TVT Lions during the awards ceremony following the CIF Division 9 final. (PHOTOS: Tim Burt, OC Sports Zone).
Tarbut V’ Torah’s boys volleyball team gave it all it had trying to bring home a first CIF championship Thursday night in the Division 9 final against Vasquez in front of its home fans.
The Lions came close, rallying for a 25-19 victory in the fourth set to force a fifth and final set to 15 points. But Vasquez overcame an early 3-0 deficit in the final set to win the deciding set 15-10 to win its first CIF title.
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Vasquez and TVT will advance into the CIF Southern California State Regional tournament next week and could meet again in the final.
TVT’s fans provided tremendous support for the Lions, loudly cheering and stomping the bleachers in the small gym on campus. The TVT players feed off the fans’ energy and kept battling until the end.
The hometown fans gave their players and coaches a standing ovation during the post-game awards.
Vasquez, which also had many fans rooting it on, won the first set 25-19. TVT took the second set 25-22 before Vasquez won the third set 25-21.
“It was really fun, last year we didn’t have a very tough schedule, this year we had a deeper team and a much tougher schedule, I thought it prepared us really well for the match,” said the Lions second-year Coach Matt Hamadani. “I thought we battled, I thought we fought.
“But at the end of the day, that was a regular good team on the other side of the net. I thought we made them earn it, we made it really tough for them and sometimes, it just doesn’t bounce your way.”
The TVT program went on a 12-year hiatus starting in 2009 due to low team numbers. School officials brought the program back in 2023 and this year’s team represented the school in the resurgence of the program.
The coach was appreciative of the fans.
“The guys love, it, that’s all they want is for people to come support them, they feed off of that,” Hamadani said.
As in many matches this season, TVT was led by 7-foot-1 inch junior middle blocker Gideon Marzouk, who had numerous clutch points and helped his team jump out to a 3-0 lead in the final set.
“I thought Gideon played pretty well,” Hamadani said. “I thought they did a really good job of slowing him down and giving him looks that he honestly hasn’t seen the whole year so it was an adjustment for him, I thought he responded well, he served good, his defense was great, He tweaked his knee a little, but he wasn’t going to come out for a second. I admire his effort and toughness and I’m glad he’s back for another year.”
Marzouk took the loss hard after leaving it all out on the court. Many times during the match, Lions fans chanted, “Gideon, Gideon,” and the Lions star acknowledged their support.
Marzouk said he has been playing volleyball since ninth grade.
“I used to play basketball, but this year I stopped playing basketball. I’m kind of focused on going to school {college} for academics,” he said.
His focus is on being a major part of the TVT volleyball team and he’s not shown an interest in playing basketball his senior season at the school.
“I’m really proud of this team,” he said. “I think we did a great job. This was a very good team, I’m really proud of the performance of my team, we played really well. We bounced back throughout the game, it wasn’t the result we wanted but at the end of the day, we’re very happy with this team. I think next season we will do much better, hopefully.
“Anything can go in the fifth set. It’s a testament to the team’s perseverance and the grit we have and although it didn’t go our way, at the end of the day, you can’t be mad. The crowd was fantastic, we’re so grateful for everyone that was here. Thank you to all the fans who were here throughout the season and supported us and especially all of you who were able to come today and support us. It was fantastic. We’re so grateful for you.”
A number of other Lions also contributed Thursday and throughout the season.
Hamadani was also pleased with the play of junior outside hitter Matt Olen.
“I thought he played a phemonenal match, he’s kind of been our rock all year,” Hamadani said. “Without him, I don’t think we get out of the first round. I thought my setter Nathan Dimant played great and Nathan Spellman, just so much improvement in year to year. I don’t think anyone played a bad match and that’s all you can ask for.”
Vasquez Coach Tommy Galbreath was esctastic with the victory.
“It’s an unreal feeling, we worked so hard during this season,” he said. “We came together at the right time and we got hot and we never stopped. This is the first for any sport for Vasquez High School.”
Galbreath showed lots of respect for TVT.
“TVT is an awesome bunch of kids,” he said. “Great group of coaches and great host of the game, they’ve been outstanding. I think it just came down to my boys wanted it more.”
Galbreath said that Grant Goodwin, Josh Sandoval, Oliver Gates, Khailan Wiley, Leo Rivas and Liam Byrne were among the standouts for his team.
“This was a group effort whether they play or not during practice, we put it all together,” he said.
Both teams were honored after the match. TVT Athletic Director Jeff Towning introduced all the players and coaches from both teams. Vasquez received the CIF championship plaque and TVT the runner-up plaque.
Hamadani, the TVT coach, would like for his team to get another shot at the Mustangs in the regionals.
“We’re going to keep playing more volleyball, we love that, hopefully we get to see these guys again,” he said.
—Tim Burt, OC Sports Zone; timburt@ocsportszone.com
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