The San Marcos boys volleyball team took care of business rather quickly in its first-round CIF-SS Division 2 playoff opener, sweeping La Cañada, 25-11, 25-14, 25-14, on Thursday night at the Thunderhut.
“This was hopefully expected by us, we worked hard,” said San Marcos coach Roger Kuntz. “It’s a first-round CIF match, so we wanted to make sure that we put our best foot forward and come out playing clean volleyball.”
San Marcos came out playing picture perfect, taking a 4-1 lead and forcing an early timeout by La Cañada.
Behind the serve of Mason Rice, the Royals went on a run to extend the lead to 10-4. Rice picked up two aces along the way.
San Marcos (28-7) will host Anaheim-Canyon in a second-round match on Saturday at 1 p.m.
“We’re going to have to get a little bit better at a couple things. We’ve got Canyon coming to our place, so that’ll be a good match,” said Kuntz.
Against La Cañada, the Royals used their height advantage to dominate.
“They are definitely a physical team,” said La Cañada head coach Laura Browder. “They’re a good team and I told my boys it is an opportunity for greatness every point.”
San Marcos continually pounded balls and broke 12-8 score in the second set to 17-10.
“Their coach has been here for a long time. It’s a very established program, and we are a very new and upcoming program,” said Browder. “We were Division 5 two years ago, so the fact that we’re playing a team that might even win it, just goes to show you how far we’ve come.”
San Marcos didn’t let up in the third set, roaring out to a 17-5 lead.
“I knew that they were talented. Every one of my players from club and coaches told me about them. I had high expectations and, honestly, they delivered,” stated Browder.
The Spartans were overpowered by San Marcos’ hitting balance
Luke Walker led the way with eight kills on a .463 hitting average. Jack Wilson had seven kills and hit .545 and middle Kyle Foley added six kills on .565 hitting.
“We were very well prepared for this match and it was good to get another win with these guys,” said Kuntz. “It was definitely a team effort as we all contributed to the success of the evening.
Kuntz expects a tougher match against Canyon.
“They’ve got a 6-5 opposite and they’ve got a couple of taller outside players, so they’re very close to our size, and they’re really good,” said Kuntz. “It’ll be a real tough match for us on Saturday.”
