If nothing else, the 2019 Rio Hondo League’s boys’ varsity volleyball season is high-level entertainment. For proof, let’s look at San Marino. The Titans are 3-2 in league action, but four of the five games have gone to the five-set maximum.
Tuesday’s contest against South Pasadena was no different as the host Titans started slowly, dropping the opening two sets before staving off match point to win the third stanza. San Marino rolled in set 4 to even things up, but dropped the deciding fifth set and the match, slipping out of a tie for first place. In the first meeting between the two teams, San Marino rallied to win in five sets
Junior Carver Weirick led the Titan hit parade on Tuesday with a match-high 19 kills to complement 19 defensive digs. Returning from a knee injury, senior Kai Barra chipped in with nine kills and eight digs. Seniors Eric Fu and Michael Baldocchi added eight kills apiece and imposed their wills at the net, but it wasn’t enough as the Titan succumbed by scores of 25-23, 25-21, 24-26, 24-26 and 15-11.
Freshman setter Kyle Yu put together another solid game quarterbacking the Titan offense and led the squad with five service aces. Junior Mitchell Cootauco also helped out with five kills and nine blocks. Baldocchi led in that category with 13.
“I though we came together and played pretty well after a slow start,” said head Coach Tony Chou. “We hadn’t played a game in quite some time and it was nice to see that we improved as the game went on.”
Defensive specialists Seth Matzumoto, Matt Harlan and Christofer Duenas also played well for the Titans.
San Marino has road games at Gabrielino and Arcadia before returning home to face La Cañada on Tuesday, April 16 in a must-win (aren’t they all?) Rio Hondo League contest during which the Titans will honor their seniors.
