Mira Costa wins talent-laden boys volleyball tournament
Mira Costa’s Jackson Carr attempts to block a shot by Vinny Pizzuti during the Mustang’s sweep over rival Redondo. Later in the week, Carr was named tournament MVP of the Redondo Varsity Classic. Photo
Mira Costa swept three of the top ten ranked teams in the nation en route to winning the Redondo Varsity Classic tournament, giving coach Mike Ninnis’ squad a mental boost as it prepares for a run toward another CIF Championship in the storied history of the program.
The Mustangs did not lose a set in seven matches which began with pool-play wins over La Jolla (25-19, 25-16), North Torrance (25-17, 25-17) and Valencia (25-17, 25-20), the fourth-ranked team in CIF Southern Section Division 2.
Listed No. 3 in CIF Division 1 and No. 4 in the Powerade Fab 50 national rankings, Mira Costa began bracket competition sweeping South Torrance (No. 1, Div. 3) and the nation’s tenth-ranked team Dana Hills (No. 7, Div. 1).
A much anticipated showdown between Mira Costa and Division 1 rival Loyola failed to materialize when Otay Ranch handed Loyola its first loss of the season in the quarterfinals with a 21-25, 25-23, 15-9 upset of the nation’s top ranked team.
After Mira Costa defeated San Diego Section power Westview (No. 7 in nation) in the semifinals, the Mustangs overpowered Otay Ranch 25-21, 25-21. The loss was only the second of the season for Otay Ranch which is ranked No. 8 in the nation.
Setter Jackson Carr recorded 28 assists in the championship match and was selected as MVP of the tournament. Scott Stephanoff had seven kills and three blocks, Karl Acres added seven kills, Riley Mallon had six kills and Brooks Varni made 12 digs to pace Mira Costa.
The tournament featured the return of Mira Costa outside hitter Christopher Orenic, who saw his first action of the season after suffering a broken wrist in November. The USC-bound senior contributed three kills in the title match.
The tournament was also a confidence builder for host Redondo. The young Sea Hawks defeated Torrance, Mt. Carmel and Westlake in pool play before beating La Costa Canyon and Oak Park (12th in nation, No. 1 in Div. 1) in three sets each.
Reaching the semifinals, Coach Duncan Avery’s Redondo squad won its first set against Otay Ranch 27-25 before falling to the team from Chula Vista 25-12, 15-12.
Louis Richard had 37 kills during bracket play while Vinny Pizzuti recorded 34 kills, Nick Williamson had 91 assists and Tyler Bird made 31 digs. Williamson and Pizzuti were named to the All-Tournament team.
Redondo’s performance moved the team into the No. 9 spot in the Division 1 poll, the first time the Sea Hawks have been listed in the top ten this season.
Redondo sophomore Louis Richard tries to get the ball past Mira Costa defenders Michael Debevec, left, and Scott Stephanoff. Photo
“This tournament was a great warm-up for CIF,” Avery said. “We had been losing some tough matches and for us to have the success we did, it reinforces the training we are doing in the gym pays off.”
Leading up to the tournament, host Mira Costa jumped out to large leads in the first two sets and swept Redondo 25-11, 25-16, 25-22 on Thursday to assure the Mustangs of at least a share of the Bay League title.
Kevin Inlow led Mira Costa with seven kills and Stephanoff and Keith Waddell recorded six kills apiece.
Richard led Redondo with 13 kills; Pizzuti added seven kills and 11 digs and Williamson recorded 29 assists.
Mira Costa swept second-place Palos Verdes 25-18, 25-21, 25-17 on Tuesday to capture its 29th league title in the last 32 years.
Orenic recorded 10 kills, 12 digs and three aces, Carr had 33 assists, and Stephanoff and Mallon each added five kills for the Mustangs.
Redondo defeated host Peninsula 25-17, 22-25, 25-15, 25-11 to conclude league play. Richard had 20 kills, nine digs and three aces and Steven Vaughan added five kills and five blocks for the Sea Hawks.
First-round playoff matches are slated for Tuesday with third-seeded Mira Costa (27-4) hosting Newbury Park (11-8), ninth-seeded Palos Verdes (27-7) hosting El Dorado (11-11) and Redondo (20-12) traveling to take on Marmonte League runner-up Thousand Oaks (18-8) in Division 1 action.
All matches with the exception of the finals are scheduled to start at 7 p.m. Complete brackets are available at www.cifss.org.