Los Gatos Weekly-Times

Cats win volleyball title

By Dick Sparrer

There was no program.

But the boys at Los Gatos High School wanted to play volleyball.

So head coach Tom Jack and his assistant, Mark Tanner, decided to form a team.

There was no league.

But the boys wanted to play, so Jack helped to get the Wildcats into the existing West Catholic Athletic League.

There was no championship.

But now there is one.

All the Wildcats did in their first year of existence was to go out and beat the private schools of the WCAL to win a league championship.

With league most valuable player Russ Tanner leading the way, the Wildcats rolled through the regular season with a 14-0 record, then won three straight matches in the league playoffs to clinch the title.

The Cats, 29-1 for the year, beat Mitty 15-5, 15-3, 15-8 to open the playoffs, then whipped Homestead 15-12, 15-1, 15-7 to move into the championship match against
Bellarmine.

Gatos had a relatively easy time in the finals, cruising by the Bells 15-7, 15-7, 15-12 to win the title.

Tanner was picked the league's MVP after leading the Cats to the crown. The talented outside hitter was joined on the all-league first team by Brad Griffith, Keith Busam and Chris Schlink. Vince Busam nailed a spot on the all-league second team.

The league championship capped quite an inaugural season for the Gatos boys' volleyball team. Earlier in the year, the Wildcats had finished first in the 28-team UC Davis Tournament and they were third in the rugged 40-team Tournament of Champions at Cal State-Northridge.