Mira Costa’s boys volleyball team learned a few lessons last weekend that coach Sean Shoptaw hopes will benefit his Mustang squad in its quest for a CIF title.
Mira Costa (6-1) finished tied for third in the prestigious Best of the West tournament in Poway losing only to perennial power Huntington Beach 28-26, 25-22 in the semifinals.
“We obviously left disappointed we didn’t win it all, but we got better over the two days we were there and that’s critical as we work to become the team we need to be,” Shoptaw said. “We were in control of the match against Huntington Beach and gave it up and it’s something that should bother us. Hopefully it will make us tougher in the long run.
Huntington Beach went 7-0 defeating Newport Harbor 25-17, 25-18 to claim the tournament title for the third consecutive year. The Oilers entered the tournament after a record-setting performance on Mar. 8 when they beat Servite for their 113th straight victory. The win set a national boys volleyball high school record eclipsing 112 in a row by New Hampshire’s Salem High School set in 2009
Mira Costa’s performance moved the Mustangs up two spots to No. 2 in the CIF-Southern Section Division 1 poll after giving top-ranked Huntington Beach all it could handle.
The Mustangs were led by all-tournament selections Roy McFarland and Jackson Wedbush in a competition that featured nine of the top 10-ranked teams in CIF-SS Division 1.
Palos Verdes broke into the top 10 after finishing tied for 5th place with fifth-ranked Loyola. Palos Verdes is ranked No. 6 and was led by senior Brad Manicle who earned all-tournament honors.
“Setter Rob Mullahey had a very good weekend, libero Sam Jones played well and outside hitter Jon Conde showed a lot of promise for us,” Shoptaw said. “Jake Tolt and Tyler Morgan grew a lot over the middle and will continue to become more and more of a factor over the coming weeks. We have a lot to be excited about, but it’s on all of us to focus and do whatever it takes to reach the level I know we can.”
Mira Costa won its pool with victories over Carlsbad, Dos Pueblos and Mater Dei the defeated Bellarmine College Prep and Palos Verdes to reach the Gold Division semifinals.
El Segundo went 2-3 on the weekend to finish tied for 13th and is ranked No. 1 in CIF-SS Division 3.
Redondo finished with a 2-4 record falling to Dos Pueblos 25-20, 25-19 in the Bronze Division championship match.
Mira Costa continues to face stiff competition in the next two weeks beginning with their annual rivalry match against Loyola. The Mustangs and Cubs square off Friday in a 7 p.m. contest at Loyola Marymount University.
Loyola traditionally has a strong South Bay presence and this year is no different with Manhattan Beach residents John Byrne, Luke Hardesty, Casey McGarry, JP Reilly, Jack Truman and Brady Wedbush on its roster. Truman was named to the Best of the West all-tournament team.
On Tuesday, March 22, Mira Costa will play at No. 3 Newport Harbor before beginning Bay League action with a road match at Palos Verdes on Thursday, March 24.
