Carpinteria’s Joaquin Gonzalez led a balanced effort with 17 kills and 18 digs as the top-seeded Warriors swept Crossroads of Santa Monica in the first round of CIF-SS Division 5 playoff action Thursday.
The 3-0 win began with a highly competitive first set and a come-from-behind third on the way to a 28-26, 25-19, 25-21 night.
Gonzalez also had two aces and two blocks. Diesel Slade added 12 kills and 12 digs.
“Double doubles are always fun to get,” Carpinteria coach Mickey Caughey noted. “Gavin Lohuis, our floor captain and setter had a good night with one ace, one kill, one block, six digs and an impressive 44 assists, giving our hitters in both the front row and back row the kind of sets they like to hit.”
Opposite Zach Isaac added an ace, seven kills and 15 digs.
“Zach had one amazing dig where he dug a ball with the inside of his instep like a hacky sack player,” Caughey said. “The ball came up perfectly and it was put away for a point by one of our players.
“But our hero of the night who inspired everyone to play crazy-good defense was Sebastian McCurry, who had an amazing 41 digs. He also had one of his best serving nights.”
The Warriors face Fontana for a second-round match on Saturday.