For the first time since 2014, the San Marcos boys volleyball team stands alone at the top of the Channel League standings at the end of the season.
The Royals clinched the outright league championship on Tuesday night with a thrilling four-set win against rival and defending champion Santa Barbara High at the Thunderhut. The scores were 25-20, 23-25, 25-21, 33-31.
The teams entered Tuesday’s league finale with 8-1 records.
As the league champion, San Marcos (28-2 overall) is expected to receive a top-four seed and a home match for its opener in the CIF-SS Division 2 playoffs next week. The Royals have reached the semifinals the last two seasons.
Second-place Santa Barbara (8-2, 11-13) will also compete in the D2 playoffs.
In the fourth set Tuesday, San Marcos battled back from a 20-15 deficit and fought off two set points (24-23 and 25-24) to deny the Dons a repeat outright championship. The teams shared the title in 2022.
“Both teams had opportunities after 25-all to at least put the game away, and nobody wanted to lose,” said a soaking-wet San Marcos coach Roger Kuntz, who was thrown into the school swimming after the epic victory. “I guess we just got fortunate at the end and wanted it a little bit more.”
Kuntz said the last time San Marcos won the league title outright Shane Hauschild was hammering balls for the Royals, who beat the Dons in four sets, winning the fourth 32-20 at Santa Barbara.
Senior outside hitters Mason Rice and Jack Wilson carried the offensive load for the Royals, combining for 48 kills. Rice, who two years ago transferred from Santa Barbara, led the way with 27 kills. He blasted a back-row attack off a block for a 32-31 lead.
Wilson, who finished with 21 kills, including eight in the fourth set, scored the match winning-point point on a tip of an overpass.
“I couldn’t be prouder of all the guys, but, yes, our outside hitters were the bill of fare and they lived up to every expectation that we’ve had all year,” said Kuntz, who announced he is retiring after the season. “I think this is one of the best San Marcos-Santa Barbara matches that’s ever been played. Really strong players on both sides of the net.”
Rice was locked in the moment he stepped on Jon Lee court and put forth an exceptional performance. In the first set, he had four kills and three block, with two of the blocks coming back-to-back during a three-point run that gave the Royals a 13-10 lead. Later, he ripped a kill from the back row to break a 17-17 tie and give his team the lead for good in the set.
“We knew this was for the league title and we’re like gonna give everything we have, and it showed,” said Rice, who is headed to Princeton. “Everybody was high energy, there was competition, there was smack talk, too.
“That was one of the best matches I ever played in high school and I’m so glad to be a part of it, and especially being a big part of my team. It’s such a big responsibility and a privilege to be that.”
After Santa Barbara went on a 3-0 run down the stretch to win the second set, San Marcos recharged in the third behind Rice and Wilson. Wilson scored on a tip for a 16-14 lead and Rice tooled a Dons’ block to extend the lead to 19-15.
Rice scored two more points on a tip and a spike to put the Royals at set point, 24-18.
Santa Barbara outside hitter Raglan Kear earned a side out and served an ace, and middle Jack Holdren and Will Harman combined on a block, cutting the deficit to 25-21. But the Dons committed a service error to give San Marcos the winning point.
The teams went back and forth in the fourth set before Santa Barbara got on a roll and took a 20-15 advantage. The Dons got kills from Jack Holdren and Harman, a block from Mikey Denver and was awarded a point on a San Marcos throw.
The Royals kept battling, as setter Cameron Earls fed Wilson and Rice for points.
“Cameron’s the best setter in our league, I’ll tell you that. And I’ll be damned surprised if by the end of next year college he’s not at a D-1 college,” said Rice. “He was a late bloomer. He’s bloomed and it’s showing.”
Rice admitted it was tough hitting against the Dons’ big block of Kear, Harman, Mikey Denver and Jack Holdren.
“It’s very intimidating but you have to know your worth and you have to know that you’re as good or better than them and you have to keep that mentality or else they’re going to mentally dominate you. You just play your game.”
Santa Barbara played a strong game, with Harman blasting 21 kills and Kear putting away 14. But failures to convert after a dig or block in key situations hurt the Dons.
“That’s volleyball, it’s a schizophrenic game,” said Santa Barbara coach Chad Arneson. “If you don’t side out or pass well against a good team, they’re going to capitalize on those mistakes. We’re a tough team to beat — any team is tough to beat when you pass well and you’re in system. When we get out of system we struggle.
“Unfortunately, all our hitters weren’t clicking tonight. We were kind of limited on where we had to set the ball. We had every opportunity to win game four, we just couldn’t put it all together. Everyone played their hearts out but, unfortunately, we just couldn’t finish them off.”