Boys’ volleyball experiences loss in CIF

Although boys’ volleyball had dominated the first two rounds of California Interscholastic Federation (CIF) play, round three proved to be more of a challenge.The Vikings fell to the Adolfo Christian High School Scorpions in five intense sets, 25-15, 27-25, 25-22, 25-21 and 16-14 .“We lost simply because we lost focus and we lost sight of our goal,” Dane Keckin (’13) said. “After the reality check from the first game, we won two straight sets and let up because we thought we had it won.”With a CIF track record to brag about, Samo’s boys’ volleyball team has a legacy to uphold in championship play. The boys on the 2011 team came out CIF champions and the upperclassmen have rings to show for it. The 2012 team almost nabbed the championship trophy but suffered a down-to-the-buzzer loss and this year’s team survived two rounds of tough CIF competition before surrendering to Adolfo Camarillo.“The athleticism was there that day, we just mentally weren’t,” Keckin said. “On a different day it could have been a completely different game.”Coach Liane Sato acknowledged the struggles the team faced at the onset of the season.“We were challenged early in the season by Culver City and Beverly Hills with one loss to each team,” Sato said. “Luckily, the way our schedule is set up, we play each team three times. We dominated both schools in the next two meetings securing another Ocean League Championship title.”Sato attributed much of the team’s success to the large number of seniors, 10, and notes the honors the season received for individual players.According to Sato, the All Ocean League selections included Keckin for Most Outstanding and Spencer Cramer (’13) for MVP.The First Team All League selections were Emil Khairzad (’13), Noah Alemania (’15), Julian Mickelson (’13) and Isan Contreras (’14).The Second Team All League selections were Tristan Leigh (’13) and Dakota Schey (’15).Mickelson and Cramer were further acknowledged for their athletic accomplishments at Senior Honors Night on May 21, 2013 with Mickelson taking home the Morgan McKinzie Scholarship Award and Cramer accepting the Loren Schwichteberg Scholarship Award.Despite their premature defeat in CIF, the team looks to next season with hope.“Knowing the team that’s coming up for next year, I expect nothing but the best,” Alemania said.In order to ensure success next season, Declan Knight (’13) shed some light on points for improvement.“They need to stay focused throughout and really be committed to the program,” Knight said. “And it needs to start during preseason.” 

Chelsea BrandweinSenior Managing Editor

cbrandwein@thesamohi.com