The Santa Barbara High boys volleyball team got big performances from several players and won a five-set battle at Santa Ana-Foothill in a CIF-SS Division 4 second-round match on Saturday. The scores were 25-22, 23-25, 26-24, 19-25, 15-13.
“Tonight was our time to shine, and everyone stepped up their level of play,” said Santa Barbara coach Chad Arneson.
The win advances the Dons (16-10) into the quarterfinals. They’ll host Notre Dame of Sherman Oaks on Wednesday at 6 p.m.
Senior setter Chase Holdren had a stellar night with 59 assists, 11 digs, three kills and a huge block.
“It was one of his best overall matches. He was on fire, distributing the ball to the right players every time,” said Arneson.
Senior outside hitter Benicio Duarte provided some clutch hitting on the outside.
“He was unconscious on the outside attack, he had 17 kills with a .517 hitting percentage,” said Arneson.
Luke Zuffelato and Hayes Costner added more firepower and solid all-around play. Costner delivered 12 kills and passed at a 2.70 clip out of 3. Zuffelato was the team’s kill leader with 22 and added eight digs and a block.
Arneson praised the play of middles senior Carter Hubbard and junior Kristian Dybdahl, who combined for 20 kills. Dybdahl had 13 kills on 17 attempts, while Hubbard put away seven kills on eight swings for a .875 hitting average.
The back-row players also played a big role in the win. Senior Jamison Savellano made several plays on long rallies. He finished with seven digs. Senior libero Jack Goligoski passed 2.63 and picked up 17 digs.
“He continues to amaze me with his passing, but most importantly, his defense and the way he extends our rallies helps us earn those crucial points.”