Santa Barbara High boys volleyball took care of business with a four-set win over Dos Pueblos on Thursday at Sovine Gym in Goleta.
The Chargers survived being swept with a win in set three, but the Dons responded and finished off the win in four, 25-14, 26-24, 16-25, 25-21.
The Santa Barbara win sets up a big local showdown on Tuesday at 6:30 p.m., as the Dons will head into the Thunderhut to take on San Marcos.
The Royals will win the Channel League title outright with a victory, while the two teams will share the championship if the Dons emerge victorious.
“This was a big week for us after playing in the Karch Kiraly TOC this last weekend, followed by two important channel league games,” Santa Barbara High head coach. “The boys put in a lot of work and grinded it out, leading us to a victory in both matches.
“Each win gives us more confidence that we have a chance at being co-Channel League champions.”
Hayes Costner had a big night on the outside for the Dons, collecting a team-high 23 kills. Kristian Dybdahl had 13 kills of his own, while Jasper Bell tallied 11 with just one hitting error.
Maddox Denver served as the glue for Santa Barbara High in the win, tallying 45 assists and nine kills while sealing the win with back-to-back aces in the fourth set.
Ben Wojogbe paced the Chargers with 10 kills to go along with seven digs and four aces. Meanwhile, Cyrus Jay and Caleb Damron contributed eight and six kills, respectively.
“We started slow tonight but found some rhythm in later sets once we found some success setting our middle blockers,” Dos Pueblos head coach Ehren Hug said. “Juniors Caleb Damron and Cyrus Jay have been workhorses all season long, and tonight was no different.
“They sparked some offense for us, and that led to our pins finding some daylight. They just kept grinding and putting out that effort on both offense and defense.”
While the Dons will clash with the Royals, Dos Pueblos will host Ventura for Senior Night on Tuesday at 6 p.m.
Laguna Blanca 3, Foothill Tech 2
The Owls pulled off a reverse sweep of Foothill Tech on Thursday in Hope Ranch, 16-25, 18-25, 25-21, 25-17, 17-15.
“This was a great team win for us,” Laguna Blanca head coach Jason Donnelly said. “Being down 0-2 after a slow start, we never wavered from the game plan, played very consistent volleyball throughout the remainder of the match and made some unbelievable plays in the fifth to get the reverse sweep.”
Soren Alldredge hammered down a team-high 19 kills, while Lawler Jackson tallied 14 kills and seven digs. Michael Couvillion also made an impact at the net with nine kills while hitting .400.
Meanwhile, Baylor Wilson filled up the stat sheet for the Owls with 45 assists, eight digs and two aces.
“Michael Couvillion had his best offensive match of the year. It was great to see him play with so much confidence,” Donnelly said. “Henry Risley had a great night from the service line and made some key digs to keep rallies alive. Teddy Wilson continues to play at a high level and ended the match with an ace serve.”
Laguna Blanca (5-8, 4-5 Tri-Valley League) will head up to Los Olivos to take on Dunn on Monday. The Owls will clinch an automatic bid to the CIF-SS playoffs with a win.
San Marcos 3, Ventura High 0
The Royals took care of business with a three-set sweep of the Cougars for their 20th straight win on Thursday inside the Thunderhut, 25-11, 25-11, 25-11.
Kalae Anderson paced the San Marcos offensive attack with 10 kills on the night.
The Royals (24-2, 9-0 Channel League) will look to keep it rolling when they host crosstown rival Santa Barbara High on Tuesday at 6:30 p.m.