Costa takes 5th place in Best of the West tournament, plus more updates!
Mira Costa Boys Volleyball opened its season with a match against Santa Barbara High School at home on March 2nd. With a full crowd of Costa students to cheer them on, the Varsity squad defeated Santa Barbara in straight sets. The starting line-up included seniors Bobby Barkley, Max Cajuste, and Xander Wee; juniors Lauch Farris, Thomas Kretschmer, and Adam Sevier; and sophomore Jack Walmer. The Frosh/Soph team and JV teams also won, giving Costa a sweep of Santa Barbara.
JV and Frosh/Soph followed up their wins against Santa Barbara by winning their first tournaments of the season. JV won the Valencia Tournament which is a tournament Costa has won all three years it has participated. Frosh/Soph took part in the Burbank Tournament, winning in commanding style.
All three teams attended tournaments last weekend. Varsity headed to San Diego for the Best of the West Tournament, considered the premier tournament in California. Thirty-two of the best teams were invited to the tournament that took place over two days.
Costa first faced Valencia High School. In game 1, Cajuste, Kretschmer, senior Aiden Weir, sophomore Dain Johnson, Farris, Walmer, and Sevier started. Costa won game 1 with a tight finish. Coach Avery brought in senior Dane Johnson, juniors Chase Pinkerton and Will Bond, and sophomores Sam Collins and Luke Snyder to start for Costa in Game 2. Costa took an early lead, which they never relinquished.
In the second match against Torrey Pines, sophomore Jack Hopkins and Wee were in the line-up. Senior Setter Tyler Baliton and Libero Harrison Murphy also came in to help Costa get the win. In the third match of the day, Costa faced a tough battle against Servite, but emerged the winner in a three-set match. Undefeated in Day 1, Costa qualified for the top 16 teams and remained in the Gold Bracket.
On Saturday, Bobby Barkley, having been out with illness, suited up to play against Huntington. Costa took the win over powerhouse Huntington Beach in three sets. Costa next faced cross-town rival Redondo in the quarter-finals. Costa won the first game, but lost to Redondo in the second. Unable to find its rhythm, Costa fell to Redondo in the tie-breaker.
Costa next faced the Number 1 seed in the tournament, Corona Del Mar. Like Costa, CDM suffered an unexpected quarter-final loss, leading to the match-up against Costa to determine which team would take 5th place. Costa got out early and took the win in Game 1. In Game 2, CDM came back to win. Costa defeated CDM in the third game tie-breaker, to finish 5th out of the 32 field-team.
The 5th place finish bests Costa 9th place result from one year ago. Costa also defeated two well-known volleyball powerhouses along the way in Huntington Beach and CDM.
While Varsity battled it out in San Diego, JV and Frosh/Soph played in the Redondo JV tournament. JV won the tournament, defeating Loyola in the final. The Frosh/Soph team finished third in this same tournament, after losing a close contest (20-25) to Loyola’s JV team that would go on to face, and lose to, Costa’s JV team.
Next up for Costa is the annual Alumni game on Friday, March 16, which brings past Mustangs together to compete against the current varsity team. Come out and enjoy the fun, along with free El Gringo from their Guac Truck, sponsored by Nick Schneider of Schneider Properties. This is a community event and is free to everyone—no entry fees!