carries over to the next match. We’re getting good passes and sets right now which leads to success.”
Jackson Wedbush and Markland each recorded 10 kills and Carter Kimble added four kills and five blocks.
“The most impressive stat was Markland’s nine stuffed blocks,” assistant coach Mike Cook said. “He was a man possessed tonight.”
The third set mirrored the second set with Mira Costa taking a commanding 19-6 lead. Servite finished the season with a 19-12 record.
Shoptaw expects a tougher match against Newbury Park who swept El Dorado 25-19, 25-18, 25-17. The winner will likely face undefeated Huntington Beach, the nation’s top-ranked team, in the semifinals on Wednesday.
“Division 1 keeps getting tougher and deeper every year,” Shoptaw said. “It’s a battle we expected to have and playing at Newbury Park will not be easy, so we’ll have to be ready. But that’s why we play such a demanding schedule each year, so there’s not any surprises.”
Also in Division 1, Bay League runner-up Palos Verdes (22-23) had its season come to an end with a 25-18, 25-22, 25-23 loss at second-seeded Loyola (28-1).
In Division 2, Torrance (23-8) was swept at home by second-seeded Valencia/Valencia 25-19, 25-21, 25-22.
El Segundo (19-5), the top-seed in Division 3, swept through Paramount 25-12, 25-18, 25-23 and will host No. 10 San Gabriel (25-8) on Saturday. San Gabriel eliminated Bishop Montgomery (19-14) in a hard-fought battle, 23-25, 26-24, 25-20, 25-21.
In Division 4, Chadwick (13-7) was routed by top-seed Saddleback Valley Christian 25-10, 25-8 25-9 and Vistamar (18-5) had its season ended with a 25-23, 25-19, 25-23 loss at El Rancho.
Brackets and results are available at cifss.org.
