Laguna Blanca split with a strong Village Christian team and finished fourth in the Silver Division at the Viewpoint Volleyball Tournament on Saturday.
The Owls won the first set against Village Christian, 25-22, and dropped the second, 25-22. They finished 1-1-1 in pool play, losing to Windward (25-22, 25-15) and beating Pacifica Christian (25-20, 27-26).
In the playoffs, Laguna Blanca beat Mary Star (25-20) and lost to Bishop Diego (25-20) and Mission Prep (25-23)
“I was pleased with how our guys rose to the occasion against the big schools,” Laguna coach Dillan Bennett said. “Village Christian is a solid team that lost in the finals and Windward is the defending CIF and State champs, so I was impressed with how we competed early. I think our guys got a bit tired after those tough matches and lacked the fire for the playoffs.”
Bennett praised setter Cuyler Zimmerman. “He played solid defense and found the hot hitter when it was crunch time.”
Bennett also liked the play of his middles: Eli Bittleston and Andrew Vignolo.
“Eli has really stepped up as of late, especially today with 12 blocks and a .352 hitting percentage,” he said.
Bennett noted that the tournament was good preparation for the last matches of the regular season and the CIF playoffs.
“We won’t see many teams of that caliber in our division, so playing up really helped us in preparing for a playoff run,” he said.
