By: Rebecca Hext
Staff Writer
Mira Costa’s and Oak Park High School’s volleyball teams traded a total of seven match points in the final game’s match on Saturday June 2 before Mira Costa came out on top to win the game 20-18, becoming the 2012 CIF Division II Southern California Champions.
After easily sweeping Jordan High School and Cathedral High School the week before to secure themselves a spot in the finals, Mira Costa’s boys came out sluggish in their first game against Oak Park. Costa never gained a lead on the Eagles during the opening game, which ended with a 24-26 loss.
“We came out very flat and we were not playing very aggressively,” senior libero Brooks Varni said. “Oak Park came out with a lot of fire which is how they were able to take the first game from us.”
Costa came out ready to fight in the second game. With the help of senior Karl Acres, who recorded 13 kills and four blocks, the boys were able to keep a large lead on Oak Park for the entire game. The Mustangs successfully won game two with a score of 25-16.
“It was important for us to secure that win in game two,” Acres said. “Everyone wanted to do everything they possibly could to ensure our season ended with a win.”
After the win in game two, the Costa boys had energy and momentum going into game three. They came out with an early lead that they were able to keep with the help of Senior outside hitter Chris Orenic. Orenic lead the Mustangs with 34 kills and 7 digs in total, helping win game three 25-19.
“After losing that first game we needed as much momentum as possible to hold them off,” Orenic said. “They were a good team but we were able to make the big plays we needed to win when it counted the most.”
As game four began, it was clear that Oak Park was out for revenge. The Eagles came out strong and were able to secure a lead on Costa that they held for the entire game. Costa eventually lost the fourth game with a score of 26-24 sending the match into a fifth set to 15 points.
“It was a really high intensity match,” junior outside hitter Riley Mallon said. “It was a close game but we weren’t able to close it when we needed to.”
In a back and forth battle for game five, Costa was able to emerge victorious thanks to junior hitter Scott Stephanoff. A key block by Stephanoff pulled Costa to a 14-13, and an ace serve brought the game to a 14-14 tie. Stephanoff recorded two kills, bringing his total to 12 kills for the game, and securing Costa’s win with a score of 20-18.
“They had a lot of momentum from winning the fourth game so we knew we had to come out with a lot more energy in the fifth game,” Stephanoff said. “We wanted to prove to ourselves that we were the best team on the court that night and that’s exactly what we did.”
As CIF Division II Southern California Champions, Mira Costa is now ranked second in the nation just behind Wheaton Warrenville South High School from Illinois, and above Loyola High School, ranked number three. The boys’ season is now officially over but the returning varsity juniors are already looking forward to the 2013 season.
“I’m so proud of everything this team has accomplished this year and it’s a true honor to have been a part of it,” senior Jackson Carr said. “It’s an awesome feeling to know we can come back in 20 years and see our year on the banner in the Costa gym.”
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