Willow Glen Resident
Sports
Two volleyball titles are up for grabs in playoffs
By Mike Barnhart
After 11 seasons of crowning one boys volleyball champion, the Central Coast Section will award two first-place trophies on May 13 at Independence.
The survivors of the two 10-team divisions will battle for championships that night. The Division II title match is set for 5:30 p.m., with the Division I contest to follow.
First, teams must get through the semifinal rounds, which will be held on May 10 at Independence.
Defending champ Bellarmine College Prep (25-3), fresh off of sweeping St. Francis in the West Catholic Athletic League tournament title match on May 1, is the No. 1 seed in Division I and hopes to win its eighth CCS title.
If Bellarmine reaches the championship round, it could run into Santa Clara Valley Athletic League champion Homestead (28-5), the No. 2 seed, in a repeat of last year's finale. The Bells beat the Mustangs in a three-game sweep.
Led by first-year coach Scott Peterson, a Bells alum who played on the 1999 CCS championship team, Bellarmine could be challenged in its quarterfinal match by No. 8 Leigh (14-16) or No. 9 Mountain View (15-15). The Longhorns, who placed third in the Blossom Valley Athletic League's Mt. Hamilton Division, hosted the Spartans in a first-round match on May 6. The winner was to play at Bellarmine on May 8, 7 p.m.
Either No. 5 Leland (19-14) or No. 4 Serra (23-11) also could prevent Bellarmine from an opportunity to defend its title. The Chargers, who recently wrapped up an unbeaten run to the BVAL Mt. Hamilton title, and the Padres from San Mateo were to meet in a quarterfinal contest May 8, 7 p.m.
If coach Jason Hilbert's Chargers can repeat the victory they scored over Serra back in March, they would march into the semifinals to oppose the Bells.
In the other half of the Division I bracket, BVAL runner-up and No. 6 seed Westmont could be a threat. First, the Warriors (24-9) must get past a quarterfinal test against SCVAL runner-up Los Gatos (23-9), May 8, 7 p.m. in the Wildcats' gym. If they can win at Los Gatos, the Warriors will move on to challenge Homestead, No. 7 Gilroy (20-13) or No. 10 Monta Vista (16-16) in the semifinals.
St. Francis (36-4), which handed Bellarmine its only losses this season by splitting six matches with the Bells, picked up the top seed in Division II. The Lancers will host the winner of a first-round contest between No. 9 Branham (18-4) and No. 8 Sacred Heart Cathedral (19-15). St. Francis' quarterfinal match is set for May 8, 7 p.m.
The Bruins, who went 9-0 to capture the BVAL's Santa Teresa Division, traveled to San Francisco on May 6 to tangle with Sacred Heart, one of five West Catholic Athletic League teams among the 20 CCS contenders.
The BVAL also put five into the 12th annual boys volleyball affair, including No. 10 Willow Glen, which came from the No. 10 seed and scored two upsets in last year's CCS event.
The Rams (16-18), who finished the season with a 3-1 defeat to Leland in the traditional "Tiki Match," opened this year's tourney on May 6 at No. 7 Valley Christian. The Willow Glen-Valley Christian winner must travel to Aptos for a quarterfinal tilt against the No. 2 seed Mariners (29-4), May 8, 7 p.m.
There are only three seniors--Spencer Dong, David Silva and Trevor Fellows--this year on Willow Glen's young squad that also includes sophomores Greg Belgum and Eric Chun and juniors Jamie Diaz, Ryan Izquierdo, Geoffrey Bishop, Nathan Carlasio, Kyle Tom, Marcus Mancuso, Joe Davis and Roberto Loya.
Other Division II quarterfinal matches include No. 6 Monterey (25-7) at No. 3 Harker Academy (27-6) and No. 5 Saratoga (24-8) at No. 4 Seaside (26-6).
