Laguna Blanca’s shot of making its first CIF boys volleyball final was derailed by Arrowhead Christian in the Division 5 semifinals on Wednesday night in Redlands.
Led by 6-3 Pepperdine-bound Kaleb Denmark, Arrowhead Christian swept the Owls, 25-22, 25-19, 25-16.
“They had one player who is very good,” Laguna coach Dillan Bennett said. “He’s the real deal. He had 25 kills and I think their next closest guy had six.”
Bennett said his team prepared all week for Denmark. “We did everything we could to stop him.”
He said the team’s struggles with ball control also hurt. “Our passing, defense and ball control totally went out the window; our defense was erratic at best.”
This was the second straight year Bennett’s taken the Owls to the CIF semifinals.
“It’s been a great run with what we were able to accomplish with this group. It was nice to get back to the semifinals. Last year, we couldn’t say that at all as a program.”
Laguna finishes the season at 22-8.
