Results for the statewide top 25
Last week’s early release of The List of the top squads in California will create a 17-day gap between rankings. Let’s check in to see how the top 25 have fared since the rankings last came out on April 14.
1. Mira Costa (SS) -- 2-0 since last ranking, including wins over No. 4 Redondo and No. 15 Peninsula
2. Huntington Beach (SS) – 1-0
3. Loyola (SS) – 1-0
4. Redondo Union (SS) – 3-4; win over No. 20 Edison and losses to No. 1 Costa, No. 9 Newport (twice) and No. 11 Torrey Pines
5. Corona del Mar (SS) – 7-0, including a win over No. 20 Edison and wins over top Hawaii teams
6. Carlsbad (SDS) – 2-0; two wins over No. 11 Torrey Pines
7. Beckman (SS) – 3-1; two wins over No. 21 Tesoro and a loss to No. 9 Newport
8. San Clemente (SS) – 1-0
9. Newport Harbor (SS) – 7-1; with two wins over No. 4 Redondo and wins over No, 7 Beckman, No. 11 Torrey Pines, No. 20 Edison and No. 22 Bosco; loss to No. 11 Torrey Pines
10. Mater Dei (SS) – 1-1, with loss to No. 22 Bosco
11. Torrey Pines (SDS) – 7-4, with wins over Cathedral Catholic, No. 4 Redondo, No. 9 Newport and No. 20 Edison; losses to No. 9 Newport, No. 20 Edison and two to No. 6 Carlsbad
12. Clovis (CCS) – 2-0, including win over No. 23 Clovis East
13. Archbishop Mitty (CCS) – 1-1; loss to Santa Cruz
14. Canyon Crest Academy (SDS) – 3-0
15. Peninsula (SS) – 4-3; losses to No. 1 Costa, Woodbridge and Wilson of Long Beach
16. El Segundo (SS) – 1-0
17. JSerra Catholic (SS) – 1-1; win over No. 22 Bosco; loss to No. 19 Santa Margarita
18. Servite (SS) – 1-1; loss to No. 19 Santa Margarita
19. Santa Margarita Catholic (SS) – 2-0; wins over No. 17 JSerra and No. 18 Servite
20. Edison (SS) – 3-4; beat No. 11 Torrey Pines; lost to No. 4 Redondo; No. 5 CdM, No. 9 Newport and No. 11 Torrey Pines
21. Tesoro (SS) 0-2; two losses to No. 7 Beckman
22. St. John Bosco (SS) – 6-3; wins over No. 10 Mater Dei, West Ranch and Buchanan; losses to Buchanan, No. 9 Newport and No. 17 JSerra
23. Clovis East (CS) – 1-1; loss to No. 12 Clovis
24. Oak Ridge (SJS) – 0-2; losses to Folsom and Jesuit
25. Northgate (NCS) – 3-0
Pulling rank (nationally, that is)
This week’s USA Today/AVCA Super 25 Boys National High School Boys Volleyball Ranking includes10 teams from California, five among the top six:
No. 1 Mira Costa
No. 3 Huntington Beach
No. 4 Loyola
No. 5 Carlsbad
No. 6 Corona del Mar
No. 14 Mater Dei
No. 15 Torrey Pines
No. 19 Newport Harbor
No. 20 Beckman
No. 21 Redondo Union
Playoffs!
The section playoffs will soon be upon us. Here are the dates you seek:
San Diego Section – First playoff date is May 6; finals May 15-17
Southern Section – First is April 30; finals May 16-17
Los Angeles Section – First is May 5; finals May 16-17
Central Section – First is May 6; finals May 15
Central Coast Section – First is May 12; finals May 17
North Coast Section – First is May 6; finals May 15
Sac-Joaquin Section – First is April 30; finals May 10
San Francisco Section – First is May 12; finals May 16
Oakland Section – unknown at this time
News and notes…
Santiago of Corona recently completed a 10-0 run through the Big VIII League for the second year in a row. This is the first time the Sharks have been back-to-back league champs since the 2011-2012 seasons.
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Big Valley Christian has won 26 matches this year, smashing the old school record of 19 wins, achieved last season. The Lions are led by junior setter Gage Toledo and junior hitter Luke Dorn. Coach Mark Peters attributes some of the team’s success to the bleach-blond buzz cuts the players showed off mid-season. Big Valley Christian completed its regular season yesterday with a win in revenge over Ripon. The Lions could be a threat in the upcoming Sac-Joaquin Section playoffs and, graduating just three seniors might be even better next season.
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Bishop Diego wrapped up its regular season on Tuesday by securing a Tri-Valley League championship for the first time since 2017 over the five-time defending champion Laguna Blanca. Led by senior Nick Malesky and juniors John Michael Flint and Damian Krautmann, the Cardinals took both matches against the Owls. Bishop broke a 2,558-day losing streak to Laguna Blanca in March before completing the season sweep last night. The win was No. 20 on the season for the Cardinals, giving them a second straight 20-win season.
Malesky has been a force in the middle and has been spectacular down the stretch, averaging 20 kills and 10 digs per match as a six-rotation player. Flint, the team’s big bopper with 356 kills, also leads in aces and digs. Krautmann, a standout basketball player converted into an all-around outside hitter, is another offensive threat for the Cardinals.
Said head coach Dillan Bennett: "For the first time in several years, we have athleticism, experience, and a will to win that has made this group really fun to coach. Our athleticism allows us to do untraditional things that many teams aren't used to seeing. Our rotations aren't always what is typical, and we have the opportunity to run some different defenses that match our athleticism. We're hoping this group can be the one that gets Bishop to its first-ever CIF championship match this season."
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Seven first-set blocks and eight kills from the pair of Roman Payne and Derek Bashford set the tone in Carlsbad’s big win over Torrey Pines on April 17. Oliver Doty contributed three blocks and three kills late in set four to help the Lancers complete the win.
Five days later, Carlsbad won again, sweeping Torrey Pines in front of its hope crowd. The win all but wrapped up the Coastal League crown for the Lancers.
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Kennedy of Granada Hills is the Valley Mission League champion for the third time in the past four years after the Cougars outlasted Van Nuys in five sets on Monday. Colin Chong led the way with 19 kills and 10 digs.
Kennedy finished second, behind Sylmar, in league play a year ago.
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Burroughs of Burbank clinched its first Pacific League title in three years with a sweep of Burbank on April 17. Noah Duffield led the way with 16 kills.
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Thousand Oaks and Westlake are co-champs in the Marmonte League. Thousand Oaks is led by setter Cooper Barrus and libero Zachary Kochel.
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West Ranch went a perfect 12-0 to capture the Foothill League title for the first time in three years. Setter Jackson Manansala was a catalyst in the Wildcats’ clinching win over Valencia of Valencia. Canyon of Canyon Country, finished second, powered by S/Oppo James Audette.
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St. John Bosco knocked off Mater Dei this week, putting an exclamation point on a season in which the Braves, bolstered by a new head coach, Gerald Aquiningoc, and several transfers, have won 15 more matches than last year when they were 8-21.
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San Marcos of Santa Barbara is the Channel League champion after taking down Santa Barbara. The Royals went 9-1 in league play under first-year head coach Dave Goss and a lineup filled with underclassmen, including sophomore OH Matteo Burdick.
Impact freshmen
We asked coaches this week to nominate freshmen making an impact on varsity squads across the state. We will update this list in subsequent Notebooks as most nominations are submitted.
To be included, a player must be a freshman starter on varsity and making a significant contribution to team success.
Logan Chambers, 6-6 OPP, Santiago (Corona) – A current member of the USA Volleyball National Team Development Program, Chambers has given the 20-8 Sharks a huge boost this season. “He can change momentum quickly with his massive kills, and is learning to place the ball well,” said coach Courtney Krueger. Chambers has 202 kills, while hitting almost .300; and has added 51 blocks.
Fab frosh Jonah Hamilton
Jonah Hamilton, 6-3 OH, Foothills Christian – A great athlete new to volleyball, being surrounded by seniors has helped Hamilton improve rapidly as a six-rotation outside. He is second on the 13-8 Knights in both blocks and kills. “If he continues to work hard he will definitely be making an impact on the rest of our season and his upcoming years,” said coach Roxanne Hamilton.
Fab frosh Jax Koepp
Jax Koepp, 6-1 S, College Park – Koepp is part of a 6-2 offense for the 21-6 Falcons and leads the team in assists, aces and serve rating. He also is a strong defender, averaging almost five digs per match.
Single-match stat stars
We have been asking coaches on our bulk email list to help compile a list of astounding single-game statistical achievements! We will keep a running tally of players who stat at these levels for a single match:
45 assists or more in a match
30 kills or more in a match
30 digs or more in a match
10 blocks or more in a match
10 aces or more in a match
Here’s what we have so far…
45 assists or more
52 – Josh Salonga, 6-0 Jr. S, Foothill (Pleasanton) – Feb. 21 vs Granada
52 – Gage Toledo, 5-10 Jr. S, Big Valley Christian – April 24 vs. Ripon
52 -- Carson Chambers, 6-6 Sr. S, Santiago (Corona) – April 10 vs Roosevelt (Eastvale)
47 -- Caleb Soltwedel, 6-5 Sr. S, Desert Christian – March 11 vs Palmdale Aerospace Academy
47 -- Haobin Chen, 5-11 Soph. S, Eagle Rock – March 26 vs University of Los Angeles
45 -- Haobin Chen, 5-11 Soph. S, Eagle Rock – March 27 vs Wilson of Los Angeles
30 kills
33 -- Colt Schmidt, 6-1 Sr. OH, Desert Christian – March 11 vs Palmdale Aerospace Academy
30 -- Colt Schmidt, 6-1 Sr. OH, Desert Christian – April 8 vs Palmdale Aerospace Academy
30 digs
34 – Huston Tosh, 5-10 Jr. libero, Foothill (Santa Ana) – April 10 vs Orange Lutheran
32 – Ryan Nance, 5-9 Jr. libero, San Ysidro -- April 8 vs Escondido Charter High School
10 blocks
13 -- Kenneth Castillo, 6-4 Jr. MB, Desert Christian – April 9 vs Ambassador Christian
11 -- Pierce Willardson, 6-6 Sr. MB, Santiago (Corona) – March 11 vs Roosevelt (Eastvale)
10 -- Pierce Willardson, 6-6 Sr. MB, Santiago (Corona) – April 15 vs Corona
10 aces
15 -- Colt Schmidt, 6-1 Sr. OH, Desert Christian – March 11 vs Palmdale Aerospace Academy
Triple doubles
In this space we recognize those players who reached double digits in one match in three of assists, kills, digs, blocks and aces:
Josh Salonga, 6-0 Jr. S, Foothill (Pleasanton) – 25 assists, 12 kills, 12 digs on March 4 vs Mission San Jose
Josh Salonga, 6-0 Jr. S, Foothill (Pleasanton) – 39 assists, 11 kills, 11 digs on March 6 vs Castro Valley
Caden Epperson, 6-4 Jr. S/Oppo, Foothill (Santa Ana) – 26 assists, 10 kills, 12 digs on April 10 vs Orange Lutheran
Colt Schmidt, 6-1 Sr. OH, Desert Christian – 33 kills, 15 aces, 18 digs on March 11 vs Palmdale Aerospace Academy
Season-long stat stars
This week, we asked coaches on our bulk email list to help compile a list of season-long stats stars who have reached or exceeded these thresholds:
750 or more assists
400 or more kills
400 or more digs
100 or more blocks
70 or more aces
Here’s what we have so far…
Assists
820 -- Gage Toledo, 5-10 Jr. S, Big Valley Christian
782 -- Carson Chambers, 6-6 Sr. S, Santiago (Corona)
764 – Josh Salonga, 6-0 Jr. S, Foothill (Pleasanton) – Feb. 21 vs Granada
Kills
509 – Noah Douphner, 6-5 Sr. OH, West Ranch
406 – Luke Dorn, 6-2 Jr. OH, Big Valley Christian
Digs
424 – Ryan Nance, 5-9 Jr. libero, San Ysidro
Ryan Nance is digging his way into the record books for San Ysidro
Blocks
121 -- Pierce Willardson, 6-6 Sr. MB, Santiago (Corona)
Aces
83 – Luke Dorn, 6-2 Jr. OH, Big Valley Christian
79 – Noah Douphner, 6-5 Sr. OH, West Ranch
College-Bound!
In this space, we list those players who have made a commitment to attend (or are committed to the application process to attend) a college or university of their choice and to play men’s indoor volleyball. Please send any college commitments we may have missed (any level; scholarship or walk-on) to jtawa@cifstate.org in the format you see below.
Grayson Bradford, 6-11 Sr. RS, Mira Costa -- UCLA
Nathan Burns, 5-9 Sr. libero, El Segundo – Cal Lutheran
Andrew Chapin, 6-3 Sr. S, Mira Costa -- USC
Kale Cochran, 6-7 Sr. OH, Whitney -- USC
Brayden Darm, 6-0 Sr. S, Capistrano Valley Christian – The Masters University
Jack DeGraff, 6-7 Sr. OH, Folsom – Southern Virginia University
Daniel DeVine, 6-6 Sr. RS, Saint Francis (Mountain View) – Pepperdine
Parker Dison, 6-3 Sr. OH, Folsom – Orange Coast College
Oliver Dotty, 6-6 Sr. MB, Carlsbad -- Harvard
Noah Douphner, 6-5 Sr. OH, West Ranch – Cal State Northridge
William Dryden, 6-7 Sr. OH, Archbishop Mitty – UC Santa Barbara
Blake Fahlbusch, 6-7 Jr. OH, Loyola -- USC
Thatcher Fahlbusch, 6-6 Sr. OH, Mira Costa – Grand Canyon University
Holden Findley, 6-6 Sr. S, Bellarmine College Prep – Steven’s Inst. Of Technology
Kai Gan, 6-4 Sr. S, Huntington Beach -- Harvard
Brogan Glenn, 6-0 Sr. libero, Corona Del Mar – UCLA
Tyler Hamm, 6-0 Sr. libero, Fresno Christian -- Lincoln Memorial University
Alex Heins, 6-6 Sr. MB, Mira Costa – New Jersey Institute of Technology
Cooper Keane, 6-7 Sr. RS/OH, Mira Costa – USC
Matt Kelly, 6-2 Jr. libero, Loyola – Loyola University of Chicago
Jack Loper, 6-5 Sr. OH, San Clemente -- Stanford
Aidan McMahon, 6-3 Sr. S, St. Margaret’s Episcopal – Belmont Abbey College
Luke Morrison, 6-4 Sr. RS, Beckman -- Harvard
Roman Payne, 7-0 Sr. MB, Carlsbad -- Hawaii
Dylan Pilkvist, 6-6 Sr. OH, El Segundo – UC Santa Barbara
Ryan Pilkvist, 6-6 Sr. OH, El Segundo – UC Santa Barbara
Andre Pimenta, 6-7 Sr. RS, Wiseburn Da Vinci – St. Francis
Lucas Posell, 6-5 Jr. RS, Loyola -- Princeton
John Ritz, 6-2 Sr. MB/OH/RS, El Camino – University of Jamestown
Colt Schmidt, 6-1 Sr. libero, Desert Christian -- Dordt University
Nicholas Sorenson, 6-5 Sr. MB, Bullard – Indiana Technical
Joel Toves, 6-2 S/RS, Clovis – UC Merced
Joseph Tran, 6-3 Sr. S, Vacaville Christian -- The Masters University
Marek Turner, 6-5 Sr. RS., Wilson (Long Beach) -- UCLA
Conor Walsh, 6-4 Sr. OH, Northgate -- UC Santa Cruz