Dos Pueblos boys volleyball struggled to keep up with top-seeded Redondo Union, suffering a three-set sweep on Wednesday inside Sovine Gym.
The CIF-SS Div. 2 Quarterfinal matchup ended with set scores of 25-21, 25-14, 25-17.
“Redondo is a great team, they’re super well disciplined with a good block,” Chargers coach Ehren Hug said. “I’m super proud of our boys, I thought their heads were in it and the effort was there.”
With the win, Redondo Union will face off against Beckman on the road on Saturday in the CIF-SS Div. 2 Semifinals.
Despite the final scores being in favor of the Sea Hawks, Dos Pueblos got out to a strong start in the opening set.
After Redondo Union went up 4-2, the Chargers ripped off a six-point run with Lukas Kennett at the service line to pull ahead for an 8-4 lead.
The Sea Hawks battled back to tie the set at 12-12, but Dos Pueblos quickly regained control and went up 19-15 after a kill and an ace by Micah Goss, and a crafty kill by Wyatt Silver.
“I thought our serving was in and we were passing the ball enough to get our middles up,” Hug said of the early success. “That was the part of the match where we were gelling on all factors.
“I thought we were definitely in the driver’s seat in the first set.”
However, Redondo Union came roaring back and scored six points in a row to take a 21-19 lead. They didn’t let go of the advantage from there, pulling away to earn the 25-21 set win and take the momentum from the Chargers.
“That’s volleyball for you, if you don’t keep your foot on the gas and keep hammering away at a team and let them back in with a little momentum, that’s what can happen,” Hug said.
“This sport is so hellbent on having that great momentum and when you lose it it’s tough to try to get it back.”
Dos Pueblos had plenty of trouble regaining that momentum in the second set, as the Sea Hawks showcased why they came into the match as the top seed in Division 2.
In fact, the Redondo Union lead grew up to 13 points at 20-7 as the Chargers struggled to return to their early first-set form.
While Dos Pueblos struggled, the Sea Hawks were finding their groove, and it led to a commanding 25-14 victory to go up 2-0 in the match.
“We were hard-pressed to find consistency in pretty much all facets of the game,” Hug said. It’s never just one thing but I thought we struggled a little bit on serve-receive and couldn’t quite get all of our pieces moving all at once to make a super cohesive attack.”
The third set was more of the same from both sides, as Redondo Union dominated play at the net and capitalized on some mistakes on their way to the 25-17 set win and the match sweep.
“This game is such a mental game that something like losing that (first set) lead can sometimes affect players’ mentality,” Hug said. “I felt like we were chasing our tails a lot for the rest of the night.”
Despite the disappointing finish, Goss was a bright spot for the Chargers in his final high school match. The UC Irvine commit totaled 13 kills to lead the team along with his two aces and two blocks.
“Micah was probably our most consistent attacker,” Hug said of Goss.
Dos Pueblos ends the season with an impressive 26-9 overall record and a third-place finish in the Channel League.
“I’m super excited about the talent and the hardworking kids that are coming back next year,” Hug said. “Where this team started in January and where they ended up now is so far from each other.
“The kids bought in, they were super coachable. They’re a good group and I really wanted this one for them.”
