The Dos Pueblos boys volleyball team swept past Ventura in straight sets during a Channel League matchup on Thursday night. The Chargers defeated the Cougars 25-16, 27-25, 25-20.
The squad was led by senior captain Mark Raphael, who had another solid performance as setter while dishing 37 assists, two blocks and an ace. The Dos Pueblos attack came from both Eli Wopat and Elliot Brainerd. Wopat earned 13 kills on 21 attempts while Brainerd notched 12 kills on 21 attempts.
“Eli and Elliot are quite the one-two punch,” said Chargers head coach Ehren Hug.”These guys work their tails off in practice and have really been pushing the rest of the team.”
CD Sullivan chipped in with six kills on 11 attempts to go along with one block. The middle also brought some serious thunder from the service line with his jump serve.
In the second set, solid serving gave Ventura a 19-12 lead before a Dos Pueblos timeout. The Chargers rallied afterwards, battling back to tie the score at 24-24. The team went on to claim the set after an under violation was called on the Cougars.
“Ventura had some big guys and posed a large consistent block all night,” added coach Ehren Hug. “However, our defense kept us alive tonight.”
This marked the first game for Dos Pueblos in three weeks. As a result, the Chargers where itching to hit the court by the time the match had begun.
Coach Hug gave high praise to Will Parker, Brainerd and Barrett Burnes for chasing down loose balls and passing well.
With the victory, Dos Pueblos improves to 4-5 overall, 2-2 league. The Chargers will open play versus Simi Valley in the Santa Barbara Tournament of Champions on Friday.
