Laguna Blanca couldn’t rebound from a controversial call that went against it late in the fifth set and lost a 22-25, 26-24, 26-28, 25-20, 15-11 decision at second-seeded Garden Grove in the CIF Division 5 boys volleyball semifinals on Wednesday night.
The third-seeded Owls were down 8-9 when they blocked a ball they thought dropped inside the court on Garden Grove’s side of the net. The official, however, ruled the ball fell out of bounds. The Owls argued the call and were assessed a red card. That gave Garden Grove another point, pushing its lead to 11-8.
“It was a two-point swing with the red card,” Laguna coach Dillan Bennett said. “That was a tough call late in game five. That was unfortunate, but we still had to pass the next ball and we didn’t.”
Garden Grove’s best hitter put the match away, ending the winningest season in Laguna Blanca boys volleyball history. The Owls finished with a 21-4 record and reached the semifinals for the first time.
“We were just a couple of plays and a couple of calls from our first final,” said Bennett, who added that he was pleased how his team performed. “I believe they played absolutely the best they could play. They left it all out on the court, and that’s all you can ask for as a coach.”
Kiyan Mashhoon had a big match for the Owls with 15 kills, 15 dig and three aces. Ryan Bickett played sparkling defense, posting 51 digs. “He was all over the place,” said Bennett.
Andrew Vignolo added seven kills.
Laguna Blanca got out to a fast start after the long bus ride.
“We came out on fire,” Bennett said. “We needed that energy. They like to bomb jump serves, so our game plan was to serve them short. They had a hard time adjusting at the start.”
The Owls rallied from a 21-24 deficit and tied the score at 24 in the second set. But Garden Grove recovered and scored the last two points to even the match at 1-1.
In the third set, the Owls fought off a couple of set points before pulling out the win. Garden Grove’s top player found his groove and led the team to victory in the fourth set.
