Battling 90-plus degree heat and a talented Saddleback Valley Christian squad, top-seeded Redondo left no doubt as to who the Kings of the Court were as the Sea Hawks won their second boys Interscholastic Beach Volleyball League title in three years.
Redondo topped second-seeded Saddleback Valley Christian 2-1 playing three matches in 3 1/2 hours at Ocean Park in Santa Monica. Each school fields a No. 1 team, No. 2 team and a No. 3 team that plays the respective teams from the opposing school. The first two games of each match go to 21 points with the third game (if needed) going to 15 points. Victors must win by two points in each set.
“The playoffs and championship were grueling tests of endurance and mental toughness with so many quality teams this year,” Redondo head coach Corey Glave said. “The boys stayed focused and improved every match. I give high praise to the all three pairs [Logan Glave and Lucas Lossone in the 1’s spot; Chris Dedo and Evan Murray in the 2’s spot; and Sean Michael Cramer and Eric McCarthy in the 3’s spot], they overcame every challenge thrown at them and finished the season with determination and heart. This team never stopped working and pushing each other to be the best that they could be.”
in a matchup of No. 1 teams, Redondo junior Logan Glave and senior Lucas Lossone won the first game but Saddleback Valley Christian battled back to win the second and third sets.
Meanwhile, seniors McCarthy and Cramer jumped out to an early lead and never looked back dominating the 3’s match.
The senior tandem of Dedo and Murray swept the 2’s match winning easily in the first game and holding on for a 21-17 victory in the second game.
“The final brought a touch of history back to me personally,” Corey Glave said. “The head coach of Saddleback Valley, Ian Dyer, and I played beach together and have been good friends for over 20 years. It was nice to see our sons competing against each other at the highest levels. Saddleback Valley was undefeated coming into the finals, and had beat a very good Mira Costa squad in the semi-finals. However, with a some nutritional advice from AVP Pro Russ Marchewka, we were better able to deal with the heat and came into the finals mentally and physically prepared.”
Other members of Redondo’s varsity squad were juniors Cinjun Coe and Jake Ernst along with senior Cole Styeck. Assistant coaches included Miles Evans, Kyle Steven and Eric Beranek.
“Nothing compares to the feeling of winning a championship,” said Logan Glave, the only Redondo player who was on the 2013 championship squad. “Knowing that all the hard work and dedication paid off is one of the best feelings in the world. Our team definitely put blood, sweat, and tears into this season and worked ridiculously hard and overcame some internal obstacles. We united as a team and pushed each other to get better. This group of friends and teammates, I’d go to war with. We have each others’ backs at all times.
“Our competition definitely pushed us. No team backed down from us and threw in the towel. This pushed us to work hard for every point and keep our heads in the match every second.”
Lossone felt team chemistry was the key to winning the IBVL crown.
“Winning the championship created a stronger bond between all of us, especially the senior class,” Lossone said. “The competition was tough in the beginning couple of games. Being the ‘1’s’ team means you are facing the best the other schools have to offer and it was an amazing experience to face these challenges and work through them as a team. But once we got in our rhythm we are unstoppable.”
Murray was impressed with Saddleback Valley Christian and did not underestimate the team that had swept Mira Costa.
“I think we were just more mentally focused and had a greater desire to win,” Murray said. “On top of that, we were siding out nearly every ball and our system of defense and transition were working really well against them.
“It just feels great to validate all the hard work our team has put in since the beginning of high school by winning a championship. It feels amazing to me that in my senior year I am finally able to show something for all the work I’ve put into beach volleyball.”
Redondo opened the playoffs defeating Viewpoint at Dockweiler State Beach on Wednesday. The Sea Hawks advanced to Saturday’s quarterfinals where they swept Santa Monica before beating San Clemente in the semifinals.
Mira Costa entered the playoffs seeded third and defeated Oxnard and Westlake before falling to Saddleback Valley Christian in the semifinals.
Redondo also came out on top in the junior varsity division capturing its third consecutive JV championship with a victory over Westlake. The Sea Hawk’s Jv team has only lost one match in the last two seasons.
Members of Redondo’s JV team included Cinjun Coe, Jake Ernst, Shane Murray, Gavin Fure, Kai Osagie, Justice Segura, Dean Pacheco, Beau McBride, Sean Ferris and Keagan Benson.
Results are available at ibvl.org.
