Just when it looked as though Dos Pueblos’ boys volleyball team was in for a grueling CIF playoff opener, the Chargers erased a late deficit in the first set and went on to sweep Harvard-Westlake 25-23, 25-23, 25-20 at Sovine Gym on Tuesday.
“It’s really nice to win in three,” said Chargers libero Cole Arutian. “We all get to go home early, do our homework, get on with tomorrow and hope for the best on Thursday.”
Dos Pueblos' kill leader Will McCracken sets a teammate in the first game.
The “best” would be an upset over No. 2 Corona del Mar, DP’s opponent in Thursday’s second round. Since both teams were at home on Tuesday, a coin flip Wednesday morning will decide the location.
Will McCracken was huge all night for the Chargers, tallying 16 kills and four blocks. In the first game alone, McCracken helped DP come back from deficits of 14-19 and 19-22 by recording six kills and two blocks, punctuated by a kill on game point.
“It definitely felt like it was going to be a long night for us but the guys on our team stepped up big and really did a good job for us,” McCracken said.
Kyle Hoffman was also a force in the first set, recording five of his 10 kills. From there, players like Robbie Mestas (four kills, two blocks), Gabe Duncan (four kills, two blocks), and Jay Larinan (five kills) made their mark. Chargers head coach Chris Hughes even singled out recent varsity call-up Dylan Head for his positive contributions.
“I was really pleased that we dug. Wade (Robinson) got to some great balls in the back row, and we extended the rallies and won the long rallies,” Hughes said.
Robinson finished with a team-high 12 digs and Arutian collected eight, including a pancake dig that kept alive a key point that eventually went to the Chargers in the third set.
Every point counted in this one as the final two games weren’t any less of a struggle than the first.
Like the Chargers in the first game, the Wolverines clawed their way back in the second set from a 21-17 DP lead to draw even at 21-21, but a kill from Larinan put the Chargers back on top and Dos Pueblos closed out the game 25-23.
In the third set, Harvard-Westlake led by as many as five at 10-5 but DP caught up at 14-14. Carrying momentum, the Chargers went on a 9-3 run from there to take a daunting 23-17 lead.
“We walked in with ‘Let’s battle and see what happens.’ I think we did that,” said Harvard-Westlake head coach Adam Black.
The Wolverines, who were led by senior outside Ryan Plueger, finish their season with a 17-10 record.
