Santa Barbara High fell in the Silver Division semifinals at the Best of the West boys volleyball tournament in San Diego, losing to Sage Creek in two tight sets, 26-24, 27-25.
“We had our chances to finish Sage Creek. We seem to make uncharacteristic errors at crucial times of the game,” said Dons coach Chad Arneson.
The Dons advanced to the semifinals with wins over Clovis North (25-21, 25-23) and South Torrance (25-12, 25-21).
Arneson ran a 6-2 offense on the second day of the tournament, and setters Peter Tebbe and Cade Westwick combined for 76 assists. Tebbe led the way with 45.
“I was excited to see how our overall offense improved,” said Arneson.
Alex Rottman paced the attack with 35 kills, Riley Roach had 17 and Sam Meister produced 15 in the middle.
Libero Matt Suh picked up 33 digs.
“Shaymus O’Hearn was a spark plug coming off the bench and Andrew Douglas was a bright spot playing in the opposite position,” said Arneson.”Captains Riley Roach and Matt Suh did an excellent job being better floor generals throughout the day.
“I believe this tournament will help us grow as a team and make us realize that we need to be pulling on the same rope if we want to be successful for the rest of season.”
The Dons (5-4) host Valencia on Tuesday and play at Santa Ynez in a Channel League match on Thursday.