CIF champion Sunny Hills Lancers after Friday’s victory. (PHOTOS: Tom Connolly, For OC Sports Zone).
For the second time in school history, Sunny Hills has captured a CIF boys volleyball match.
Friday’s match was highly competitive with each team battling down the stretch for each point in each set. The Lancers (23-14) faltered late in the first set, losing 26-24.
But Sunny Hills rebounded to win the next three sets 25-22, 27-25 and 25-23 to claim the CIF Division 4 championship over Royal at Cerritos College.
“We scheduled tough matches throughout the season, so we would be prepared for matches like this,” said Sunny Hills Coach Albert Soliguen, who started the Lancers volleyball program in 2020. “We couldn’t have done it without all of the support we received from parents, fans, alumni and our administration. The players displayed so much heart and desire and they have worked so hard all season on their game. This match proved how mentally tough they are. We’re all so proud of them.”
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Christian Lee and Owen Filadelfia combined to record 35 kills and Parker Mesnik added 47 assists to lead the Lancers to their first CIF championship since 2022.
“Even after we dropped the first set, we tried to stay consistent,” said Lee, who had four kills in the final set and also recorded 11 digs in the match. “We continued to push through and everyone upped their energy. Our bench and the crowd picked us up.”
“We had the mindset that we aren’t losing this match, no matter what,” said Filadelfia. “We had a great run through the CIF playoffs.”
“We had high energy and we executed our game plan,” said Mesnik, who had an outstanding match. “It’s feels amazing to be a CIF champion.”
In set one, Sunny Hills led 23-19, but a series of late unforced errors led the Highlanders (16-11) to score six of the final seven points and win the set 26-24.
Once again in set 2, the Lancers led 23-18, but Royal fought back and cut the score to 24-22. Alex King then recorded a kill to give Sunny Hills the set, 25-22, and even the match at 1-1.
Set three was tied 13 times, but Jadyn Salud and Jacob Sueki rallied the Sunny Hills and they drilled back-to-back kills as the Lancers squeaked out a 27-25 victory, to go up 2-1 in the match.
“We leanred from our earlier mistakes and continued to fight,” said Sueki, who had 16 digs, two serving aces and and four assists in the match. “It’s amazing, I learned more about the character of this team today in the way we stayed together and fought.”
“It’s so rewarding to win a CIF championship,” said Salud, whose play at the net was impressive and he added several crucial kills in sets 3 and 4. “We kept making adjustments and I can say that it’s a relief to win. All the hard work has paid off.”
The teams traded the lead several times in the early stages of game 4. However, Sunny Hills went on a 6-0 run, highlighted by two aces by Sueki, and built a 17-11 advantage.
The Highlanders closed the score to 24-23 after back-to-back kills by Grant Herzer and Donald Fleming. Filadelfia then closed out the set and the match by recording a kill to give Sunny Hills the championship.
Lyle Pickavance said Sunny Hills team unity was the difference.
“We stuck together; it took mental toughness but we stuck together as team,” said Pickavance, who recorded five kills and five blocks in the match.
Lancers Athletic Director Paul Jones credited the team.
“I’m super excited; we got two CIF tiles in five years; that’s unprecedented,” Jones said. “I especially happy for the seniors. Albert and his staff took off with this program and have done an unbelievable job.”
Royal, which was making its11th finals appearance, had their nine-game winning streak snapped but proved to be a worthy opponent. Each set came down to the wire and the outcome could have gone either way.
“It came down to their defense; they beat us with their defense,” said Royal Coach Ryan Moberly. “It’s hard to lose, but hey did an outstanding job digging the ball out. We couldn’t break them.”
Sunny Hills assistant coach Victoria Soliguen also pointed out that the Lancers defense was key to their victory.
“We did a great job of digging the ball, blocking shots, and our middle attackers were outstanding,” she said.
Fleming and Herzer combined to record 37 kills to lead Royal.
Notes:
—-Royal reached the finals by defeating Lancaster, Liberty, Temple City and Village Christian while Sunny Hills defeated St. Monica, Santa Monica, Northwood and Crossroads to reach Friday’s championship match.
—-Sunny Hills finished in second place in the Crestview League this season while Royal finished in second place in the Coastal Canyon League.
—-Sunny Hills and Royal had two common opponents this season. The Lancers and the Highlanders both defeated Lancaster while both lost to Granada Hills Charter.
—-Entering Friday’s match, Royal hadn’t lost a match since March 17. The Highlanders have only their seniors on their roster.
—-Sunny Hills won its seventh consecutive match.
—Both teams have qualified to play in the CIF state regional tournament.
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